Australian accused in mushroom murders disputes accounts of fatal lunch
An Australian woman accused of the murder of three elderly relatives of her estranged husband by feeding them poisonous mushrooms on Tuesday disputed accounts of the fatal lunch given by other witnesses, a court heard.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband.
The prosecution accused her of knowingly serving the guests the death caps as part of a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people 135 km from Melbourne.
She denied the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths a "terrible accident".
On Patterson's third day of cross-examination, prosecution lawyer Nanette Rogers asked whether she had lied about serving herself on a plate of a different colour from those of her guests, which the prosecution said she did to avoid the poison.
"I suggest this description you gave to the jury of the plates you used at the lunch is a lie. Correct or incorrect?" Rogers said.
"Incorrect," the accused replied.
In his evidence, Ian Wilkinson, the sole surviving guest from the lunch, whose recovery took months in hospital, said Patterson served herself on a plate of a different colour.
Patterson's estranged husband, Simon Patterson, previously testified Heather Wilkinson had remarked on the different coloured plates before she died.
Erin Patterson also disputed an account by her son, who said in his evidence he had not seen her repeatedly visit the bathroom as a result of becoming sick after the meal.
The defence's decision to call Erin Patterson as a witness has reignited interest in the trial that began in late April.
Media have descended on the town of Morwell where the trial is being held, about two hours east of Melbourne.
State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast on the trial is Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs.
Patterson is in her sixth day of giving evidence and her third day of cross-examination by Rogers.
The prosecution rested its case on June 2 after a month of evidence from relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts.
The trial, expected to conclude this month, continues.
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TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Australian accused in mushroom murders disputes accounts of fatal lunch
An Australian woman accused of the murder of three elderly relatives of her estranged husband by feeding them poisonous mushrooms on Tuesday disputed accounts of the fatal lunch given by other witnesses, a court heard. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. The prosecution accused her of knowingly serving the guests the death caps as part of a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people 135 km from Melbourne. She denied the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths a "terrible accident". On Patterson's third day of cross-examination, prosecution lawyer Nanette Rogers asked whether she had lied about serving herself on a plate of a different colour from those of her guests, which the prosecution said she did to avoid the poison. "I suggest this description you gave to the jury of the plates you used at the lunch is a lie. Correct or incorrect?" Rogers said. "Incorrect," the accused replied. In his evidence, Ian Wilkinson, the sole surviving guest from the lunch, whose recovery took months in hospital, said Patterson served herself on a plate of a different colour. Patterson's estranged husband, Simon Patterson, previously testified Heather Wilkinson had remarked on the different coloured plates before she died. Erin Patterson also disputed an account by her son, who said in his evidence he had not seen her repeatedly visit the bathroom as a result of becoming sick after the meal. The defence's decision to call Erin Patterson as a witness has reignited interest in the trial that began in late April. Media have descended on the town of Morwell where the trial is being held, about two hours east of Melbourne. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast on the trial is Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs. Patterson is in her sixth day of giving evidence and her third day of cross-examination by Rogers. The prosecution rested its case on June 2 after a month of evidence from relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. The trial, expected to conclude this month, continues.
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Australian mushroom murders accused gives her account of fatal lunch
An Australian woman accused of murdering three of her estranged husband's elderly relatives with poisonous mushrooms gave her account of the fatal lunch on Wednesday, in a case that has gripped the public. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. The prosecution alleges she knowingly served the guests lethal death cap mushrooms in a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of around 6,000 people 135km from Melbourne. She has denied the charges, with her defence saying the deaths were a 'terrible accident'. She faces a life sentence if found guilty. The accused, the first witness for her own defence who began her evidence on Monday afternoon, repeatedly wept when she told the court on Wednesday she may have accidentally included foraged mushrooms into the food she served. 'I think there was a possibility there were foraged ones in there,' she said when she was questioned by her own barrister, Colin Mandy. The court also heard on Wednesday Patterson had invented medical issues partly to elicit sympathy from her estranged husband's relatives, from whom she said she felt she was growing apart. 'I didn't want their care of me to stop, so I kept it going. I shouldn't have done it,' she told the court.
