Erin Patterson trial: Mushroom cook set to return to witness box for third day of giving evidence
The Victorian mother accused of murdering three of her in-laws with a poisoned beef Wellington dish is poised to continue giving evidence when her trial resumes on Wednesday, after new details on the fatal lunch were revealed.
For the last two days, Erin Patterson, 50, has been giving her own version of events as to what happened on July 29, 2023, telling the court on Tuesday she accepted there had to have been poisonous mushrooms in the beef wellington she served, and that dried mushrooms used in its creation had sat in her pantry for months due to their 'pungent' aroma.
Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder relating to the lunch with her estranged husband's family.
Simon Patterson's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and aunt, Heather Wilkinson, died in the week after the lunch due to death cap mushroom poisoning while Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived.
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Ms Patterson will return to the witness box on Wednesday. Brooke Grebert-Craig.
Credit: Supplied
Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson deliberately spiked the meal while her defence argues the case is a tragic accident.
After prosecutors concluded their case earlier this week, defence barrister Colin Mandy SC called his client as a witness and Ms Patterson began giving evidence.
Over two days she answered extensive questions about her relationships with Simon Patterson and his family, health concerns, financial situation and her love of mushrooms.
Shortly before the jury was sent home on Tuesday, Ms Patterson agreed that her lunch 'must' have contained the poisonous mushrooms.
She told the court when preparing the dish, she used fresh mushrooms purchased from the local Leongatha Woolworths and dried mushrooms purchased months earlier in April from an Asian grocer in Melbourne.
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The trial is being held in the country Victorian town of Morwell. NewsWire / Josie Hayden
Credit: News Corp Australia
Ms Patterson said the dried mushrooms had been initially bought for a pasta dish but she did not use them at the time because they has a 'very pungent' aroma.
Instead, she told the jury, she brought them home and stored them in a Tupperware container in the pantry.
She also confirmed she'd begun foraging for wild mushrooms in 2020 and had purchased a dehydrator to preserve mushrooms in early 2023.
'I liked eating wild mushrooms, but it's a very small season and you can't keep them in the fridge,' she said.
Ms Patterson told the jury she would store dried mushrooms in her pantry.
'Generally, I would put them into a container that I already sort of had going with Woolies mushrooms and whatnot in there,' she said.
The final question Ms Patterson was asked of the day was if she had a memory of putting wild mushrooms in May or June 2023 into a container that already contained mushrooms
'Yes, I did do that,' she said.
The trial continues.
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Mushroom cook opens up on lies to police, in-laws
An accused triple murderer has opened up about lying to police after cooking a deadly mushroom lunch and fibbing to two of her alleged victims about having cancer tests done. But Erin Patterson denies she deliberately foraged for death cap mushrooms and she knew they were inside toxic beef Wellingtons when she served them to her former in-laws. The 50-year-old faced a fourth day in the Supreme Court witness box on Thursday, when she was cross-examined by the prosecution on several lies. Patterson has denied deliberately poisoning her estranged husband's parents, aunt and uncle by serving them death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons in July 2023 at her home in regional Victoria. She has been charged with three murders over the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Heather Wilkinson, 66, and attempted murder over Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, the only surviving lunch guest. Her defence finished examination of Patterson on Thursday morning, asking about her lies to police after the meal. Patterson admitted she lied during her police interview about foraging for mushrooms, owning a dehydrator and using it to dehydrate food. She said it was a "stupid knee-jerk reaction to just dig deeper and keep lying" in response to being told two of her lunch guests had died. Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC asked if she had ever "intentionally picked death cap mushrooms" to which she said "no". She denied intentionally including the toxic fungi in the beef Wellingtons. The prosecution honed in on Patterson's fibs during cross-examination, accusing her of lying about dehydrating mushrooms because she knew telling police the truth could implicate her in the toxic lunch. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Patterson said. Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC suggested Patterson disposed of a food dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms, which she denied. Dr Rogers also suggested Patterson had weighed death cap mushrooms to "calculate" the amount needed for "a fatal dose for one person", but Patterson disagreed. The prosecutor asked if she had intended to serve beef Wellington to her estranged husband Simon, who pulled out of the lunch the night before. "If he'd come I would have given him a beef Wellington too, yes, but not one with death cap mushrooms in it intentionally," Patterson said. Dr Rogers asked Patterson about lies she told Don and Gail Patterson, regarding tests on a lump in her arm in the weeks before the lunch. Patterson accepted she did not have a lump and did not have an appointment at hospital, despite telling Gail she did. "I suggest that you told Gail Patterson that you had a lump in your elbow and had to go to St Vincent's Hospital to plant the seed of you having a serious health issue," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think that's right, no," Patterson said. Patterson said she initially thought she had a lump in her elbow and had pain for a number of weeks and felt embarrassed she "probably whinged a bit too much to Don and Gail about it". "They made me feel loved and cared for in the way that they were asking about my health and I didn't want that to stop, so I just kept going," she said. Patterson denied she told her lunch guests she had been diagnosed with cancer and needed advice on how to break this news to her children. "I can't remember the precise words, but I do know what I was trying to communicate was … that I was undergoing investigations around ovarian cancer and might need treatment in that regard in the future," she said. As the trial nears the end of week six, Justice Christopher Beale told the jury he could not put a figure on how much longer it would go for but they should make