Latest news with #DonGailPatterson
LBCI
07-07-2025
- LBCI
Australian woman found guilty of triple murder with toxic mushrooms
An Australian woman murdered her husband's parents and aunt by lacing their beef Wellington lunch with toxic mushrooms, a jury found Monday at the climax of a trial watched around the world. Keen home cook Erin Patterson hosted an intimate meal in July 2023 that started with good-natured banter and earnest prayer -- but ended with three guests dead. Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world's most-lethal fungus. But a 12-person jury on Monday found the 50-year-old guilty of triple murder, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth guest who survived. Newspapers from New York to New Delhi have followed every twist of what many now simply call the "mushroom murders." Family members of the victims declined to speak after the verdict, asking for privacy in a statement issued through police. On July 29, 2023, Patterson set the table for an intimate family meal at her tree-shaded country property. Her lunch guests that afternoon were Don and Gail Patterson, the parents of her long-estranged husband Simon. Places were also set for Simon's maternal aunt Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, a well-known pastor at the local Baptist church. Husband Simon was urged to come but he declined because he felt "uncomfortable." In the background, Patterson's relationship with Simon was starting to turn sour. The pair, still legally married, had been fighting over Simon's child support contributions. Guests said grace before tucking in and prayed once more after eating, with Heather later gushing about the "delicious and beautiful" meal. Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity. The guests' blood was swiftly coursing with deadly amatoxin, a poison produced by the death cap mushrooms known to sprout under the oak trees of Victoria. Don, Gail and Heather died of organ failure within a week. Detectives soon found signs that Patterson had dished up the meal with murderous intent. Patterson told her guests she had received a cancer diagnosis and needed advice on breaking the news to her children, prosecutors alleged. But medical records showed Patterson received no such prosecution said this was a lie cooked up to lure the diners to her table. She also lied about owning a food dehydrator which police later found dumped in a rubbish tip. Forensic tests found the appliance contained traces of the fatal fungi. A computer seized from her house had browsed a website pinpointing death cap mushrooms spotted a short drive from her house a year before the lunch, police said. Baptist preacher Ian Wilkinson was the only guest to survive, pulling through after weeks in hospital. He told the court how guests' meals were served on four grey plates, while Patterson ate from a smaller orange dish. But he could not explain why Patterson wanted him dead. Patterson was a devoted mother-of-two with an active interest in her tight-knit community. She maintained through her lawyers it was nothing more than a "terrible accident." Confronted with countless hours of intricate expert testimony, it took the jury a week to find Patterson guilty. The court will soon set a date for a sentencing hearing that will determine how long Patterson spends in jail. Her legal team has 28 days after sentencing to appeal both her criminal convictions and her sentence. AFP
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Australian woman found guilty of triple murder with toxic mushrooms
An Australian woman murdered her husband's parents and aunt by lacing their beef Wellington lunch with toxic mushrooms, a jury found Monday at the climax of a trial watched around the world. Keen home cook Erin Patterson hosted an intimate meal in July 2023 that started with good-natured banter and earnest prayer -- but ended with three guests dead. Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world's most-lethal fungus. But a 12-person jury on Monday found the 50-year-old guilty of triple murder. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth guest who survived. The trial has drawn podcasters, film crews and true crime fans to the rural town of Morwell, a sedate hamlet in the state of Victoria better known for prize-winning roses. Newspapers from New York to New Delhi have followed every twist of what many now simply call the "mushroom murders". On July 29, 2023, Patterson set the table for an intimate family meal at her tree-shaded country property. Her lunch guests that afternoon were Don and Gail Patterson, the elderly parents of her long-estranged husband Simon. Places were also set for Simon's maternal aunt Heather and her husband Ian, a well-known pastor at the local Baptist church. Husband Simon was urged to come but he declined because he felt "uncomfortable". In the background, Patterson's relationship with Simon was starting to turn sour. The pair -- still legally married -- had been fighting over Simon's child support contributions. Patterson forked out for expensive cuts of beef, which she slathered in a duxelles of minced mushrooms and wrapped in pastry to make individual parcels of beef Wellington. Guests said grace before tucking in -- and prayed once more after eating -- with Heather later gushing about the "delicious and beautiful" meal. Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties, and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity. - 'Not survivable' - The guests' blood was soon coursing with deadly amatoxin, a poison produced by the death cap mushrooms known to sprout under the oak trees of Victoria. Don, Gail and Heather died of organ failure within a week. "It was very apparent that this was not survivable," intensive care specialist Stephen Warrillow told the trial. Detectives soon found signs that Patterson -- herself a true crime buff -- had dished up the meal with murderous intent. Patterson told guests she had received a cancer diagnosis and needed advice on breaking the news to her children, prosecutors alleged. But medical records showed Patterson received no such diagnosis. The prosecution said this was a lie cooked up to lure the diners to her table. She also lied about owning a food dehydrator which police later found dumped in a rubbish tip. Forensic tests found the appliance contained traces of the fatal fungi. