Erin Patterson trial: Accused triple murderer's Facebook rants, body image issued and mushroom obsession

West Australian

2 days ago

Accused triple murderer Erin Patterson has revealed her love for wild mushrooms in a second day of explosive evidence as she was questioned over a fatal lunch that killed three of her relatives.
The trial took a surprise turn on Monday when Ms Patterson's defence team called the accused to the stand to give evidence, which continued for a full day in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Tuesday.
Ms Patterson is accused of killing her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, by feeding them beef Wellington that contained poisonous death cap mushrooms during a lunch on her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023.
On Tuesday, as members of the public queued in lines that extended outside the court building to get in to the public gallery, the court heard evidence on how the accused received a sizeable inheritance that allowed she and Mr Patterson to purchase a home, lend money to family and for the accused to start a 'second-hand book store'.
It was a business that only lasted around a year, but was something that perhaps foreshadowed Ms Patterson's interest in rummaging and collecting.
She explained how she would go to book markets, picking finds for her store's collection.
Ms Patterson and her husband Simon moved from WA to Victoria before the birth of their second child so their son, and eventually any future children they had, could be closer to 'nana and papa' — two of the three people that died from death cap mushroom poisoning after a lunch cooked by Ms Patterson.
After the couple's return to Victoria and the birth of their second child, Ms Patterson told the court about her 'formal separation' from Mr Patterson.
Despite parting ways, Ms Patterson said her in-laws 'continued to love me', becoming emotional in the Morwell courtroom in regional Victoria.
The accused triple murderer explained she stayed close with her ex-partner and their family, not just for the children, but also because she 'always thought that we would bring the family back together', adding that in 2019 she 'saw a future' for her and Mr Patterson.
But hopes for a relationship rekindling appear to not have been shared by Mr Patterson, who in November 2022 told Ms Patterson he had listed his relationship status as 'single' on a tax form.
Although Ms Patterson said her reaction to this was 'good' as it meant she could then potentially claim family tax benefits, it was the beginning of 'conflict' between the accused, her ex-partner and her in-laws.
Ms Patterson told the court she was 'very hurt' when she realised she had not been invited to Gail Patterson's 70th birthday lunch, something she admitted to shouting at her ex-partner about. Although later deemed an 'oversight' by Don Patterson, Ms Patterson said the 'hurt', which led to her outburst, highlighted the need for improved communication between the two.
Shortly after, Ms Patterson revealed a 'conflict over money' with her ex-partner, something she said had not occurred before.
As tension was rife between Ms Patterson, her ex and her in-laws, the accused admitted to taking to a Facebook group to 'vent' in a 'desperate' move that she said she now regrets.
'This family, I swear to f..king god,' Ms Patterson posted in what she felt was a 'private' space.
She accused her in-laws of only wanting to 'pray' for her children and not help resolve ongoing issues.
'I'm sick of this s..t,' Ms Patterson wrote in a later post, adding she wanted 'nothing to do' with Mr Patterson's family.
Discussing her 'venting' messages about her in-laws, whom she is accused of murdering, Ms Patterson broke down, saying 'they didn't deserve it', adding she wished 'never sent' the messages.
Despite wishing her words were not posted, Ms Patterson said she felt 'heard' by her online community of supportive women.
Ms Patterson confirmed to the court that she told her Facebook community she 'loved mushrooms' and even shared images with them of a food dehydrator that she had purchased, with the photos showing the dehydrator in use with shelves filled with mushrooms.
She admitted that after her fascination with mushrooms begin around the time of the first COVID lockdown in Victoria, she 'was experimenting with different ways' to get the 'best result' of dehydrating them.
Ms Patterson explained she liked 'exotic' mushrooms, claiming to find they had 'more flavour', and enjoyed eating a variety of types because 'they taste good and they are very healthy'.
The accused mentioned an instance on her property when she saw her dog eating mushrooms growing on her property. She said she picked these so that she could try and identify the mushroom type, admitting she later learnt that was hard to do.
After that instance, Ms Patterson's confidence grew, as she later picked wild mushrooms from her property that she thought were safe.
'I cut a bit off one of the mushrooms, fried it up with some butter, ate it, and then saw what happened,' she told the court. 'They tasted good and I didn't get sick.'
Ms Patterson said she 'put them in meals we all ate', speaking about meals for her and her children.
'I chopped them up very, very small, so they couldn't pick them out.'
It was at that point that the prosecution raised an objection that kept Ms Patterson from giving evidence for much of the afternoon.
When her evidence resumed, Ms Patterson was asked if she accepted that death cap mushrooms were in the fatal lunch that left three people dead.
'Yes, I do,' Ms Patterson said, adding that the majority of mushrooms in the lunch came from 'the local Woolworths in Leongatha,' and that 'there were some' from an Asian grocer in Melbourne.
The Asian grocer mushrooms were purchased in April 2023, Ms Patterson told the court, adding that they had a 'pungent' smell.
She said she intended to use those mushrooms on the day of purchase, but chose against it due to the odour.
Ms Patterson went on to confirm that those 'pungent' mushrooms ended up in the cupboard alongside other dehydrated mushrooms ahead of the fatal lunch.
She said she would add mushrooms that she had dehydrated into containers she 'already had going' with other dehydrated mushrooms.
Ms Patterson earlier told Justice Christopher Beale and the jury she 'didn't trust' the healthcare system
The mother-of-three told the court about how her daughter had digestive issues and her son had issues with his knees, becoming emotional at multiple points.
However, Ms Patterson's own health concerns were also detailed, with the accused revealing her struggles with an eating disorder stemming from her childhood and her tendency to consult 'Dr Google' due to her lack of trust in doctors.
'I didn't love hospitals,' Ms Patterson said.
'I didn't trust that these people knew what they were doing.'
Her Google search results for information on ovarian cancer and brain tumours were discussed, with Ms Patterson admitting she often 'self-diagnosed', later realising 'every headache is not a brain tumour'.
She also revealed that as a child, her mother would weigh her to ensure she was not 'putting on too much weight'.
Ms Patterson said this behaviour led to years of struggles, including phases of 'not eating' and 'bingeing'.
She also told the court that since her 20s she had bulimic tendencies, something daily at its worst, something monthly when doing better.
She cried as she explained she had tried to keep the eating disorder private.
The trial continues.