Mushroom trial: Accused ate from different coloured plate at deadly lunch, court hears
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the murders of her ex-husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, after they died following a family lunch in July 2023.
She is also accused of attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68, who survived after a liver transplant. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Police say Patterson served beef wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans at her home in the rural Victorian town of Leongatha on July 29 2023. The beef dish allegedly contained death cap mushrooms – one of the world's most toxic fungi.
All four guests were hospitalised the following day. Patterson's ex-husband, Simon Patterson, 50, was also invited to the lunch but did not attend.
Lunch guest puzzled by host's plate
On the first day of Patterson's trial in Victoria Supreme Court on Wednesday, prosecutor Nanette Rogers told the jury that Heather, after being hospitalised, told Simon she was puzzled that Erin had eaten from a different coloured plate than the ones used for her guests.
'I noticed that Erin put her food on a different plate to us. Her plate had colours on it. I wondered why that was. I've puzzled about it since lunch,' Heather reportedly said.
Simon told his aunt Heather that his ex-wife might have run out of plates.
The prosecution added that Erin Patterson falsely claimed she had ovarian cancer as an excuse for why her children did not attend the lunch.
'After the lunch, the accused announced that she had cancer and asked for advice on whether to tell the children or to keep it from them,' Ms Rogers said.
'They had a discussion about it being best to be honest with the children. They prayed as a group for the accused's health and wisdom in relation to telling the children."
Suspect went to hospital complaining of diarrhoea and nausea
Two days after the deadly lunch, Erin Patterson went to hospital with diarrhoea and nausea. By that time, doctors had already diagnosed her four guests with death cap mushroom poisoning.
Patterson told authorities she had used a mix of fresh mushrooms from a supermarket and dried ones from an Asian grocery store, though she couldn't name the shop.
Doctors ordered tests on her two children, then aged nine and 14, after she claimed they had eaten leftover beef Wellington.
She told investigators the children were safe because she had scraped off the mushrooms and pastry, saying they didn't like mushrooms.
Ms Rogers said Patterson had not eaten poisonous mushrooms and had not fed her children the lunch leftovers.
'The accused became teary and said she didn't want to involve the kids,' Ms Rogers said.
'She did not appear to be concerned so much about the children's health, but rather about stressing them out."
Attempted murder charges dropped
The jury also heard on Tuesday that prosecutors had dropped three charges alleging Patterson tried to murder her estranged husband, Simon, whom she had separated from in 2015.
Two weeks before the fatal lunch, she had invited Simon and his relatives to a meal while attending a service at Korumburra Baptist Church, where Ian, one of the victims, was pastor. Simon initially accepted the invitation.
'She said the purpose of the lunch was to discuss some medical issues that she had and to get advice about how to break it to the kids,' Ms Rogers said.
'The accused said that it was important that the children were not present for the lunch."
The Wilkinsons were surprised by the invitation because they had never been to Patterson's large five-bedroom house.
Murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and attempted murder carries a maximum of 25 years in prison.
The trial is expected to continue for six weeks.
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