Erin Patterson mushroom trial nears end - what you need to know
Detective Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall has been on the stand for four days. His testimony has revealed new details about Erin Patterson's messages, devices and the digital evidence that investigators say helped build their case.
Australia Correspondent Aziz Al Sa'afin wraps up week five of the trial.
The case
On July 29, 2023, Erin Patterson hosted a lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, serving beef Wellington to her former in-laws: Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson.
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Subsequently, all four guests fell ill with symptoms consistent with death cap mushroom poisoning.
Don, Gail, and Heather died in the following days, while Ian survived after intensive medical treatment, including a liver transplant.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, asserting that the incident was a tragic accident.
Who is Detective Eppingstall?
Detective Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall has led the investigation. This week, jurors have heard his detailed evidence over four consecutive days and both sides have put his case under a microscope.
Prosecution's case
Digital evidence and purchase history
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Detective Eppingstall presented evidence indicating that Patterson's computer had been used to access iNaturalist, a website documenting death cap mushroom sightings, in May 2022.
Additionally, Woolworths Everyday Rewards data showed purchases of mushrooms, pastry, eye fillet, onions and mashed potato in the week leading up to the lunch
Detective Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall. (Source: Nine)
Mobile devices and SIM card activity
Eppingstall testified that Patterson used multiple phones and allegedly swapped SIM cards during a police search of her home.
One device, referred to as "Phone A", remains missing. Another phone was subjected to multiple factory resets, the court was told.
Dehydrator and disposal
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The prosecution highlighted that Patterson initially denied owning a food dehydrator. However, a manual was found in her home and CCTV footage showed a woman getting out of a red SUV and disposing of a dehydrator at a local transfer station shortly after the lunch.
Forensic analysis detected traces of death cap mushroom toxins on the dehydrator.
Text messages and health claims
Text messages presented in court revealed that Patterson had informed her former in-laws about undergoing cancer tests, a claim unsubstantiated by medical records.
The prosecution suggests this was a fabricated excuse to for the lunch as well as to prevent her children from attending.
Defence's argument
Contextualizing digital evidence
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Defence counsel Colin Mandy SC argued the digital evidence, including internet searches and purchase histories, does not conclusively prove intent to harm.
He emphasised that others could have accessed the computer and that receipts do not confirm which mushrooms were used in the meal.
Emotional state and health concerns
The defence acknowledged that Patterson lied about her health status but contended that these falsehoods stemmed from panic and longstanding health anxieties.
Patterson had a history of researching potential ovarian cancer, which the defence argues contributed to her mental state.
Relationship dynamics
Messages from a Facebook group chat were introduced, showing Patterson expressing frustration toward her in-laws and estranged husband.
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The defence maintained that these messages were taken out of context and represented emotional venting rather than evidence of malicious intent.
Police investigation scrutiny
Under cross-examination, Detective Eppingstall faced questions regarding the thoroughness of the investigation.
The defence pointed out during the initial search of Patterson's home, several electronic devices and bank records were not seized.
Eppingstall admitted to certain oversights but defended the overall integrity of the investigation.
Patterson's Police interview shown to court
Detective who led the investigation reveals stark new details about Patterson's actions and behaviour following the fatal lunch. (Source: 1News)
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One of the most scrutinised parts of the case is Patterson's interview with police, recorded three days after the fatal lunch.
The jury was played audio of the three-hour interview earlier in the trial. In it, Patterson appeared emotional but denied deliberately poisoning her guests.
She repeatedly told officers she didn't know how the mushrooms could have become contaminated, saying: 'I didn't do anything... I loved them.'
She said the beef Wellington was made with a mix of button mushrooms from the supermarket and dried mushrooms she believed were bought from an Asian grocer 'a long time ago'.
Patterson insisted she had no reason to harm her former in-laws and described the incident as 'an accident'.
However, Police noted that some of Patterson's statements conflicted with other evidence presented at trial, including:
She said she didn't own a dehydrator yet CCTV showed a woman disposing of one at a rubbish tip on the day Patterson discharged herself from hospital.
She initially told police she hadn't searched for mushrooms online, despite forensic evidence showing mushroom-related searches on a computer seized from her home.
She said she cooked and ate the same meal as her guests, but hospital staff said she did not display symptoms consistent with mushroom poisoning.
The defence has acknowledged that Patterson lied in parts of her interview but argued these were 'panicked omissions' from someone in shock and grief.
They urged the jury not to treat her inconsistencies as proof of guilt, but rather as the behaviour of a distressed woman who was overwhelmed by the unfolding tragedy.
