Australian mushroom murder suspect told 'lies upon lies': prosecutor
An Australian woman told "lies upon lies" to cover up her murder of three lunch guests with a toxic mushroom-laced dish, the lead prosecutor said Tuesday.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt in July 2023 by spiking a beef Wellington with death cap mushrooms.
She is also accused of attempting to murder a fourth guest -- her husband's uncle -- who survived the lunch after a long stay in hospital.
Patterson has denied all charges in a seven week-long trial that has made headlines worldwide.
She said the traditional English dish, which she cooked in individual portions, was poisoned by accident.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers summed up her case saying Patterson told "lies upon lies" because she knew the truth would implicate her.
She accused Patterson of lying to her in-laws to lure them to the lunch, telling them she wanted to discuss a serious health issue and then falsely claiming to have cancer.
- Intent to kill -
Patterson also provided police with a "dummy" mobile phone and concealed her main mobile, which authorities never recovered, the prosecutor said.
She also initially lied to police about never owning a food dehydrator.
But security footage then captured her dumping one at a rubbish facility days after the lunch, Rogers said. It later tested positive for traces of death cap mushrooms.
Jurors should "reject" Patterson's claim that she accidentally picked death cap mushrooms, Rogers said, adding that all the evidence pointed to her "deliberately" seeking out the fatal fungi.
Patterson intended to kill all her guests by serving them death cap mushrooms secreted into the meal, she charged.
- 'No reason at all' -
Patterson's defence lawyer Colin Mandy told the jury they needed to consider two key issues in the case: firstly, if there was a reasonable possibility that the death cap mushrooms were accidentally placed in the meal.
Secondly, if there was a reasonable possibility that Patterson did not intend to kill or cause serious injury to the lunch guests.
If either of those statements were true, the jury must find her not guilty, he said.
Patterson was in a good place in her life: she was financially comfortable, had a beautiful home she shared with her two children, hoped to return to study and had plans to do something about her body image -- which she had long struggled with, her defence said.
Patterson loved her parents-in-law as they had always been kind and understanding towards her. They were the only grandparents her children had, Mandy said.
"There was no reason at all to hurt them in any way," he said.
Patterson never planned to kill anyone, but when her guests got sick, she "panicked" because the spotlight would inevitably turn to her.
"She never intended this to happen," he said.
- Rejected lunch invitation -
The accused originally invited her estranged husband Simon to join the family lunch at her secluded home in the farm village of Leongatha in Victoria state.
But he turned down the invitation on the eve of the meal, saying he felt uncomfortable going, the court heard earlier. The pair were long estranged but still legally married.
Simon Patterson's parents Don and Gail, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, attended the lunch.
All three were dead within days.
Heather Wilkinson's husband Ian fell gravely ill but eventually recovered.
The trial in Morwell, southeast of Melbourne, is in its final stages.
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