‘Who died?': Erin Patterson ‘surprised' when police told her of mushroom lunch guests' deaths, trial hears

The Guardian

27-05-2025

Erin Patterson appeared surprised when told by homicide squad detectives during a search of her property that two of her lunch guests had died, a Victorian court has heard.
Homicide squad Det Sgt Luke Farrell gave evidence at Patterson's triple murder trial on Tuesday about executing a search warrant at her Leongatha property a week after the lunch.
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 South Gippsland on 29 July 2023.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, 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.
Farrell told the court that on 5 August 2023 he was part of a team of four officers who arrived at Patterson's house about 11.40am.
It was his responsibility to conduct the search, with other officers tasked with taking photos and videos of the search, and logging any seized items.
The court heard that a transcript of a recording of Farrell speaking with Patterson at the start of the search indicated that he introduced himself, and said police had a warrant.
Erin Patterson hosts lunch for estranged husband Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Patterson serves beef wellington.
All four lunch guests are admitted to hospital with gastro-like symptoms.
Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson die in hospital.
Don Patterson dies in hospital. Victoria police search Erin Patterson's home and interview her.
Ian Wilkinson is discharged from hospital after weeks in intensive care.
Police again search Erin Patterson's home, and she is arrested and interviewed. She is charged with three counts of murder relating to the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.
Jury is sworn in.
Murder trial begins. Jury hears that charges of attempting to murder her estranged husband Simon are dropped.
He then said 'it's in connection with the death of two people over the past couple of days', to which Patterson responded 'who died?'
Earlier in his evidence, Farrell said Patterson 'expressed surprise' when she learned that some of her guests had died.
'I don't know what she was or wasn't aware of, but she was told in my presence, and expressed she didn't know beforehand,' Farrell said.
The court heard Heather Wilkinson died about 2.05am on 4 August 2023, and Gail Patterson about 5.55pm the same day.
Farrell also told the court police did not seize plates from Patterson's house during the search, except from a plate with fruit on it which Heather brought to lunch, nor photograph every plate.
Police seized several electronic devices during the search, including a phone, tablet and computer.
Photographs taken by police during the search and shown to the court included images of multiple plates, and the RecipeTin Eats dinner cook book.
Farrell said one page in the book was marked, but that he also found a recipe for beef wellington 'splattered with cooking' on a separate page.
A video was also played to the jury showing Farrell sitting with Patterson at her kitchen table and explaining the search was also completed, but he would need to seize her phone.
She handed it over, and said it may require a pin.
'It's either 1315 or 131528, I can't remember which one,' she tells Farrell.
Farrell said that the phone actually did not need a pin code.
He said the search finished about 3.30pm, and police then also searched a unit in Mount Waverley which detectives believed was also owned by Patterson. Nothing was seized during this search.
The court also heard on Tuesday from Sally Ann Atkinson, a department of health official who investigated the lunch in order to determine if it required a broader public health response.
The investigation led to a final report about the lunch, dubbed The Patterson Family Outbreak, which concluded that 'it was highly unlikely that the commercial mushroom supply chain was contaminated with amatoxins' and that 'the risk to public health was deemed very low'.
The trial continues.