logo
Infamous ‘mushroom cook' Erin Patterson found GUILTY of murdering in-laws with poison deathcaps at deadly lunch

Infamous ‘mushroom cook' Erin Patterson found GUILTY of murdering in-laws with poison deathcaps at deadly lunch

The Sun5 days ago
THE infamous "mushroom cook" has been found guilty of murdering her in-laws at a deadly lunch.
Erin Patterson was accused of hiding deadly mushrooms in a meal to murder her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66.
14
14
14
She was also accused of attempting to murder Wilkinson's husband Ian by serving a beef wellington laced with poisonous death cap mushrooms.
Patterson pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder for the July 29, 2023, incident.
The 12 jurors were sequestered during their deliberations and weren't allowed to return to their homes, staying overnight instead in special accommodation new the Latrobe Valley law courts.
A sentencing date is yet to be scheduled.
Patterson claimed to have purchased dehydrated mushrooms at an Asian supermarket in Melbourne, Australia.
But she couldn't remember exactly where she had bought them from.
Despite Patterson pleading not guilty, she did accept that death cap mushrooms were in the meal she served.
But she argued she didn't intend to harm anyone and that the mushrooms were just a tragic accident.
All of Patterson's alleged victims were related to her estranged husband Simon and died from liver failure within a week of the fatal lunch.
Toxicologists discovered they had all been poisoned by death cap mushrooms, which grow under oak trees throughout the region of south Melbourne.
Patterson denied at first that she had foraged for wild mushrooms or that she had her own food dehydrator cops allege was used to dry them out.
Eden Blackman dead: Celebs Go Dating star's heartbroken family announce death after 'long illness'
But she later admitted both to foraging for mushrooms and to owning the dehydrator.
The jury was sent to reach a verdict after listening to 35 days of evidence and cross-examination.
The judge had instructed the jury: "You will deliberate Mondays to Saturdays here at the court in the privacy of the jury room.
"You will not deliberate on Sundays, but you will still be sequestered. You do not get to go home on Sundays. I'm sorry."
The judge also gave directions to the jury about Patterson's alleged lies, like her wanting gastric bypass surgery, having an ovarian cancer diagnosis and the reason she invited the guests for lunch.
The prosecution had alleged that Patterson lied to her relatives about a cancer diagnosis in order to persuade them to attend the deadly lunch, before poisoning them and faked an illness to cover her tracks.
The judge added: "If you find the accused lied about something you can use that fact to decide whether or not you believe the other things she's said.
"It's one factor to take into account. It's for you to decide what significance to give these alleged lies, if you find them to be lies."
14
14
14
The fatal lunch
On July 29, 2023 Patterson gathered her estranged husband's relatives together for a Saturday lunch at her home.
She served up a beef wellington - allegedly containing death cap mushrooms and her guests soon became violently ill.
Her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died within a week.
Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only one who survived the deadly lunch.
But he was left in critical condition and spent almost two months being treated in the Austin Hospital - including time spent in a coma.
Doctors have confirmed all four of their symptoms were consistent with poisoning by death cap mushrooms, which grow wild in the area.
Patterson had also invited her husband to the lunch but he declined, reportedly texting her the night before that he felt "uncomfortable".
In a return text minutes later, Patterson reportedly said she was "disappointed", as she wanted to prepare a "special meal and that she may not be able to have a lunch like this for some time".
Patterson has long denied any wrongdoing and and has always insisted she never meant to serve "my loved ones" the deadly mushrooms.
She pleaded not guilty to the murder charges in the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in May 2024.
14
14
14
14
But this is not the first time Patterson has faced accusations of attempted murder.
On "three separate incidents" spanning across 2021 to 2022, police say that Erin attempted to kill a 48-year-old Korumburra man.
It's understood this man is Erin's ex-husband, Simon Patterson.
Two of the dates are unknown, however in May 2022, Simon claimed to have suffered from a mystery illness that fighting for life in hospital.
In a social media post, he wrote: "I collapsed at home, then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation.
"My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live.
"I was in intensive care for 21 days..."
And the case has not been short of its twists and turns.
In August 2023 a tradesman came forward to reveal that he had seen and photographed what he called a "death wall" inside Erin's former home.
The tradesman said he was hired to paint the inside last year so it could be flogged.
But he got more than he bargained for and discovered eerie drawings scrawled in blue and red markers.
Messages were also found over the wall - with one chilling note reading: "You don't [have] long to live".
That same day, a neighbour of Patterson's claimed she was an experienced forager, who regularly picked her own mushrooms in the local area.
In March 2024 cops delved into Patterson's Facebook accounts in the hope of bolstering charges against her.
Patterson had a number of profiles online and constantly used different names to post and interact with others, according to the Herald Sun.
She also allegedly took to Facebook to declare she was "very good at details" before the fateful lunch.
14
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

