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West Australian
27-05-2025
- West Australian
Erin Patterson trial: What alleged killer told detectives following death cap poisoning deaths
Sitting in a police interview room a day after two in-laws had died from death cap mushroom poisoning, Erin Patterson claimed she did not own a dehydrator. Just under 21 minutes of footage from the August 5, 2023, interview was played for the jury in her triple-murder trial after prosecutors called their final witness of the case. Detective leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall, a homicide squad detective who led the investigation into the fatal lunch, took to the witness box on Tuesday afternoon. Constable Eppingstall, who has sat behind prosecutors for the duration of the five week trial, formally charged Ms Patterson on November 2, 2023, the jury was told. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder relating to a deadly beef wellington lunch she hosted with members of her husband Simon Patterson's family on July 29 the same year. Gail Patterson and her sister Heather Wilkinson both died on August 4, while Gail's husband Don Patterson died the following day. Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, fell critically ill but recovered after spending more than a month and a half in hospital. Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson deliberately spiked the lunch with death cap mushrooms, while her defence argues it was a tragic accident and she did not intentionally poison anyone. In the interview, held at Wonthaggi Police Station in the afternoon of August 5, Constable Eppingstall tells Ms Patterson police are trying to understand what has made the quartet so ill and, conversely, why she wasn't that sick. Seated across from the two detectives and wearing a brown jumper, Ms Patterson softly indicates she understands. 'I'm sure you understand too that I've never been in a situation like this before and I have been very, very helpful with the health department during the week because I wanted to help,' she says. 'I do want to know what happened, so I've given them as much information as they've asked for.' Later in the interview, Constable Eppingstall tells Ms Patterson police have 'got concerns' about the source of the mushrooms used in the lunch. He asks if she had ever foraged for mushrooms, with Ms Patterson responding; 'never ever'. Constable Eppingstall questions if she ever 'dehydrates things' and receives a shake of the head in response. Later still, he asks if Ms Patterson owned a dehydrator. 'No,' she responds. The officer then tells Ms Patterson they located a manual for a Sunbeam dehydrator in her kitchen when they searched the property earlier the same day. 'I've got manuals of lots of stuff I collected over the years … I just keep them all,' she said. The detective continues the line of questioning with; 'when did you ever own a dehydrator?'. Ms Patterson's reply is not audible, but she then begins to talk about owning a Thermomix. 'When I first got the Thermomix I got really excited about making everything from scratch,' she said. Earlier in the trial, the jury saw footage of Ms Patterson disposing of a black Sunbeam dehydrator at the Koonwarra transfer station and landfill on August 2. In his opening address to the jury, her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, told jurors Ms Patterson accepted she lied about owning a dehydrator or ever foraging for mushrooms. 'The defence case is that she panicked because she was overwhelmed by the fact that these four people had become so ill because of the food that she'd served to them,' he said. 'Might someone panic in a situation like that? Is it possible that people might do and say things that are not well thought out and might, in the end, make them look bad?' Constable Eppingstall will return to the witness box when the hearing resumes at 10.30am on Wednesday. The trial continues.