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Erin Patterson: Mushroom killer made secretive visit to tip in hour after fatal lunch
Giving evidence, Ian Wilkinson said Don dropped him and his wife home shortly after 3pm for a scheduled meeting with other members of the Korumburra Baptist Church where he serves as pastor. Meanwhile, Patterson during her time in the witness box claimed she began the clean-up after the quartet left her home. 'I kept cleaning up the kitchen and putting everything away, um, and I had a piece of cake and then another piece of cake and then another,' she said. Patterson said she felt sick and 'brought it back up' – which her lawyers later argued may well explain why she wasn't as sick as the others. Her teenage son gave evidence he helped his mum clean up, before playing the computer game Valorant with a friend. He said later that evening he found his mother upstairs building Lego and asked her to drive the friend home about 7pm. Erin Patterson's house in Leongatha, Australia. Photo / Getty Images During the trial, jurors were shown CCTV footage of Patterson dumping her dehydrator, later found to contain remnants of death cap mushrooms, at the Koonwarra Transfer Station and Landfill on August 4 – a day after she was released from hospital. But they didn't learn this wasn't Patterson's first visit to the tip. In pre-trial hearings earlier this year, Crown prosecutor Sarah Lenthall told the court investigators had discovered Patterson visited the landfill within an hour of the lunch. At 3.29pm on July 29, Patterson arrived at the Koonwarra Transfer Station and Landfill, dropping off an unknown item or items and a small amount of cardboard. Records from the facility indicate she paid $9.50 at 3.51pm for the disposal of items that fell into the categories of '120L' bin and '0.5m pap/card'. The items were not recovered, but it was alleged CCTV captured her disposing cardboard and 'something else'. Stills from CCTV footage of killer mushroom cook Erin Patterson dumping her dehydrator. Photo / Supplied by the court Prosecutors sought to use this, and the element of secrecy by not telling her son, as a basis for the jury to infer the items were connected to the fatal meal and incriminating. Lenthall argued the evidence pointed to Patterson leaving less than 30 minutes after her guests did and that there was plenty of space left in her home bins. 'We say the jury could, acting on the evidence as a whole, accept that the only purpose of making that trip was to dispose of items related to the lunch,' she said. 'It must be due to the nature of the material, rather than the volume of material, as to why she's making that trip.' In response, defence barrister Colin Mandy SC argued the prosecution was seeking to invite 'speculation' when a jury could not draw the logical inference Patterson's visit was incriminating. 'What's been disposed of at the Koonwarra tip could be entirely innocent and nothing to do with any event,' he said. This conduct was ultimately ruled out of the case by trial judge Justice Christopher Beale and business records from the facility were altered before they were shown to the jury to remove mention of the July 29 trip. Justice Beale's reasons for ruling this was inadmissible were released this week along with a series of his pre-trial rulings. He wrote that when a suspect conceals or destroys something, such as a body, a jury could reasonably infer the act amounted to an implied admission of their guilt. But the judge found when the thing in question is itself unknown, it invites the jury to speculate. 'I accept the accused's submission that since Item (a) invites speculation, it fails the test of relevance,' he said. Patterson was found guilty of murdering Don, Gail and Heather and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson following 11 weeks of trial on July 7. She will return to court later this month for a pre-sentence hearing.
1News
7 days ago
- 1News
Judge ruled to split Patterson trial to avoid prejudice
Triple murderer Erin Patterson would have been unfairly prejudiced if a jury heard allegations she tried to kill her ex-husband in the years before a deadly mushroom lunch. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale made the decision on March 14, ruling Patterson would have to face a separate trial for the three attempted murder offences. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges in relation to Simon Patterson just before the triple-murder trial started in Morwell. Patterson was found guilty on July 7 of killing Simon's parents, Don and Gail, 70, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, 66, along with the attempted murder of her husband Ian Wilkinson. Justice Beale's redacted pre-trial rulings were released to media on Monday evening after Patterson lost her bid to keep the evidence a secret to preserve her appeal rights. ADVERTISEMENT The details around the alleged attempted murders of Simon Patterson were revealed for the first time on Friday. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including poll numbers paint grim picture for leaders, Trump sending the National Guard into Washington, and where have all the coaches gone? (Source: 1News) Prosecutors had alleged Patterson tried to poison Simon several times between 2021 and 2022. The first was a penne pasta Patterson cooked for him before leaving for a camping trip in November 2021, which led to a five-day hospital stay for Simon. He also ended up in a coma after a camping trip in late May 2022 where he allegedly ate a chicken korma curry Patterson had made him. Simon had to undergo surgery to remove a large portion of his bowel after eating the curry, he told the Supreme Court during pre-trial hearings. It was also alleged he fell ill in September 2022 after eating a wrap Patterson prepared for him while camping together at Wilson's Promontory. ADVERTISEMENT The prosecution claimed the allegations could be used as coincidence evidence to show the similarities between what allegedly happened to Simon and the mushroom lunch guests. But Justice Beale ruled the charges should be heard in a separate trial to prevent jurors from "misusing or overvaluing" the evidence in relation to Simon. He determined if a jury found Patterson had deliberately poisoned her four lunch guests in July 2023, there was a risk they would wrongly assess the charges relating to Simon. "I am not persuaded that its probative value substantially outweighs the significant danger or risk of unfair prejudice to the accused," Justice Beale said in his written reasons. The judge also made pre-trial rulings in relation to documents about poisoning found on devices police seized from Patterson's home. Justice Beale ruled the documents failed the relevance test because the evidence could only go as high as Patterson possibly accessed the file. The judge also stopped the jury from seeing a Facebook post Patterson made to a poisons page, where she claimed her cat had chewed on a mushroom and was vomiting. ADVERTISEMENT Justice Beale noted the post was made 18 months before the first allegation in relation to Simon. "In my view, even if the evidence of this post shows an interest in poisons, it is temporally remote," the judge said in his reasons. Patterson will face a two-day pre-sentence hearing later in August, during which she will listen to statements from the Pattersons and Wilkinsons. She will have 28 days to appeal after she is sentenced.