German backpacker found alive after 12 days in Australian outback
German backpacker found alive after 12 days in Australian outback

The Guardian

time30 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

German backpacker found alive after 12 days in Australian outback

Australian authorities said on Saturday that they found 26-year-old German backpacker Carolina Wilga "safe and well" after she had been missing in a remote part of the country's northwest for almost two weeks. Wilga, who vanished on 29 June from near the outback town of Beacon, about 254km (157 miles) north of Western Australia's state capital Perth, was found by a passing motorist on a road in the region on Friday, police said.

Horror as Sydney childcare worker charged after allegedly forcing child to create abusive content
Horror as Sydney childcare worker charged after allegedly forcing child to create abusive content

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Horror as Sydney childcare worker charged after allegedly forcing child to create abusive content

A Sydney man who worked at an early childcare centre has been charged with using children to create abusive content. The married father, who cannot be named due to a court order, was arrested at his home by Australian Federal Police on Thursday. He was taken into custody and charged with seven counts of using a child to make abusive material, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Three of the offences were allegedly aggravated. The man was also charged with possessing child abuse data through a phone and police have seized his electronic devices. His identity and place of work were kept anonymous to protect his alleged victims from 'psychological harm', as well as those alleged victims who have yet to be identified. The married man did not apply for bail and it was formally refused on Thursday. He is next due to appear in court in September. The seven charges are part of a sprawling investigation by AFP into alleged online child abuse material. 'The man came to police attention after the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received a report regarding an online user who had allegedly uploaded child abuse material files to a cloud platform,' a statement said. 'There is no ongoing threat to the community.' The arrest is the latest in a series of headlines involving alleged child sex offenders. Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was arrested on May 12 after he was alleged to have sexually assaulted children between the ages of five months and two years old in Victoria. He was charged with more than 70 offences, including the sexual penetration of a child and producing child abuse material. Brown's alleged acts became known to federal police after his name appeared in a separate investigation involving 36-year-old Michael Simon Wilson. Wilson was charged with 45 sex offences on July 2, including rape, bestiality and possession of child abuse material.

‘Sheer luck': how German backpacker Carolina Wilga was found after 11 nights lost in dense Australian outback
‘Sheer luck': how German backpacker Carolina Wilga was found after 11 nights lost in dense Australian outback

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

‘Sheer luck': how German backpacker Carolina Wilga was found after 11 nights lost in dense Australian outback