Perth Now
27-05-2025
- Perth Now
Mushroom cook's lie to cops: court
Sitting in a police interview room a day after two in-laws had died from death cap mushroom poisoning, Erin Patterson claimed she did not own a dehydrator. Just under 21 minutes of footage from the August 5, 2023, interview was played for the jury in her triple-murder trial after prosecutors called their final witness of the case. Detective leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall, a homicide squad detective who led the investigation into the fatal lunch, took to the witness box on Tuesday afternoon. Constable Eppingstall, who has sat behind prosecutors for the duration of the five week trial, formally charged Ms Patterson on November 2, 2023, the jury was told. Detective Stephen Eppingstall will be the last witness called by the Crown. NewsWire / Diego Fedele Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder relating to a deadly beef wellington lunch she hosted with members of her husband Simon Patterson's family on July 29 the same year. Gail Patterson and her sister Heather Wilkinson both died on August 4, while Gail's husband Don Patterson died the following day. Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, fell critically ill but recovered after spending more than a month and a half in hospital. Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson deliberately spiked the lunch with death cap mushrooms, while her defence argues it was a tragic accident and she did not intentionally poison anyone. Ms Patterson's husband, Simon Patterson, said he did not attend the lunch. NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia In the interview, held at Wonthaggi Police Station in the afternoon of August 5, Constable Eppingstall tells Ms Patterson police are trying to understand what has made the quartet so ill and, conversely, why she wasn't that sick. Seated across from the two detectives and wearing a brown jumper, Ms Patterson softly indicates she understands. 'I'm sure you understand too that I've never been in a situation like this before and I have been very, very helpful with the health department during the week because I wanted to help,' she says. 'I do want to know what happened, so I've given them as much information as they've asked for.' Later in the interview, Constable Eppingstall tells Ms Patterson police have 'got concerns' about the source of the mushrooms used in the lunch. He asks if she had ever foraged for mushrooms, with Ms Patterson responding; 'never ever'. Constable Eppingstall questions if she ever 'dehydrates things' and receives a shake of the head in response. Later still, he asks if Ms Patterson owned a dehydrator. 'No,' she responds. The officer then tells Ms Patterson they located a manual for a Sunbeam dehydrator in her kitchen when they searched the property earlier the same day. 'I've got manuals of lots of stuff I collected over the years … I just keep them all,' she said. The detective continues the line of questioning with; 'when did you ever own a dehydrator?'. Ms Patterson told the interviewers she loved her in-laws. Brooke Grebert-Craig. Credit: Supplied Ms Patterson's reply is not audible, but she then begins to talk about owning a Thermomix. 'When I first got the Thermomix I got really excited about making everything from scratch,' she said. Earlier in the trial, the jury saw footage of Ms Patterson disposing of a black Sunbeam dehydrator at the Koonwarra transfer station and landfill on August 2. In his opening address to the jury, her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, told jurors Ms Patterson accepted she lied about owning a dehydrator or ever foraging for mushrooms. 'The defence case is that she panicked because she was overwhelmed by the fact that these four people had become so ill because of the food that she'd served to them,' he said. 'Might someone panic in a situation like that? Is it possible that people might do and say things that are not well thought out and might, in the end, make them look bad?' Constable Eppingstall will return to the witness box when the hearing resumes at 10.30am on Wednesday. The trial continues.
Herald Sun
27-05-2025
- Herald Sun
Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial: Lies told to police over foraging, dehydrator
A Supreme Court jury has heard from accused mushroom cook killer Erin Patterson for the first time as her record of interview was played in her triple-murder trial. In her own words, Ms Patterson answered questions from homicide squad detectives, telling them she had 'never' foraged for mushrooms and did not own a dehydrator. But the defence has admitted these were lies, conceding in its opening address that she has foraged for mushrooms and did own a dehydrator, which she later dumped at a local tip. Ms Patterson is standing trial in Morwell, accused of murdering her estranged husband's parents Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, along with Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66. In her record of interview, Ms Patterson said she loved her in-laws, describing them as 'good, decent people that have never done anything wrong by me'. Don, Gail and Heather died after she served them individual beef wellingtons allegedly laced with lethal death cap mushrooms at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023. When detectives executed a search warrant at the home on August 5 after the sisters had died, the court heard they told Ms Patterson it was in 'connection with the death of two people', prompting her to ask: 'Who died?' Heather's husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, 71, was the only guest to