Latest news with #DeathCap
Borneo Post
6 days ago
- Borneo Post
Australian woman found guilty of triple murder with toxic mushrooms
A Death Cap mushroom, an extremely toxic mushroom and responsible for 90 per cent of all mushroom poisoning deaths, is seen at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne on March 31, 2021. – AFP file photo MORWELL, Australia (July 7): An Australian woman murdered her husband's parents and aunt by lacing their beef Wellington lunch with toxic mushrooms, a jury found Monday at the climax of a trial watched around the world. Keen home cook Erin Patterson hosted an intimate meal in July 2023 that started with good-natured banter and earnest prayer — but ended with three guests dead. Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world's most-lethal fungus. But a 12-person jury on Monday found the 50-year-old guilty of triple murder, a crime that carries a maximum of life imprisonment. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth guest who survived. 'I think it's very important that we remember that we've had three people that have died,' said Detective Inspector Dean Thomas after the verdict. 'I ask that we acknowledge those people and not forget them.' The trial has drawn podcasters, film crews and true crime fans to the rural town of Morwell, a sedate hamlet in the state of Victoria better known for prize-winning roses. Newspapers from New York to New Delhi have followed every twist of what many now simply call the 'mushroom murders'. – 'Delicious' – Family members of the victims declined to speak after the verdict, asking for privacy in a statement issued through police. A lone friend of Patterson appeared overcome with emotion as she left the courthouse through a jostling media pack. 'I'm saddened. But it is what it is,' she told reporters. On July 29, 2023, Patterson set the table for an intimate family meal at her tree-shaded country property. Her lunch guests that afternoon were Don and Gail Patterson, the elderly parents of her long-estranged husband Simon. Places were also set for Simon's maternal aunt Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, a well-known pastor at the local Baptist church. Husband Simon was urged to come but he declined because he felt 'uncomfortable'. In the background, Patterson's relationship with Simon was starting to turn sour. The pair — still legally married — had been fighting over Simon's child support contributions. Patterson forked out for expensive cuts of beef, which she slathered in a duxelles of minced mushrooms and wrapped in pastry to make individual parcels of beef Wellington. Guests said grace before tucking in — and prayed once more after eating — with Heather later gushing about the 'delicious and beautiful' meal. Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties, and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity. – 'Not survivable' – The guests' blood was swiftly coursing with deadly amatoxin, a poison produced by the death cap mushrooms known to sprout under the oak trees of Victoria. Don, Gail and Heather died of organ failure within a week. 'It was very apparent that this was not survivable,' intensive care specialist Stephen Warrillow told the trial. Detectives soon found signs that Patterson — herself a true crime buff — had dished up the meal with murderous intent. Patterson told her guests she had received a cancer diagnosis and needed advice on breaking the news to her children, prosecutors alleged. But medical records showed Patterson received no such diagnosis. The prosecution said this was a lie cooked up to lure the diners to her table. She also lied about owning a food dehydrator which police later found dumped in a rubbish tip. Forensic tests found the appliance contained traces of the fatal fungi. 'I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible,' Patterson told the trial. A computer seized from her house had browsed a website pinpointing death cap mushrooms spotted a short drive from her house a year before the lunch, police said. – 'Super sleuth' – Death caps are the most lethal mushrooms on the planet, responsible for some 90 percent of all fatalities due to consuming toxic fungi. Baptist preacher Ian Wilkinson was the only guest to survive, pulling through after weeks in hospital. He told the court how guests' meals were served on four grey plates, while Patterson ate from a smaller orange dish. But he could not explain why Patterson wanted him dead. Patterson was a devoted mother-of-two with an active interest in her tight-knit community, volunteering to edit the village newsletter and film church services. She was also a well-known true crime buff, joining a Facebook group to chew over details from infamous Australian murders. Friend Christine Hunt told the jury Patterson had a reputation as 'a bit of a super sleuth'. Patterson said the meal was accidentally contaminated with death cap mushrooms, but maintained through her lawyers it was nothing more than a 'terrible accident'. 'She didn't do it deliberately. She didn't do it intentionally,' defence lawyer Colin Mandy told the trial. 'She denies that she ever deliberately sought out death cap mushrooms.' The trial heard from doctors, detectives, computer experts and mushroom specialists as it picked apart the beef Wellington lunch in forensic detail. Confronted with countless hours of intricate expert testimony, it took the jury a week to find Patterson guilty. She will be sentenced at a later date. – AFP
New York Post
30-04-2025
- New York Post
Alleged mushroom murderer Erin Patterson faked cancer to lure victims, prosecutors say