Carolina Wilga spent 11 freezing nights lost in the Western Australian outback, convinced she would never be found. By 'sheer luck' the confused and disoriented German backpacker came across a road, where she flagged down a woman in a passing car on Friday afternoon. An 'exhausted, dehydrated and hungry' Wilga has spoken to her family, had a good night's sleep, a shower and some food, WA police Acting Det Insp Jessica Securo said on Saturday. 'This is the best result we could have hoped for,' she said. 'We're incredibly grateful that she's been found safe, and obviously this is a huge relief for her family and all of her loved ones. 'We never gave up hope that Carolina would be found safe and well … the support of our WA community is our greatest asset, particularly in a state as vast as ours. 'It's sheer luck. The area out there is mixed terrain. It can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing or where you're going, and it's very easy to get lost.' Police confirmed on Friday night that Wilga, 26, had been found 'safe and well'. She had been 'ravaged' by mosquitoes, was dehydrated, exhausted, starving and had minor injuries including cuts and bruises, and was airlifted to Fiona Stanley hospital in Perth. The temperature in the area had dropped down to 0C at night and there was heavy rain. On 29 June, Wilga had visited a shop in Beacon, a small town about 300km north-east of Perth in WA. Her family and friends had not heard from her since and raised the alarm. Police and volunteers started searching the remote wheatbelt area and beyond. Wilga's Mitsubishi van was found bogged and abandoned in Karroun Hill, about 150km from Beacon, on Thursday. Securo said Wilga had 'somewhat lost control of the vehicle', which had then become 'mechanically unsound and bogged'. She had stayed with the car for just a day before panicking and striking out to find help, Securo said, and had used the sun's position to head west. She had minimal food and water with her, and drank water from rain and puddles to survive. At one point, she sought shelter in a cave. 'She is still in disbelief that she was able to survive,' Securo said. 'In her mind, she had convinced herself that she was not going to be located … I'm sure she got to a point where she thought no one was coming.' Wilga was found about 24km from her car. Securo said Wilga was 'very traumatised' and 'just overwhelmed' to have been found, and that the woman who found her on the edge of Maroubra Road in Bimbijy was 'quite overwhelmed herself'. 'We are extremely thankful for her stopping and giving Carolina assistance,' she said. Wilga had planned to explore WA then head north, Securo said, and still plans to travel Australia, with the east coast 'on her bucket list'. Wilga's rescuer described it as a 'miracle' that she survived, according to the ABC. Tania, a local farming resident who did not want her surname used, said Wilga was 'on the side of the road waving her hands' and she immediately knew who it was. 'Obviously, there is nobody who comes up my way walking around,' she said. 'She was in a fragile state, but she was well. Thin, but well. She'd been bitten by a lot of midgies. She said it was very, very cold.' Tania said Wilga had no shoes on, and that it could have been days before someone else drove down that road. 'Miracle is a word that gets bandied about a lot, but to survive 12 days and cross-country – she went cross country to come to my road,' she said. WA police inspector Martin Glynn said Wilga had survived in a 'really, really challenging environment'. 'As you can imagine, from the trauma she suffered for the last few days, she's been obviously through a great deal,' Glynn said. 'She does have some injuries. She's been ravaged by mosquitoes. She's obviously been through an amazing journey, a trauma, no doubt – a testimony to demonstrating her bravery in those circumstances. 'There's a very hostile environment out there, both from flora and fauna.' The survival expert Gordon Dedman, founder of Bush Survival Australia and a survival consultant for Alone Australia, said staying with your vehicle is the 'golden rule' in the outback. Not only does it help searchers, it provides shelter and the mirrors can be used to attract attention, he said. Creating a giant X on the ground is another way to attract attention. Those travelling in remote areas should carry beacons and objects such as tinsel lines, which will sparkle in the sun, he said. As for food, Dedman points to the 'rule of threes' to prioritise what is needed: 'Three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food.' According to him, people can last a long time without food by using their 'survival muscle' – their fat. Dedman uses the acronym STOP – stop, think, organise and plan – and another acronym PLAN – protection, location, acquisition, and navigation – for survival. Protection means sorting out first aid, clothing, shelter and fire. Location involves attracting, holding and directing attention. Acquisition is getting water, then food, and navigation is travel orientation and direction. Fire has multiple uses, Dedman said, from warmth and light, to boiling water, cooking food and making a smoke signal. The WA premier, Roger Cook, said he was 'incredibly relieved' that Wilga had been found alive. 'This news is nothing short of remarkable,' he wrote on Facebook. 'We're yet to have the full picture of what happened, but … we can all breathe a little easier knowing Carolina is safe and well.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store