Jury deliberates in Australia's mushroom lunch murder trial that shocked the nation
MORWELL (Australia), June 30 — The jury in the trial of an Australian woman who allegedly murdered three elderly relatives of her estranged husband using poisonous mushrooms retired to consider its verdict on Monday, in a case that has gripped the country.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, in July 2023.
The prosecution alleges she served them death cap mushrooms in a Beef Wellington alongside mashed potato and green beans, before destroying evidence and lying to the police and medical workers to cover up her crimes.
She denies the charges, that carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths 'a terrible accident'.
On Monday, presiding judge Justice Christopher Beale ended a five-day summary of the evidence to the jury capping some of the final court proceedings in the trial, now in its tenth week.
Ian Wilkinson, the sole surviving lunch guest who has attended almost every day of the trial, sat with relatives a few feet from Erin Patterson, seated in the dock at the rear of the court.
The case at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in Morwell, a former coal mining town whose best-known tourist attractions until the trial were a rose garden and a regional art gallery, has fascinated Australia.
Members of the public have queued for hours for the limited seats in Court 4 where the trial is taking place, while television crews and photographers have been camped outside the building.
State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast on the trial is the country's most popular, while several documentaries on the case are already in production. — Reuters
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Malay Mail
2 hours ago
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Sweet but sinister: What to know about death cap mushrooms, the toxic fungi at the heart of Australia's fatal lunch trial
SYDNEY, June 30 — The triple-murder trial of Australian Erin Patterson revolves around an innocuous-looking mushroom with a 'slightly sweet' smell and a sinister name. Patterson is accused of killing her husband's parents and aunt in 2023 by lacing their beef Wellington lunch with highly toxic death cap mushrooms. The 50-year-old has strenuously denied the charges, saying the hearty meal was contaminated by accident. Throughout a headline-grabbing trial spanning more than two months, experts have dissected the brown-and-white fungi in forensic detail. Death caps — or Amanita phalloides — are responsible for around 90 percent of all fungus-related fatalities, making them the deadliest mushrooms in the world. The brown-and-white sporing bodies are easily mistaken for other edible varieties, and reportedly possess a pleasant taste when used in cooking. But they are saturated with deadly chemicals known as amatoxins, toxicologist Dimitri Gerostamoulos told Patterson's trial. 'They can lead to someone experiencing symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting, feeling really unwell,' Gerostamoulos told the jury. 'And they progressively get worse if the toxins are not removed. 'They progress to tissue necrosis, organ failure and can obviously lead to death if not treated appropriately.' Three of Patterson's guests died of organ failure a week after unknowingly eating death cap mushrooms baked into individual portions of beef Wellington. 'It was very apparent that this was not survivable,' intensive care specialist Stephen Warrillow told the jury. A fourth guest fell gravely ill but survived after weeks in hospital. Death cap mushrooms are native to Europe but have spread to the United States, Australia and New Zealand, fungi expert Tom May said during Patterson's trial. He said the mushrooms had a 'slightly sweet' odour when fresh. 'In Australia, it is an exotic species and it was accidentally introduced,' May said in his testimony. They sprout during warm and wet autumn weather and are typically found growing in the shade of oak trees. 'From time to time, every year usually under suitable conditions, it produces a sporing body, which is the mushroom that we see,' May said. 'They're quite fleshy and they decay quite readily, so they would not last longer than a couple of weeks when they're sitting in the field.' — AFP
Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Jury deliberates in Australia's mushroom lunch murder trial that shocked the nation
MORWELL (Australia), June 30 — The jury in the trial of an Australian woman who allegedly murdered three elderly relatives of her estranged husband using poisonous mushrooms retired to consider its verdict on Monday, in a case that has gripped the country. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, in July 2023. The prosecution alleges she served them death cap mushrooms in a Beef Wellington alongside mashed potato and green beans, before destroying evidence and lying to the police and medical workers to cover up her crimes. She denies the charges, that carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths 'a terrible accident'. On Monday, presiding judge Justice Christopher Beale ended a five-day summary of the evidence to the jury capping some of the final court proceedings in the trial, now in its tenth week. Ian Wilkinson, the sole surviving lunch guest who has attended almost every day of the trial, sat with relatives a few feet from Erin Patterson, seated in the dock at the rear of the court. The case at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in Morwell, a former coal mining town whose best-known tourist attractions until the trial were a rose garden and a regional art gallery, has fascinated Australia. Members of the public have queued for hours for the limited seats in Court 4 where the trial is taking place, while television crews and photographers have been camped outside the building. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast on the trial is the country's most popular, while several documentaries on the case are already in production. — Reuters
The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
Jury in Australia's mushroom murder trial retires to consider verdict
A general view of the front of the Latrobe Valley Law Courts where the Erin Patterson murder trial is taking place in Morwell, Australia, June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake MORWELL, Australia (Reuters) -The jury in the trial of an Australian woman who allegedly murdered three elderly relatives of her estranged husband using poisonous mushrooms retired to consider its verdict on Monday, in a case that has gripped the country. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, in July 2023. The prosecution alleges she served them death cap mushrooms in a Beef Wellington alongside mashed potato and green beans, before destroying evidence and lying to the police and medical workers to cover up her crimes. She denies the charges, that carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths "a terrible accident". On Monday, presiding judge Justice Christopher Beale ended a five-day summary of the evidence to the jury capping some of the final court proceedings in the trial, now in its tenth week. Ian Wilkinson, the sole surviving lunch guest who has attended almost every day of the trial, sat with relatives a few feet from Erin Patterson, seated in the dock at the rear of the court. The case at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in Morwell, a former coal mining town whose best-known tourist attractions until the trial were a rose garden and a regional art gallery, has fascinated Australia. Members of the public have queued for hours for the limited seats in Court 4 where the trial is taking place, while television crews and photographers have been camped outside the building. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast on the trial is the country's most popular, while several documentaries on the case are already in production. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
