Latest news with #BeefWellington
NDTV
6 hours ago
- NDTV
Explained: Australian Woman Accused Of Poisoning In-Laws With Toxic Mushrooms
The Victorian Supreme Court is hearing the high-profile "mushroom murder" trial involving an Australian woman accused of killing her estranged husband's parents and aunt by serving them a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms. In July 2023, 50-year-old Erin Patterson hosted a lunch for her former mother-in-law, Gail Patterson, and father-in-law, Don Patterson, both 70, Ms Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, and Heather's husband, Reverend Ian Wilkinson. She allegedly served them a homemade Beef Wellington pastry dish at her home in Leongatha in Melbourne. The dish reportedly contained death cap mushrooms, said to be among the most toxic mushrooms in the world. Gail, Donald, and Heather died after consuming the meal, while Mr Wilkinson survived. Ms Patterson has been charged with the murder of the three relatives and the attempted murder of Mr Wilkinson. What Survivor Reverend Ian Wilkinson Said About The Incident Recalling the deadly lunch, Mr Wilkinson said Ms Patterson invited all four, along with her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, for lunch on July 29, 2023. Simon decided to give it a miss. Heather and Gail offered to assist with plating up the meal, but Ms Patterson turned them down, Mr Wilkinson told the court. He said a portion of mashed potatoes, green beans, and a single beef Wellington were served on each plate. While all four guests were served their meals on large, grey dinner plates, Ms Patterson had it on a smaller, tan-coloured plate, he said. Mr Wilkinson said he and his wife ate all of their food and Don ate his own and also half of his wife's portion. He told the court that after lunch, Ms Patterson made up the story, alleging that she had cancer and planned this lunch to ask for advice on how to break the news to her children, who were not at home. Was Erin Patterson Suffering From Cancer? No, Erin Patterson lied about her illness. She told the court that she did this to gain sympathy from her husband's relatives, as she felt they were growing apart during her separation from her husband. During the trial, she said, "I didn't want their care of me to stop, so I kept it going. I shouldn't have done it. I did lie to them." She further said, "I had become a little worried that perhaps ... that there might be some distance growing between me and the Patterson family." When asked why she lied about her illness, Ms Patterson said that during lunch, her father-in-law was talking to his brother, who was fighting cancer. So, at the end of the meal, she told the guests that she had a health issue from a year or two ago and might soon need cancer treatment. But instead, she was planning to undergo weight-loss surgery. Ms Patterson thought if the family believed that she was suffering from a serious disease and undergoing treatment, they might offer to help take care of her children. Did Erin Patterson Intentionally Serve Poisonous Mushrooms? Ms Patterson said that the mushrooms she used in the lunch were a mix of two types. One was a fresh button mushroom she bought from a supermarket, Woolworths, and the other was dried mushrooms she purchased from the Asian grocery store a few months ago. She mentioned that she started preparing the lunch the night before by salting the meat. On the morning of the lunch, she made a mushroom paste using the one she bought from Woolworths. While cooking the paste, she tasted it a few times and felt it was too bland. So, she decided to add some dried mushrooms which she bought earlier from a grocery store. Initially, she thought that these dried mushrooms were bought from a store, but later admitted that some of them might have been foraged. She told the court, "Now I think that there was a possibility that there were foraged ones in there as well." Why Did She Dispose Of The Food Dehydrator? Ms Patterson told the court that she had a little bit of lunch and later had two-thirds of the cake. After that, she felt too full and ended up throwing up. So, when she was in the hospital, her estranged husband came to see her and blamed her for killing his parents with a food dehydrator. She told the court that during the Covid-19 lockdown, she started searching for mushrooms in her nearby areas. She would then dry and store them using a food dehydrator. She told the court that Simon asked her, "Is that how you poisoned my parents?" She felt worried and decided to throw the food dehydrator at a nearby dump. She also deleted data from her phone in panic because it contained photos of mushrooms and the dehydrator. The dehydrator was later traced by police and found to contain a death cap mushroom. The court will continue the hearing on Thursday and prosecutors will get the opportunity to cross-examine her.