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Patterson told the trial. A computer seized from her house had browsed a website pinpointing death cap mushrooms spotted a short drive from her house a year before the lunch, police said. - 'Super sleuth' - Death caps are the most lethal mushrooms on the planet, responsible for some 90 percent of all fatalities due to consuming toxic fungi. Baptist preacher Ian Wilkinson was the only guest to survive, pulling through after weeks in hospital. He told the court how guests' meals were served on four gray plates, while Patterson ate from a smaller orange dish. But he could not explain why Patterson wanted him dead. Patterson was a devoted mother-of-two with an active interest in her tight-knit community, volunteering to edit the village newsletter and film church services. She was also a well-known true crime buff, joining a Facebook group to chew over details from infamous Australian murders. Friend Christine Hunt told the jury Patterson had a reputation as "a bit of a super sleuth". Patterson said the meal was accidentally contaminated with death cap mushrooms, but maintained through her lawyers it was nothing more than a "terrible accident". "She didn't do it deliberately. She didn't do it intentionally," defence lawyer Colin Mandy told the trial. "She denies that she ever deliberately sought out death cap mushrooms." The trial heard from doctors, detectives, computer experts and mushroom specialists as it picked apart the beef Wellington lunch in forensic detail. Confronted with countless hours of intricate expert testimony, it took the jury a week to judge Patterson guilty. She will be sentenced at a later date. sft/djw/tym
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- The Guardian
Australia mushroom trial live: cross-examination of Erin Patterson to continue on day 29 of her triple-murder trial
Update: Date: 2025-06-10T00:33:16.000Z Title: Erin Content: While we wait for proceedings to begin, here is a recap of what the jury heard on Friday: 1. Patterson said she could not recall accessing posts about death cap mushroom sightings on the citizen science website iNaturalist in May 2022. 2. Patterson said on 1 August 2023 – three days after the lunch – she realised foraged mushrooms may have been in a Tupperware container storing store-bought mushrooms and used in the beef wellingtons. This occurred after her estranged husband Simon Patterson asked if she used a dehydrator to poison his parents, Patterson said. She agreed she did not tell anyone about this realisation. 3. Under cross-examination, denied that the purpose of the fateful lunch on 29 July 2023 was to discuss advice about a medical issue she had. Patterson acknowledged she told Simon about 'some medical stuff' when she invited him to the lunch about two weeks prior. 4. says the medical issues referred to gastric bypass surgery for weight loss she was planning to have. She said she had a pre-surgery appointment booked for this. 5. said she felt 'ashamed' about a message she sent to her Facebook friends in December 2022 where she wrote 'fuck em' in relation to her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson. She rejected the prosecution's suggestion that messages in a group Facebook chat reflected her true feelings towards Don and Gail. Update: Date: 2025-06-10T00:30:48.000Z Title: Erin Patterson Content: Welcome to day 29 of 's triple-murder trial. Patterson, who began testifying on Monday afternoon, will return to the witness box for a fifth day. Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC will continue cross-examining Patterson. The trial, which is in its sixth week, will resume from 10.30am. Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha in regional Victoria on 29 July 2023. She is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and her estranged husband's aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The attempted murder charge relates to Heather's husband, Ian. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecution alleges Patterson deliberately poisoned her lunch guests with 'murderous intent', but her lawyers say the poisoning was a tragic accident.
Sky News
04-06-2025
- Health
- Sky News
What we know from mushroom poisoning trial: Death cap traces in dehydrator, faked cancer and a surprise invitation
Why you can trust Sky News An Australian woman accused of murdering her estranged husband's parents and an aunt by serving them a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms has given evidence in court. Mother-of-two Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the 2023 murders of her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, along with the attempted murder of Reverend Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. Patterson denies all the charges, claiming the deaths were a "terrible accident". The prosecution alleges she served guests the meal knowing it contained deadly death cap mushrooms, also known as Amanita phalloides. Patterson has appeared in the witness box at the Supreme Court of Victoria. Her estranged husband, as well as the sole survivor of the alleged poisoning, Reverend Wilkinson, also previously took to the stand. Here's what we know so far. An unexpected invitation Patterson invited the four alleged victims for lunch at her home in Leongatha, a small town in Melbourne, on 29 July 2023. Her estranged husband Simon Patterson was also invited but didn't attend. Text messages read out in court revealed Patterson found his decision not to come "really disappointing" as she had spent time and money preparing the "special meal". He said he had listed them as financially separated on a tax return, which triggered a series of child support payments that meant he would no longer pay their two children's private school fees directly, he told the court. Speaking to the court through tears, Mr Patterson said: "I was sure she was very upset about that." Reverend Wilkinson said he and his wife were surprised by the invitation, telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC): "There was no reason given for the lunch, and I remember talking to Heather wondering why the sudden invitation." But he said the pair were "very happy to be invited". Patterson's daughter, according to ABC, told the