SYDNEY, April 30 – An Australian woman accused of murdering three of her estranged husband's elderly relatives by poisoning their food, faked a cancer diagnosis to lure the victims to a meal, prosecutors claimed on Wednesday, in a case that has gripped the country. 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. 7 Erin Patterson arrives at her home in Leongatha, Victoria. Three people died after eating Death Cap mushrooms used in a meal she had cooked. Newspix via Getty Images Advertisement 7 A court sketch shows Erin Patterson at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in Morwell, Australia, April 29, 2025. via REUTERS All four fell ill after a lunch of Beef Wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans, the court was told. Prosecutors said the accused knowingly laced the meal with deadly death cap mushrooms at her home in Leongatha, a town of around 6,000 people some 135 kilometers (84 miles) from Melbourne. Erin Patterson denies the charges. Advertisement Defending Patterson, barrister Colin Mandy told the court the deaths were a 'terrible accident,' and that the accused had no intention of killing her lunch guests. 'The defense case is that Erin Patterson did not deliberately serve poisoned food to her guests,' he said. In the opening arguments that began on Wednesday, prosecutor Nanette Rogers said the accused had fabricated a cancer diagnosis and hosted the lunch on the pretense of discussing the best way to tell her two children about the illness, in order to ensure they did not attend. 7 Friends and Family of the deceased victims depart from the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in Morwell, Victoria, Australia, 30 April 2025. JAMES ROSS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Advertisement 7 Heather Wilkinson and Ian Wilkinson pictured. Provided 'It is the prosecution case that the accused deliberately poisoned (the victims) with murderous intent,' she told the court. 'The prosecution will not be suggesting that there was a particular motive to do what she did,' she said. SEPARATE PLATES The guests ate individual portions of Beef Wellington off four large grey dinner plates, while the accused ate from a smaller, tan colored plate, the court heard. Advertisement The guests fell ill later that day and were hospitalized a day after, where three later died. Ian Wilkinson spent weeks in hospital and survived. The accused went to hospital two days later, where she initially discharged herself against medical advice, the court was told. 7 Gail and Tom Patterson pictured here. Provided 7 Erin Patterson, accused murderer with long hair and glasses, in court for her trial in Melbourne, Australia on 30th April, 2025. JAMES ROSS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock She had mild symptoms of illness, but further tests revealed no evidence of toxins consistent with death cap poisoning, the prosecution said. The accused resisted attempts by doctors to have her two children tested, who she claimed had eaten leftovers of the lunch, saying she did not want to frighten them, Rogers said. 'She was reluctant to have the children medically assessed, because she knew that, like her, they had not eaten any poisoned food,' she said. The defendant denied ever owning a food dehydrator, but police traced one owned by her to a nearby garbage dump, that was later found to contain death cap mushrooms, Rogers said – one of the world's deadliest strains of mushrooms. Advertisement Mandy said his client had lied repeatedly during the investigation, but had 'panicked' due to the intense scrutiny surrounding the case. 7 Accused murderer Erin Patterson's legal team (L-R) Barrister Colin Mandy SC, Barrister Sophie Stafford, and Lawyer Bill Doogue arrive at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in Morwell, Victoria, Australia, 30 April 2025. JAMES ROSS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock INTENSE INTEREST Erin Patterson married her husband Simon in 2007 and had two children together, the court heard. They separated temporarily several times, before splitting permanently in 2015. They remained amicable, sharing custody of the children and going on family holidays together. Advertisement That changed in 2022 when Simon listed himself as separated on a tax return, Rogers said, with communication deteriorating and the pair disagreeing over child support. The trial has seen intense interest from local and international media, with podcasters, journalists and documentary-makers descending on the town of Morwell, around two hours east of Melbourne, where the trial is being heard. The court is expected to hear the first of dozens of witnesses and scientific experts on Thursday. The trial, scheduled to run until early June, continues.
7NEWS
29-04-2025
- 7NEWS
Erin Patterson mushroom trial: Accused triple murderer faces Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court
A mother accused of murdering three relatives and attempting to kill a fourth at a family lunch by serving up a beef wellington laced with poisonous Death Cap mushrooms is standing trial at Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court. Erin Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty. Her trial continues.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Toxic mushrooms popping up in East Bay Parks: ‘You do not want to eat it'
BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) — With the recent rainfall, two types of potentially deadly mushrooms are popping up in East Bay Parks. 'Loud unexpected banging and crashes': Oakland meat distributor named in public nuisance lawsuit Melissa Fowlks, a naturalist for the East Bay Regional Park District, is warning against two poisonous mushrooms to look out for while visiting the parks: the 'Death Cap' and the 'Western Destroying Angel.' 'You do not want to eat it,' said Fowlks. 'Both of those are very toxic, and they have in the past resulted in death so they will give you a really bad stomachache, intestinal distress.' The warning is not just for people. Pet owners are encouraged to keep their animals on a leash. Both mushrooms can be found anywhere where there are oak tree roots. The toxic mushrooms pop up typically every year after stormy weather. 'Because we got all that rain, we had a lot of fungi popping up from under the ground,' said Fowlks. Not all of those mushrooms are bad. 'Fungi is important,' added Fowlks. 'They're decomposers. They help create nutrient-rich soil. We need them.' Fowlks just wrapped up the annual Tilden Fungus Fair, a free event to educate visitors on the variety of mushrooms around the East Bay. The fair was postponed after a dry January. With unseasonably warmer weather underway, Fowlks is reminding potential park visitors on what they can and cannot do before making the trip. 'We've been having a lot of folks coming about searching, foraging — which you are not allowed to do in the East Bay Regional Parks so just be mindful of that,' said Fowlks. 'We don't want to do that.' There are warning signs about the toxic mushrooms posted along the trails at the East Park Regional Parks. Park officials say the best way to stay safe is to stay on the trail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