Euronews
6 hours ago
- Euronews
Australian woman weighed poisonous mushrooms ahead of deadly lunch
An Australian woman accused of murdering three of her estranged husband's relatives weighed poisonous mushrooms before serving a fatal lunch, prosecutors alleged on Thursday. In a murder trial that started almost six weeks ago, the prosecution claims that 50-year-old mother-of-two Erin Patterson deliberately fed her visitors Beef Wellington that contained toxic fungi. The meal took place at her home in the rural town of Leongatha in the state of Victoria in July 2023. Don and Gail Patterson, her ex-partner's parents, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, all died from mushroom poisoning. Wilkinson's husband, Ian, survived after undergoing a liver transplant. The defendant, who took to the witness stand on Monday, denied knowingly feeding her guests death cap mushrooms, arguing that the three deaths were a tragic accident. On her fourth day as a witness, Patterson said photos of mushrooms on scales that were found on her phone were likely taken at her home. "I suggest you were weighing these death cap mushrooms so that you could calculate the weight required to calculate the administration of a fatal dose for one person," prosecutor Nanette Rogers said in court. Patterson, who denied the suggestion, told the court earlier this week that she thought she was adding dried mushrooms bought from an Asian supermarket to the meal. "Now I think that there was a possibility that there were foraged ones in there as well," she said, explaining that she had deviated from her chosen recipe to improve the dish's "bland" flavour. The mother-of-two has admitted to repeatedly lying to police about foraging mushrooms and having a food dehydrator. Patterson confessed that she threw out her food dehydrator after the fatal lunch, saying she had done so "in the context of thinking that maybe mushrooms that I'd foraged or the meal I'd prepared was responsible for making people sick." The machine was later recovered — with her fingerprints on — from a local rubbish dump. "It was this stupid knee-jerk reaction to dig deeper and keep lying," she told the court. "I was just scared, but I shouldn't have done it." If convicted, she faces life in prison for murder and 25 years for attempted murder.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Australian accused of mushroom murders denies weighing ‘fatal dose' on kitchen scales
SYDNEY: An Australian woman accused of murder denied measuring out a 'fatal dose' of poisonous mushrooms on her kitchen scales to kill three elderly relatives of her estranged husband, as she was cross-examined by the prosecution on Thursday. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. The prosecution accuses her of knowingly serving the guests lethal death cap mushrooms as part of a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) from Melbourne. She denies the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths a 'terrible accident'. Under cross-examination on Thursday by the prosecution, Erin Patterson was asked whether a series of photos of mushrooms placed on weighing scales in her kitchen was evidence she had been measuring a 'fatal dose' to serve to her lunch guests. 'I suggest that you were weighing these death cap mushrooms so that you could calculate the weight required for the administration of a fatal dose for one person. Agree or disagree?' barrister Nanette Rogers said. 'Disagree,' Patterson replied. Patterson accepted under cross-examination that she had lied to police and medical professionals following the lunch when she was asked whether she had ever foraged for mushrooms or owned a food dehydrator, which was later found in a waste disposal plant containing traces of death caps. The accused has previously admitted she lied about being diagnosed with cancer, but on Thursday denied doing so in order to lure her guests to have lunch at her home. 'I suggest that you never thought you would have to account for this lie about having cancer, because you thought that the lunch guests would die,' Rogers said. 'That's not true,' Patterson replied. While being examined by her own barrister Colin Mandy, Patterson said earlier on Thursday that she did not intentionally pick death cap mushrooms, or knowingly serve them to her lunch guests. Nor had she pretended to be sick after the lunch to avoid becoming a suspect in the case, she said. The trial has captured public attention across Australia, with podcasters, journalists and documentary-makers from local and international media descending on the town of Morwell, where the trial is being held, about two hours east of Melbourne. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast about the proceedings is currently Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs on trial developments. Justice Christopher Beale, the judge presiding in the trial, told the jury the cross-examination of the accused would probably continue into next week. The prosecution rested its case on Monday after a month of evidence from relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. After the defence rests, the parties will discuss whether the prosecution might seek to reopen its case in light of defence evidence, Beale told the jury. The trial, set to conclude this month, continues.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Mushroom murders denies weighing ‘fatal dose' on kitchen scales