court that her mum organised a trip to the cinema for her and her brother in advance of the lunch. Sole survivor gives details about the lunch Reverend Wilkinson told the court Heather and Gail offered to help plate up the food, but Patterson rejected the offer. Each plate had a serving of mashed potatoes, green beans and an individual beef wellington. Patterson said the mushrooms were a mixture of button mushrooms from a supermarket and dried mushrooms bought at an Asian grocery store several months ago, which were in a hand-labelled packet. Reverend Wilkinson said the four guests were given large grey dinner plates, while Patterson ate from a smaller, tan-coloured plate. He said he remembered his wife pointing this out after they became ill. What makes death cap mushrooms so lethal? The death cap is one of the most toxic mushrooms on the planet and is involved in the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide. The species contains three main groups of toxins: amatoxins, phallotoxins, and virotoxins. From these, amatoxins are primarily responsible for the toxic effects in humans. The alpha-amanitin amatoxin has been found to cause protein deficit and ultimately cell death, although other mechanisms are thought to be involved. The liver is the main organ that fails due to the poison, but other organs are also affected, most notably the kidneys. The effects usually begin after a short latent period and include gastrointestinal disorders followed by jaundice, seizures, coma, and, eventually, death. The reverend said he and his wife ate their full servings, while Don ate his own and half of his wife's. Reverend Wilkinson said that after the meal, Patterson fabricated a cancer diagnosis, suggesting the lunch was put together so that she could ask them the best way to tell her children about the illness. The prosecution said she did this to justify the children's absence. The defence does not dispute that Patterson lied about having cancer. When asked why she lied about her health, Patterson told the court it was partly to elicit sympathy from her husband's relatives, as she felt they were growing apart. "I didn't want their care of me to stop, so I kept it going. I shouldn't have done it," she said, adding: "I did lie to them." 'I was scared' Whilst on the stand at the beginning of June, Patterson said she might have accidentally included foraged mushrooms in the fatal lunch. She said she began foraging for mushrooms around the towns of Korumburra and Leongatha during the COVID lockdowns in 2020 and would use a food dehydrator to dry and preserve them. Prosecutors earlier claimed the defendant denied ever owning a food dehydrator, but police traced one owned by her to a nearby dump. It was later found to contain death cap mushrooms. Two mobile phones she owned were also reset to factory status three times. Patterson told the court she disposed of the dehydrator before a visit from child protection, who were investigating her living arrangements. She said the phones were wiped because she panicked during the police investigation. "I was scared of the conversation that might flow about the meal and the dehydrator," she said. "I was scared they would blame me for it, for making everyone sick. I was scared that they would remove the children." Patterson talks through tears Lawyer Mr Mandy also questioned Patterson about a series of expletive-laden messages she sent to friends about the Patterson family. "I wish I'd never said it. I feel ashamed for saying it and I wish that the family didn't have to hear that I said that," Patterson told the court about the messages. Talking through tears, she added: "I was really frustrated with Simon, but it wasn't Don and Gail's fault." The court previously heard the relationship between Patterson and her estranged husband deteriorated shortly before the alleged murders due to a disagreement over child support. Patterson's children 'ate leftovers after guests went to hospital' All four alleged victims fell ill and were experiencing severe vomiting and diarrhoea by midnight on the day of the lunch. Police previously said the symptoms of all four of those who became ill were consistent with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, which are responsible for 90% of all toxic mushroom-related fatalities. Patterson says she also became ill hours after eating the meal. Her daughter, according to the ABC, told the court she remembers Patterson telling her she had diarrhoea that night. Patterson claims she and her children ate leftovers from the beef wellington on the same day. Her daughter told the court she remembered this, and that her mum didn't eat much because she was still feeling unwell. The mum said she scraped the mushrooms off the plates in advance because she knew her children didn't like them. Patterson went to hospital two days after the lunch, where she initially discharged herself against medical advice, the court was told. A nurse at the hospital where she was treated told the court she "didn't look unwell like Ian and Heather", who were at the same hospital. Gail and Heather died on Friday 4 August 2023, while Don died a day later. Reverend Wilkinson spent seven weeks in hospital but survived. Days after the deaths, police opened a homicide investigation and confirmed Patterson was a suspect. She was charged on 2 November 2023.
The Guardian
02-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Australian mushroom cook Erin Patterson to give evidence in her triple murder trial
Erin Patterson will take the stand to give evidence in her own triple murder trial. Colin Mandy SC, Patterson's defence lawyer, called her as the first defence witness on Monday afternoon. Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to poisoning her four lunch guests – relatives of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson – with a beef wellington served at her house in Leongatha on 29 July 2023. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson, Simon's uncle and Heather's husband. Lawyers for Patterson say the death cap mushroom poisoning was a tragic and terrible accident. Det Leading Sen Const Stephen Eppingstall, the informant or officer in charge of the investigation, completed his evidence earlier on Monday. He was the last prosecution witness in the trial. More details soon …