1News
08-08-2025
- 1News
Mushroom killer Erin Patterson's obsession finally, fully revealed
A tense silence fell over a small rural court room as Erin Patterson, facing a jury and fiddling with her fingers, delivered the first of many admissions. "Did you have an interest in wild mushrooms?" defence barrister Colin Mandy SC asked on the killer's second day in the witness box. "Yeah, I did," the 50-year-old replied. The jury listened intently as she admitted a love of mushrooms and wild fungi for the first time in week six of her triple-murder trial. But little did they know the evidence that was not aired. Simon Patterson's explosive claims can now be reported after a court allowed teh testimony to be released. (Source: 1News) Media were banned from reporting on pre-trial evidence that Justice Christopher Beale had ruled out of the trial to give Patterson time to lodge an appeal. A suppression order over that material was lifted today. One of the most bizarre pieces of evidence that did not make it to the trial was a Facebook post to a poisons help page. Prosecutors alleged Patterson uploaded a photo of a cat eating mushrooms about 18 months before Simon claimed he was first poisoned by his estranged wife, in November 2021. "My cat chewed on this mushroom just now," the post said, according to pre-trial evidence. "He is having a vomit. Was in grassland near trees, I'm in Victoria Australia." Patterson owned a dog but did not own a cat. Prosecutors alleged the post was fake and they planned to use it in the trial to show the killer's long-held interest both in poisons and wild mushrooms. Jane Warren said it showed that Patterson's interest in mushrooms was "in the poisonous properties". Defence successfully argued against the post being permitted as evidence in the triple-murder trial. "The prosecution is at pains to establish the accused did not have a cat and therefore that this post was dishonest," barrister Colin Mandy SC told a pre-trial hearing. "That will reflect poorly on the accused if that's admitted to evidence." The post might have been manipulated by the person who provided it to police, Mandy said as he argued they should have been called to give evidence in the trial. "The witness who produced the screenshot had previously manipulated screenshots in the Facebook group using Photoshop," the defence barrister said. "Its reliability on the face of it is questionable." The Victorian woman was found guilty this week of murdering three of her former in-laws and attempting to kill a fourth with a poisonous lunch. (Source: 1News) Ultimately, Justice Beale ruled it out of evidence before the trial began. A number of other items of evidence revealed Patterson's alleged penchant for poisons. These were found by Victoria Police digital officers, who trawled through thousands of pieces of data found on devices seized from Patterson's home. The digital investigators used key words including "death", "mushroom" and "poison". An appendix from a 2007 book called Criminal Poisonings was found on a Samsung tablet. It listed the colour, odour, solubility, taste and lethal dose of poisons including antifreeze, arsenic and cyanide. Prosecutors alleged in pre-trial hearings that Patterson had access to the document in October 2019. However, defence lawyers successfully argued prosecutors could not prove she accessed the file just because it was found on the device as there was no evidence she had downloaded it or read it. Mandy said it would be prejudicial to Patterson in her trial and claimed Patterson's children might have been using the tablet when the file was downloaded. "And 2019 is too remote to be relevant to these allegations," Mandy told pre-trial. A jury has found Victorian woman Erin Patterson guilty of murder, nearly two years after a family lunch ended in tragedy. (Source: 1News) Another PDF titled "an overview of fungi in Melbourne" was found on a device at Patterson's home with an unknown date. But the defence claimed it had limited probative value as it did not mention poisonous mushrooms. The document had death cap mushrooms on the second page. "There's lots of people who are widely read, but don't read about poisonous mushrooms," Justice Beale commented on the document. The jury was told about Patterson ditching the dehydrator she used to dry out the deadly mushroom after she left Melbourne's Monash Hospital on August 2, 2023. However, they were not told about her first visit to Koonwarra transfer station – on the same day as the beef Wellington lunch – where she disposed of cardboard. Prosecutors told pre-trial hearings that Patterson was seen going to the tip on July 29, 2023. She also put her rubbish bins out for collection on the day of the lunch - which prosecutors alleged was incriminating conduct – but the jury was not told that either. Patterson was ultimately found guilty in July of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder over the poisoned beef Wellington meal. Her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson all died following the lunch, while Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson became seriously ill but survived.
