Mushroom murder suspect fell sick from same meal: defence
SYDNEY: An Australian woman accused of killing three lunch guests with toxic mushrooms fell sick from the same meal, her defence said Thursday, rejecting claims she faked her symptoms.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt in July 2023 by spiking their beef Wellington lunch 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 steadfastly maintained her innocence during a seven-week-long trial that has made headlines from New York to New Delhi.
As the trial came to its closing stages, defence lawyer Colin Mandy poked holes in the prosecutor's case, saying his client, too, fell ill after consuming the beef-and-pastry dish.
Patterson's medical tests at the hospital revealed symptoms 'that can't be faked', including low potassium and elevated haemoglobin, he said.
'She was not as sick as the other lunch guests, nor did she represent she was,' Mandy said.
The prosecution maintains Patterson did not consume the fatal fungi and faked her symptoms.
'She panicked'
Mandy said his client lied in panic in the days after the lunch, trying to 'conceal the fact that foraged mushrooms went into the meal'.
'If that was found out, she feared she would be held responsible,' her defence said.
'She panicked when confronted with the terrible possibility, the terrible realisation, that her actions had caused the illness of people she liked.'
Mandy said he was not 'making an excuse' for Patterson's behaviour after the lunch, but that it did not mean she meant to harm or kill her guests.
Patterson originally invited her estranged husband Simon to join the family lunch at her secluded home in the farming 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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The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Mushroom murder suspect fell sick from same meal: Defence
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt in July 2023 by spiking their beef Wellington lunch with death cap mushrooms. - Reuters SYDNEY: An Australian woman accused of killing three lunch guests with toxic mushrooms fell sick from the same meal, her defence said Thursday (June 19), rejecting claims she faked her symptoms. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt in July 2023 by spiking their beef Wellington lunch 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 steadfastly maintained her innocence during a seven-week-long trial that has made headlines from New York to New Delhi. As the trial came to its closing stages, defence lawyer Colin Mandy poked holes in the prosecutor's case, saying his client, too, fell ill after consuming the beef-and-pastry dish. Patterson's medical tests at the hospital revealed symptoms "that can't be faked", including low potassium and elevated haemoglobin, he said. "She was not as sick as the other lunch guests, nor did she represent she was," Mandy said. The prosecution maintains Patterson did not consume the fatal fungi and faked her symptoms. Mandy said his client lied in panic in the days after the lunch, trying to "conceal the fact that foraged mushrooms went into the meal". "If that was found out, she feared she would be held responsible," her defence said. "She panicked when confronted with the terrible possibility, the terrible realisation, that her actions had caused the illness of people she liked." Mandy said he was not "making an excuse" for Patterson's behaviour after the lunch, but that it did not mean she meant to harm or kill her guests. Patterson originally invited her estranged husband Simon to join the family lunch at her secluded home in the farming 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. - AFP
The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
Mushroom murder suspect fell sick from same meal: defence
SYDNEY: An Australian woman accused of killing three lunch guests with toxic mushrooms fell sick from the same meal, her defence said Thursday, rejecting claims she faked her symptoms. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt in July 2023 by spiking their beef Wellington lunch 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 steadfastly maintained her innocence during a seven-week-long trial that has made headlines from New York to New Delhi. As the trial came to its closing stages, defence lawyer Colin Mandy poked holes in the prosecutor's case, saying his client, too, fell ill after consuming the beef-and-pastry dish. Patterson's medical tests at the hospital revealed symptoms 'that can't be faked', including low potassium and elevated haemoglobin, he said. 'She was not as sick as the other lunch guests, nor did she represent she was,' Mandy said. The prosecution maintains Patterson did not consume the fatal fungi and faked her symptoms. 'She panicked' Mandy said his client lied in panic in the days after the lunch, trying to 'conceal the fact that foraged mushrooms went into the meal'. 'If that was found out, she feared she would be held responsible,' her defence said. 'She panicked when confronted with the terrible possibility, the terrible realisation, that her actions had caused the illness of people she liked.' Mandy said he was not 'making an excuse' for Patterson's behaviour after the lunch, but that it did not mean she meant to harm or kill her guests. Patterson originally invited her estranged husband Simon to join the family lunch at her secluded home in the farming 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.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Two men involved in Bali villa murder deported from Singapore
Police officers standing near evidence being displayed at the police station on June 18, 2025 following the shooting incident in which an Australian man was fatally shot and another was injured, in Badung, Bali. - Reuters SINGAPORE: Two of the three men allegedly involved in the shooting and murder of an Australian man in Bali were later briefly held in custody in Singapore before being deported to Indonesia. On June 14, two men burst into a villa in the tourist hub of Badung and gunned down Zivan Radmanovic, a 32-year-old Australian national. A second man, Sanar Ghanim, 34, was seriously wounded in the attack. The two shooters, who are believed to have worn masks, then fled the scene before meeting up with a third man who helped them to escape. The trio went to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, where one of them, a 27-year-old identified only by his initials DFJ, was arrested as he attempted to board a flight to Cambodia that was scheduled to transit through Singapore. DFJ is alleged to have helped to plan the attack by providing tools and planning their getaway. The other two were initially able to escape, flying to Cambodia on June 16 after transiting through Singapore. But when they arrived in Cambodia, they were denied entry and placed on a flight back to Indonesia that was again due to transit through Singapore. The two suspects were also identified by their initials as 22-year-old MC and 27-year-old PMT. A spokesman for the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that it took custody of the two men when their flight from Cambodia arrived in Singapore. They were then deported to Indonesia on June 17. 'This is in line with ICA's existing practice and international civil aviation procedures,' said the spokesman. Australian news outlet 7News reported on June 18 that all three suspects are Australian. During a press conference held by Bali police, several vehicles, including the cars and motorcycles allegedly used in the escape, were displayed after they were seized as evidence. The media was also shown masks and jackets that were allegedly worn by the attackers, as well as a sledgehammer that was said to have been used to smash in the door at the villa. The police recovered 17 bullet casings, two intact bullets and 55 projectile fragments from the scene, reported 7News. If convicted of murder in Indonesia, the trio will face the death penalty. - The Straits Times/ANN