SYDNEY: An Australian woman accused of murder denied measuring out a 'fatal dose' of poisonous mushrooms on her kitchen scales to kill three elderly relatives of her estranged husband, as she was cross-examined by the prosecution on Thursday. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. The prosecution accuses her of knowingly serving the guests lethal death cap mushrooms as part of a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) from Melbourne. She denies the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths a 'terrible accident'. Under cross-examination on Thursday by the prosecution, Erin Patterson was asked whether a series of photos of mushrooms placed on weighing scales in her kitchen was evidence she had been measuring a 'fatal dose' to serve to her lunch guests. 'I suggest that you were weighing these death cap mushrooms so that you could calculate the weight required for the administration of a fatal dose for one person. Agree or disagree?' barrister Nanette Rogers said. 'Disagree,' Patterson replied. Patterson accepted under cross-examination that she had lied to police and medical professionals following the lunch when she was asked whether she had ever foraged for mushrooms or owned a food dehydrator, which was later found in a waste disposal plant containing traces of death caps. The accused has previously admitted she lied about being diagnosed with cancer, but on Thursday denied doing so in order to lure her guests to have lunch at her home. 'I suggest that you never thought you would have to account for this lie about having cancer, because you thought that the lunch guests would die,' Rogers said. 'That's not true,' Patterson replied. While being examined by her own barrister Colin Mandy, Patterson said earlier on Thursday that she did not intentionally pick death cap mushrooms, or knowingly serve them to her lunch guests. Nor had she pretended to be sick after the lunch to avoid becoming a suspect in the case, she said. The trial has captured public attention across Australia, with podcasters, journalists and documentary-makers from local and international media descending on the town of Morwell, where the trial is being held, about two hours east of Melbourne. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast about the proceedings is currently Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs on trial developments. Justice Christopher Beale, the judge presiding in the trial, told the jury the cross-examination of the accused would probably continue into next week. The prosecution rested its case on Monday after a month of evidence from relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. After the defence rests, the parties will discuss whether the prosecution might seek to reopen its case in light of defence evidence, Beale told the jury. The trial, set to conclude this month, continues.
NBC News
12 hours ago
- NBC News
Australian murder suspect is cross-examined over poisonous mushroom meal
SYDNEY — An Australian woman accused of using poisonous mushrooms to murder three elderly relatives of her estranged husband was cross-examined by the prosecution on Thursday, denying she had measured a 'fatal dose' on her kitchen scales. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband. The prosecution accuses her of knowingly serving the guests lethal death cap mushrooms as part of a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 about 84 miles from Melbourne. She denies the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defense calling the deaths a 'terrible accident.' Under cross-examination by the prosecution on Thursday, Erin Patterson was asked whether a series of photos of mushrooms placed on weighing scales in her kitchen was evidence she had been measuring a 'fatal dose' to serve to her lunch guests. 'I suggest that you were weighing these death cap mushrooms so that you could calculate the weight required for the administration of a fatal dose for one person. Agree or disagree?' barrister Nanette Rogers said. 'Disagree,' Patterson replied. Patterson accepted under cross-examination that she had lied to police and medical professionals following the lunch when she was asked whether she had ever foraged for mushrooms or owned a food dehydrator, which was later found in a waste disposal plant containing traces of death caps. While being examined by her own barrister Colin Mandy, Patterson said earlier Thursday that she did not intentionally pick death cap mushrooms, or knowingly serve them to her lunch guests. Nor had she pretended to be sick after the lunch to avoid becoming a suspect in the case, she said. The trial has captured public attention across Australia, where such cases are exceedingly rare. Podcasters, journalists and documentary-makers from local and international media have descended on the town of Morwell where the trial is being held, about two hours east of Melbourne. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast about the proceedings is currently Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs on trial developments. Justice Christopher Beale, the judge presiding in the case, told the jury the cross-examination of the accused would probably continue into next week. The prosecution rested its case on Monday after a month of evidence from relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. After the defense rests, the parties will discuss whether the prosecution might seek to reopen its case in light of defense evidence, Beale told the jury.
