Australian mushroom murder suspect told 'lies upon lies': Prosecutor
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An Australian woman told "lies upon lies" to cover up her murder of three lunch guests with a toxic mushroom-laced dish, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt in July 2023 by spiking a beef Wellington with death cap mushrooms.
She is also accused of attempting to murder a fourth guest -- her husband's uncle -- who survived the lunch after a long stay in hospital.
Patterson has denied all charges in a trial that has made headlines worldwide.
She said the traditional English dish, which she cooked in individual portions, was poisoned by accident.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers closed her case saying Patterson told "lies upon lies" because she knew the truth would implicate her.
She accused Patterson of lying to her in-laws to lure them to the lunch, telling them she wanted to discuss a serious health issue and then falsely claiming to have cancer.
The lunch host also provided police with a "dummy" mobile phone and concealed her main mobile, which authorities never recovered, the prosecutor said.
Patterson initially lied to police about never owning a food dehydrator, she said.
But security footage then captured her dumping one at a rubbish facility days after the lunch, Rogers said.
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It later tested positive for traces of death cap mushrooms.
Jurors should "reject" Patterson's claim that she accidentally picked death cap mushrooms, she said.
All the evidence pointed to her "deliberately" seeking out the fatal fungi, the prosecutor added.
Patterson intended to kill all her guests by serving them death cap mushrooms secreted into the meal, she charged.
The accused originally invited her estranged husband Simon to join the family meal at her secluded home in the farm village of Leongatha in Victoria state.
But he turned down the invitation, saying he felt uncomfortable going, the court heard earlier. The pair were long estranged but still legally married.
Simon Patterson's parents Don and Gail, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, attended the lunch.
All three were dead within days.
Heather Wilkinson's husband Ian fell gravely ill but eventually recovered.
The trial in Morwell, southeast of Melbourne, is in its final stages.
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