Woman on trial for killing 3 relatives of ex-husband with poison mushrooms testifies about marital issues

CBS News

4 days ago

Mother and son lucky to be alive after eating poisonous mushrooms in Amherst
Mother and son lucky to be alive after eating poisonous mushrooms in Amherst
Mother and son lucky to be alive after eating poisonous mushrooms in Amherst
The woman accused of murdering three members of her ex-husband's family by serving them poisonous mushrooms has taken the stand at an Australian court on Monday as the highly publicized triple murder trial nears its conclusion.
Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of killing her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, and also of attempting to murder Wilkinson's husband, Ian, 68 after the four consumed a meal at Patterson's home in Victoria state in July 2023.
She could face up to 25 years in prison for the attempted murder charge, while murder in the state of Victoria carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Her lawyer, Colin Mandy, previously told the Victorian state Supreme Court during the six-week trial the poisoning was accidental.
Patterson's appearance as a defense witness Monday marked the first time the 50-year-old has spoken since pleading not guilty to all charges in May last year.
She served meals of beef Wellington, mashed potato and green beans at her home in the rural town of Leongartha on July 29, 2023. All four guests were hospitalized the next day with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, also known as amanita phalloides, that were added to the beef and pastry dish. Ian Wilkinson survived after a liver transplant.
Under questioning from Mandy, Patterson revealed personal battles with low self-esteem, shifting spirituality, the complicated birth of her son and growing distance from her estranged husband's family in recent years.
"I had felt for some months that my relationship with the wider Patterson family, and particularly Don and Gail, perhaps had a bit more distance or space put between us," Patterson said. "We saw each other less."
She described how husband Simon -- the pair were estranged but still legally married -- seemed to be pushing her out of the family in the lead up to the fatal meal.
"I'd become concerned that Simon was not wanting me to be involved too much in the family anymore," she said. "I wasn't being invited to so many things."
Erin Patterson looks on in Melbourne, Australia, April 15, 2025.
James Ross/AP
Patterson is due back on the witness stand Tuesday as the trial continues.
The prosecution completed the presentation of its evidence to a jury of 14 people earlier on Monday afternoon.
"They can be scared and alive or dead"
Last month, Ian Wilkinson told the courtroom that he and his wife had been "very happy to be invited" to the lunch, the BBC reported.
Wilkinson told the court that Patterson had plated "all of the food," according to the BBC.
"Each person had an individual serve, it was very much like a pasty," he said. "It was a pastry case and when we cut into it, there was steak and mushrooms."
The court also heard that lunch host Erin Patterson's estranged husband, Simon, had been invited to the meal but declined, saying he was uncomfortable with the prospect.
Erin Patterson went to hospital two days after the lunch, but left five minutes later against medical advice, the doctor said.
"I was surprised," he told the court.
Patterson later returned and told Webster her children had also consumed the beef Wellington — but not the mushrooms or pastry.
She was hesitant to tell them about the poisoning in case they became "frightened," the doctor said. "I said: 'They can be scared and alive or dead.'"
The court also heard from another of Don and Gail Patterson's sons, Matthew, who said he had called the lunch host to ask where the mushrooms came from
Death caps are responsible for 90% of lethal mushroom poisoning globally, the BBC reported.
In 2022, doctors in Massachusetts were able to save a mother and son who nearly died from death cap mushroom poisoning. In 2020, a spate of poisonings in Victoria, Australia, killed one person and hospitalized seven others.