Mushroom trial week five: SIM cards, cancer claims and receipts
The murder trial of Victorian woman Erin Patterson, accused of poisoning her former in-laws with a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms, is entering its final phase.
This week, the detective who led the investigation gave evidence, revealing key details about Patterson's actions and behaviour following the fatal lunch.
Text messages and a false cancer claim
Evidence so far in the trial of Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of murdering three people with beef Wellingtons. (Source: 1News)
The jury was shown a series of text messages between Erin Patterson and her former mother-in-law, Gail Patterson.
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In one exchange, Erin claimed she had undergone a needle biopsy and was awaiting an MRI. But Detective Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall told the court police found no medical records to support that claim.
While the defence acknowledged there was no cancer diagnosis, they argued Patterson had long held fears about her health.
Mobile phones and missing devices
Erin Patterson (Source: Nine)
Eppingstall said Patterson had multiple mobile phones and alleged she swapped SIM cards between them during a police raid. One of those phones, he said, has never been recovered.
The jury also heard Patterson messaged friends saying she had purchased a new phone and had learned to do a 'hard reboot' when hers broke.
Death cap mushroom searches
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Police also examined a computer seized from Patterson's home. Its search history included queries about death cap mushrooms and visits to the iNaturalist website – the same site where two fungi experts had previously logged toxic mushroom sightings.
The defence maintains the data does not prove who performed the searches.
Shopping receipts and the food dehydrator
An illustration of Erin Patterson's shopping receipts. (Source: Nine)
The prosecution presented a timeline of receipts linked to Patterson's Everyday Rewards card. Between six days before the lunch and the day prior, she shopped at Woolworths three times buying mushrooms, pastry, eye fillet steaks, onions and 1.5 kilograms of mashed potatoes.
Patterson's bank records also showed an online purchase was made on August 4 from Desma Environmental, a business linked to the Gippsland tip where a used food dehydrator was later recovered.
A shifting story on mushroom sourcing
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Death cap mushrooms (file image). (Source: istock.com)
Earlier this week, the jury also heard from Department of Health official Sally Ann Atkinson, who was tasked with tracing the origin of the mushrooms.
She told the court Patterson was initially difficult to contact and, when reached, gave changing accounts of where the mushrooms were sourced.
The defence argued Patterson was under significant emotional pressure at the time.
With the trial now in its fifth week, the case is expected to soon enter closing arguments before the jury begins deliberations.
Patterson denies all charges and maintains her innocence.
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Erin Patterson mushroom trial nears end - what you need to know
The trial of Erin Patterson, accused of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth by serving them a meal allegedly laced with death cap mushrooms, continues in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Detective Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall has been on the stand for four days. His testimony has revealed new details about Erin Patterson's messages, devices and the digital evidence that investigators say helped build their case. Australia Correspondent Aziz Al Sa'afin wraps up week five of the trial. The case On July 29, 2023, Erin Patterson hosted a lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, serving beef Wellington to her former in-laws: Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson. ADVERTISEMENT Subsequently, all four guests fell ill with symptoms consistent with death cap mushroom poisoning. 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(Source: Nine) Mobile devices and SIM card activity Eppingstall testified that Patterson used multiple phones and allegedly swapped SIM cards during a police search of her home. One device, referred to as "Phone A", remains missing. Another phone was subjected to multiple factory resets, the court was told. Dehydrator and disposal ADVERTISEMENT The prosecution highlighted that Patterson initially denied owning a food dehydrator. However, a manual was found in her home and CCTV footage showed a woman getting out of a red SUV and disposing of a dehydrator at a local transfer station shortly after the lunch. Forensic analysis detected traces of death cap mushroom toxins on the dehydrator. Text messages and health claims Text messages presented in court revealed that Patterson had informed her former in-laws about undergoing cancer tests, a claim unsubstantiated by medical records. The prosecution suggests this was a fabricated excuse to for the lunch as well as to prevent her children from attending. Defence's argument Contextualizing digital evidence ADVERTISEMENT Defence counsel Colin Mandy SC argued the digital evidence, including internet searches and purchase histories, does not conclusively prove intent to harm. He emphasised that others could have accessed the computer and that receipts do not confirm which mushrooms were used in the meal. Emotional state and health concerns The defence acknowledged that Patterson lied about her health status but contended that these falsehoods stemmed from panic and longstanding health anxieties. Patterson had a history of researching potential ovarian cancer, which the defence argues contributed to her mental state. Relationship dynamics Messages from a Facebook group chat were introduced, showing Patterson expressing frustration toward her in-laws and estranged husband. 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She said she cooked and ate the same meal as her guests, but hospital staff said she did not display symptoms consistent with mushroom poisoning. The defence has acknowledged that Patterson lied in parts of her interview but argued these were 'panicked omissions' from someone in shock and grief. They urged the jury not to treat her inconsistencies as proof of guilt, but rather as the behaviour of a distressed woman who was overwhelmed by the unfolding tragedy.
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