Patterson questioned about intentions, feelings for poisoned victims
Erin Patterson continued to face cross-examination on her trial for serving deadly mushrooms at a lunch in Australia. File Photo by James Ross/EPA-EFE
June 6 (UPI) -- The prosecution in the Erin Patterson mushroom murder meal trial went another round with Patterson Friday to prove she purposely invited her estranged husband Simon's family over to her house for a meal in order to kill them.
Patterson has maintained that she asked Simon's parents Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson, over for that meal, a lunch of beef Wellington, to her home in Australia in August of 2023 to tell them about a cancer diagnosis. She has since admitted she misled them about having cancer but instead had really invited them to her home to discuss her plans to have weight-loss surgery.
Don and Gail died later that week, as did Heather, from the ingestion of poisonous death cap mushrooms, which prosecutors allege Erin purposely put in their lunch. Ian was sickened and hospitalized but survived.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers alleged in her opening statement Friday that Patterson did not consume death cap mushrooms at the lunch, but pretended to have been sickened as a cover-up and that was "why we say she was reluctant to receive medical treatment for death cap mushroom poisoning."
Rogers put forth to Patterson that she not only had allegedly invited the victims over to kill them with a death cap-laced meal, but had furthermore prepared an extra poisoned meal in case Simon, who had declined his invitation to dine that day, changed his mind and came to eat.
Patterson testified Tuesday that she had only eaten a small portion of the beef Wellington lunch because she was deep in conversation and later had vomited up the food because she also ate cake and has a history of binging and purging.
Patterson also testified that she went to the hospital after the meal but discharged herself against medical advice, which prosecutors used to suggest that she was not sickened by the food.
The prosecution then alleged Patterson purposely didn't feed the poisoned meal to her kids, which was why she didn't have them medically assessed.
Rogers also mentioned messages Patterson allegedly sent to her Facebook friends, and to Don, Gail and Simon.
"You had two faces, a public face of appearing to have a good relationship with Don and Gail," she said to Patterson.
"I suggest your private face was the one you showed in your Facebook message group."
Rogers went back through messages Patterson ostensibly wrote about Don and Gail, which were laced with expletives and allegedly mentioned she wanted "nothing to do" with them. She also suggested that Patterson had not shown any concern for Simon's parents, never asking how they felt after learning they were initially sickened.
"Incorrect," Patterson said.
Rogers then asked, "And you never asked how Heather was going, and I assume you disagree?"
"Correct," Patterson replied.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder in the case. She will take the stand again Tuesday.
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