arrangements. Patterson may continue in the witness box until next week, followed by legal discussions without the jury, and then potentially more evidence before closing addresses which could take two days each. The judge may then take another couple of days to give the jury his directions before they're sent away to deliberate on a verdict. The trial continues. An accused triple murderer has opened up about lying to police after cooking a deadly mushroom lunch and fibbing to two of her alleged victims about having cancer tests done. But Erin Patterson denies she deliberately foraged for death cap mushrooms and she knew they were inside toxic beef Wellingtons when she served them to her former in-laws. The 50-year-old faced a fourth day in the Supreme Court witness box on Thursday, when she was cross-examined by the prosecution on several lies. Patterson has denied deliberately poisoning her estranged husband's parents, aunt and uncle by serving them death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons in July 2023 at her home in regional Victoria. She has been charged with three murders over the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Heather Wilkinson, 66, and attempted murder over Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, the only surviving lunch guest. Her defence finished examination of Patterson on Thursday morning, asking about her lies to police after the meal. Patterson admitted she lied during her police interview about foraging for mushrooms, owning a dehydrator and using it to dehydrate food. She said it was a "stupid knee-jerk reaction to just dig deeper and keep lying" in response to being told two of her lunch guests had died. Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC asked if she had ever "intentionally picked death cap mushrooms" to which she said "no". She denied intentionally including the toxic fungi in the beef Wellingtons. The prosecution honed in on Patterson's fibs during cross-examination, accusing her of lying about dehydrating mushrooms because she knew telling police the truth could implicate her in the toxic lunch. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Patterson said. Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC suggested Patterson disposed of a food dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms, which she denied. Dr Rogers also suggested Patterson had weighed death cap mushrooms to "calculate" the amount needed for "a fatal dose for one person", but Patterson disagreed. The prosecutor asked if she had intended to serve beef Wellington to her estranged husband Simon, who pulled out of the lunch the night before. "If he'd come I would have given him a beef Wellington too, yes, but not one with death cap mushrooms in it intentionally," Patterson said. Dr Rogers asked Patterson about lies she told Don and Gail Patterson, regarding tests on a lump in her arm in the weeks before the lunch. Patterson accepted she did not have a lump and did not have an appointment at hospital, despite telling Gail she did. "I suggest that you told Gail Patterson that you had a lump in your elbow and had to go to St Vincent's Hospital to plant the seed of you having a serious health issue," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think that's right, no," Patterson said. Patterson said she initially thought she had a lump in her elbow and had pain for a number of weeks and felt embarrassed she "probably whinged a bit too much to Don and Gail about it". "They made me feel loved and cared for in the way that they were asking about my health and I didn't want that to stop, so I just kept going," she said. Patterson denied she told her lunch guests she had been diagnosed with cancer and needed advice on how to break this news to her children. "I can't remember the precise words, but I do know what I was trying to communicate was … that I was undergoing investigations around ovarian cancer and might need treatment in that regard in the future," she said. As the trial nears the end of week six, Justice Christopher Beale told the jury he could not put a figure on how much longer it would go for but they should make arrangements. Patterson may continue in the witness box until next week, followed by legal discussions without the jury, and then potentially more evidence before closing addresses which could take two days each. The judge may then take another couple of days to give the jury his directions before they're sent away to deliberate on a verdict. The trial continues. An accused triple murderer has opened up about lying to police after cooking a deadly mushroom lunch and fibbing to two of her alleged victims about having cancer tests done. But Erin Patterson denies she deliberately foraged for death cap mushrooms and she knew they were inside toxic beef Wellingtons when she served them to her former in-laws. The 50-year-old faced a fourth day in the Supreme Court witness box on Thursday, when she was cross-examined by the prosecution on several lies. Patterson has denied deliberately poisoning her estranged husband's parents, aunt and uncle by serving them death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons in July 2023 at her home in regional Victoria. She has been charged with three murders over the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Heather Wilkinson, 66, and attempted murder over Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, the only surviving lunch guest. Her defence finished examination of Patterson on Thursday morning, asking about her lies to police after the meal. Patterson admitted she lied during her police interview about foraging for mushrooms, owning a dehydrator and using it to dehydrate food. She said it was a "stupid knee-jerk reaction to just dig deeper and keep lying" in response to being told two of her lunch guests had died. Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC asked if she had ever "intentionally picked death cap mushrooms" to which she said "no". She denied intentionally including the toxic fungi in the beef Wellingtons. The prosecution honed in on Patterson's fibs during cross-examination, accusing her of lying about dehydrating mushrooms because she knew telling police the truth could implicate her in the toxic lunch. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Patterson said. Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC suggested Patterson disposed of a food dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms, which she denied. Dr Rogers also suggested Patterson had weighed death cap mushrooms to "calculate" the amount needed for "a fatal dose for one person", but Patterson disagreed. The prosecutor asked if she had intended to serve beef Wellington to her estranged husband Simon, who pulled out of the lunch the night before. "If he'd come I would have given him a beef Wellington too, yes, but not one with death cap mushrooms in it intentionally," Patterson said. Dr Rogers asked Patterson about lies she told Don and Gail Patterson, regarding tests on a lump in her arm in the weeks before the lunch. Patterson accepted she did not have a lump and did not have an appointment at hospital, despite telling Gail she did. "I suggest that you told Gail Patterson that you had a lump in your elbow and had to go to St Vincent's Hospital to plant the seed of you having a serious health issue," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think that's right, no," Patterson said. Patterson said she initially thought she had a lump in her elbow and had pain for a number of weeks and felt embarrassed she "probably whinged a bit too much to Don and Gail about it". "They made me feel loved and cared for in the way that they were asking about my health and I didn't want that to stop, so I just kept going," she said. Patterson denied she told her lunch guests she had been diagnosed with cancer and needed advice on how to break this news to her children. "I can't remember the precise words, but I do know what I was trying to communicate was … that I was undergoing investigations around ovarian cancer and might need treatment in that regard in the future," she said. As the trial nears the end of week six, Justice Christopher Beale told the jury he could not put a figure on how much longer it would go for but they should make arrangements. Patterson may continue in the witness box until next week, followed by legal discussions without the jury, and then potentially more evidence before closing addresses which could take two days each. The judge may then take another couple of days to give the jury his directions before they're sent away to deliberate on a verdict. The trial continues. An accused triple murderer has opened up about lying to police after cooking a deadly mushroom lunch and fibbing to two of her alleged victims about having cancer tests done. But Erin Patterson denies she deliberately foraged for death cap mushrooms and she knew they were inside toxic beef Wellingtons when she served them to her former in-laws. The 50-year-old faced a fourth day in the Supreme Court witness box on Thursday, when she was cross-examined by the prosecution on several lies. Patterson has denied deliberately poisoning her estranged husband's parents, aunt and uncle by serving them death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons in July 2023 at her home in regional Victoria. She has been charged with three murders over the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Heather Wilkinson, 66, and attempted murder over Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, the only surviving lunch guest. Her defence finished examination of Patterson on Thursday morning, asking about her lies to police after the meal. Patterson admitted she lied during her police interview about foraging for mushrooms, owning a dehydrator and using it to dehydrate food. She said it was a "stupid knee-jerk reaction to just dig deeper and keep lying" in response to being told two of her lunch guests had died. Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC asked if she had ever "intentionally picked death cap mushrooms" to which she said "no". She denied intentionally including the toxic fungi in the beef Wellingtons. The prosecution honed in on Patterson's fibs during cross-examination, accusing her of lying about dehydrating mushrooms because she knew telling police the truth could implicate her in the toxic lunch. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Patterson said. Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC suggested Patterson disposed of a food dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms, which she denied. Dr Rogers also suggested Patterson had weighed death cap mushrooms to "calculate" the amount needed for "a fatal dose for one person", but Patterson disagreed. The prosecutor asked if she had intended to serve beef Wellington to her estranged husband Simon, who pulled out of the lunch the night before. "If he'd come I would have given him a beef Wellington too, yes, but not one with death cap mushrooms in it intentionally," Patterson said. Dr Rogers asked Patterson about lies she told Don and Gail Patterson, regarding tests on a lump in her arm in the weeks before the lunch. Patterson accepted she did not have a lump and did not have an appointment at hospital, despite telling Gail she did. "I suggest that you told Gail Patterson that you had a lump in your elbow and had to go to St Vincent's Hospital to plant the seed of you having a serious health issue," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think that's right, no," Patterson said. Patterson said she initially thought she had a lump in her elbow and had pain for a number of weeks and felt embarrassed she "probably whinged a bit too much to Don and Gail about it". "They made me feel loved and cared for in the way that they were asking about my health and I didn't want that to stop, so I just kept going," she said. Patterson denied she told her lunch guests she had been diagnosed with cancer and needed advice on how to break this news to her children. "I can't remember the precise words, but I do know what I was trying to communicate was … that I was undergoing investigations around ovarian cancer and might need treatment in that regard in the future," she said. As the trial nears the end of week six, Justice Christopher Beale told the jury he could not put a figure on how much longer it would go for but they should make arrangements. Patterson may continue in the witness box until next week, followed by legal discussions without the jury, and then potentially more evidence before closing addresses which could take two days each. The judge may then take another couple of days to give the jury his directions before they're sent away to deliberate on a verdict. The trial continues.
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"We believe that delivers on our election commitment to make sure that our Queensland nurses and midwives have nation-leading wages and conditions," he told reporters in Rockhampton. Mr Nicholls said the government will continue negotiating with the union over the next 10 days. Nurses are expected to escalate their protest for better pay over the coming weeks as union members take industrial action for the first time in two decades. Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union members began protected industrial action on Thursday, wearing pink into hospitals to voice their demands. The 45,000-strong union is demanding the Queensland government follow through on its 2024 election commitment of "nation-leading" wages for the health workforce. The state government's public sector wages offer is currently three per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in April 2026 and 2027, and an extra three per cent in December 2027. The union said 66.7 per cent of nurses and midwives would be paid less than their Victorian counterparts by the end of the agreement. It is demanding that the current offer be increased. "You have a government saying that they love nurses and they respect nurses, that is not being shown in the offers being put forward," union secretary Sarah Beaman told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday. "We are not being unreasonable. "We are not seeking a pat on the head, all (nurses) want is an offer that actually maintains the (government's) commitment." The first stage of the industrial action is wearing pink to start conversations about the union's demands but Ms Beaman warned it will likely escalate if demands are not met. "Activity launched today will escalate in the coming weeks, if the state government continues to threaten the rights of nurses and wives," she said. Further industrial action could include work bans but for now the pink campaign will not impact the delivery of health care, Ms Beaman said. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the state government has made two offers to the union, including double time for overtime and an 11 per cent over three-year wage increase. "We believe that delivers on our election commitment to make sure that our Queensland nurses and midwives have nation-leading wages and conditions," he told reporters in Rockhampton. Mr Nicholls said the government will continue negotiating with the union over the next 10 days. Nurses are expected to escalate their protest for better pay over the coming weeks as union members take industrial action for the first time in two decades. Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union members began protected industrial action on Thursday, wearing pink into hospitals to voice their demands. The 45,000-strong union is demanding the Queensland government follow through on its 2024 election commitment of "nation-leading" wages for the health workforce. The state government's public sector wages offer is currently three per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in April 2026 and 2027, and an extra three per cent in December 2027. The union said 66.7 per cent of nurses and midwives would be paid less than their Victorian counterparts by the end of the agreement. It is demanding that the current offer be increased. "You have a government saying that they love nurses and they respect nurses, that is not being shown in the offers being put forward," union secretary Sarah Beaman told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday. "We are not being unreasonable. "We are not seeking a pat on the head, all (nurses) want is an offer that actually maintains the (government's) commitment." The first stage of the industrial action is wearing pink to start conversations about the union's demands but Ms Beaman warned it will likely escalate if demands are not met. "Activity launched today will escalate in the coming weeks, if the state government continues to threaten the rights of nurses and wives," she said. Further industrial action could include work bans but for now the pink campaign will not impact the delivery of health care, Ms Beaman said. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the state government has made two offers to the union, including double time for overtime and an 11 per cent over three-year wage increase. "We believe that delivers on our election commitment to make sure that our Queensland nurses and midwives have nation-leading wages and conditions," he told reporters in Rockhampton. Mr Nicholls said the government will continue negotiating with the union over the next 10 days. Nurses are expected to escalate their protest for better pay over the coming weeks as union members take industrial action for the first time in two decades. Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union members began protected industrial action on Thursday, wearing pink into hospitals to voice their demands. The 45,000-strong union is demanding the Queensland government follow through on its 2024 election commitment of "nation-leading" wages for the health workforce. The state government's public sector wages offer is currently three per cent in April 2025, 2.5 per cent in April 2026 and 2027, and an extra three per cent in December 2027. The union said 66.7 per cent of nurses and midwives would be paid less than their Victorian counterparts by the end of the agreement. It is demanding that the current offer be increased. "You have a government saying that they love nurses and they respect nurses, that is not being shown in the offers being put forward," union secretary Sarah Beaman told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday. "We are not being unreasonable. "We are not seeking a pat on the head, all (nurses) want is an offer that actually maintains the (government's) commitment." The first stage of the industrial action is wearing pink to start conversations about the union's demands but Ms Beaman warned it will likely escalate if demands are not met. "Activity launched today will escalate in the coming weeks, if the state government continues to threaten the rights of nurses and wives," she said. Further industrial action could include work bans but for now the pink campaign will not impact the delivery of health care, Ms Beaman said. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the state government has made two offers to the union, including double time for overtime and an 11 per cent over three-year wage increase. 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9 hours ago
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'No, that's not true': accused mushroom killer denies deliberate poisoning
Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence. She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5. The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not. Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson. The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems. The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth. Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes. "I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said. The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer. Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches. "I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023. Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer. "I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused. "I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said. "You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said. "Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said. The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific". Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it. A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said. Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. "You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home. "You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning. "You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said. The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill. She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit. "And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said. "I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023. "On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said. "I did," Ms Patterson said. She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home. Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital. The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time". Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch. "You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said. "If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said. The trial is continuing. Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence. She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5. The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not. Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson. The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems. The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth. Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes. "I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said. The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer. Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches. "I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023. Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer. "I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused. "I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said. "You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said. "Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said. The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific". Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it. A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said. Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. "You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home. "You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning. "You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said. The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill. She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit. "And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said. "I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023. "On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said. "I did," Ms Patterson said. She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home. Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital. The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time". Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch. "You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said. "If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said. The trial is continuing. Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence. She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5. The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not. Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson. The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems. The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth. Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes. "I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said. The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer. Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches. "I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023. Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer. "I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused. "I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said. "You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said. "Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said. The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific". Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it. A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said. Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. "You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home. "You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning. "You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said. The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill. She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit. "And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said. "I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023. "On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said. "I did," Ms Patterson said. She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home. Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital. The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time". Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch. "You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said. "If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said. The trial is continuing. Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence. She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5. The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not. Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson. The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems. The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth. Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes. "I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said. The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer. Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches. "I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023. Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer. "I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused. "I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said. "You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said. "Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said. The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific". Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it. A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said. Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. "You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home. "You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning. "You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said. The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill. She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit. "And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said. "I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023. "On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said. "I did," Ms Patterson said. She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home. Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital. The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time". Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch. "You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said. "If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said. The trial is continuing.