survive. Ms Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, claiming what happened was a 'tragedy and a terrible accident'. THE RECORD OF INTERVIEW Detective Leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall, the lead investigator and final witness for the prosecution, took to the stand on Tuesday as the Crown edges closer to closing its case against Ms Patterson. He told the court her record of interview was conducted at Wonthaggi Police Station on August 5 at 4.41pm after the search warrant had been executed. Wearing a light brown sweater, Ms Patterson was interviewed by Constable Eppingstall and his corroborator Detective Senior Constable David Martin-Alcaide. Seated in the dock of the courtroom, Ms Patterson at times became emotional as she watched herself on a small screen answering the detectives' questions. Constable Eppingstall told Ms Patterson she was being interviewed over the deaths of Gail and Heather as police were trying to understand what had happened. 'I've never been in a situation like this before and I've been very, very helpful with the health department through the week, because I wanted to help that side of things as much as possible, because I do want to know what happened,' she replied. Constable Eppingstall said police were concerned about the source of the mushrooms and asked Ms Patterson if she had foraged for them in the past. 'Never,' she replied. He also asked about a Sunbeam dehydrator, telling Ms Patterson they found an instruction manual for the device in her kitchen drawer. 'Do you know anything about a dehydrator in your house?' he asked. 'No,' she replied. 'Do you own a dehydrator?' he asked. 'No,' she replied. 'I've got manuals of lots of stuff I've collected over the years … I just keep them all.' At the start of the trial, the defence said it was its case that Ms Patterson 'panicked because she was overwhelmed by the fact that these four people had become so ill because of the food that she'd served to them'. Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC admitted she lied about foraging for mushrooms, but said his client 'denies that she ever deliberately sought out death cap mushrooms'. When asked in the record of interview about her relationship with the Pattersons and why she invited them to lunch, Ms Patterson said it was because she had no other family. 'I want to maintain those relationships in spite of what's happening with Simon, I love them a lot,' she continued. She said Don and Gail had 'always been good to me'. 'They always said to me that they would support me with love and emotional support even though Simon and I were separated,' she added. She said it was important to her that the Pattersons remained grandparents to her children, adding that she thought her estranged husband 'hated' that she had a relationship with them after their separation. Constable Eppingstall also asked Ms Patterson why she first presented to Leongatha Hospital two days after the lunch and left five minutes later. 'When you've got animals at home and children who have multiple after school activities, you can't just be told to drop everything and you're off to Melbourne overnight,' she said. 'So I had to go home and feed the animals and pack my daughter's ballet bag.' THE SEARCH WARRANT Earlier, Detective Sergeant Luke Farrell told the court he attended Ms Patterson's house on August 5 with Constable Eppingstall to execute the search warrant. The court heard her two children and the family dog were present for the search, which stretched from about 11.40am to 3.40pm. Photos taken during the search were beamed into the courtroom, providing the jury its first look inside the house where the accused hosted the lunch. The court heard detectives found a manual for a dehydrator inside a kitchen drawer, while a best-selling RecipeTin Eats cookbook was spotted on the kitchen bench. Sergeant Farrell said a 'piece of tissue' had been used as a bookmark and the cookbook had been 'spattered' with food remnants. Constable Eppingstall told the court Ms Patterson told him during the search she used the cookbook to make the beef wellington meal. The six-page recipe was shown to the jury, including a photo of a latticed beef wellington log. The court heard detectives also located a Cooler Master computer, a Samsung phone and a Samsung tablet in one of the children's bedrooms. Sergeant Farrell confirmed a video was taken during the search and captured plates as detectives opened kitchen drawers and the dishwasher. In one screenshot from the video, four small plates 'with a red top and dark bottom' could be seen, as well as a larger plate of the same description. Sergeant Farrell agreed that he was aware at the time of the search that the 'issue of plates' was of interest to police, but he conceded photos were not taken of all the plates in the house and none were seized. The court heard Sergeant Farrell asked Ms Patterson for her phone at the end of the search. 'I asked for it and she gave it to me,' he said. THE HEALTH INVESTIGATION Senior public health adviser Sally Ann Atkinson returned to the witness box on Tuesday and said the Department of Health investigation concluded that it was 'highly unlikely' the commercial food chain had been contaminated with death cap mushrooms. 'The risk to public health was deemed very low,' she said, adding that no food was recalled. She told the court only one Asian grocer stocked dried mushrooms 'similar' to the description provided by Ms Patterson, but she said this product was notably larger. 'Nothing (was found) that matched the description she gave at all,' she said. She confirmed the Department of Health deemed it an 'isolated event'. The trial continues.
Perth Now
27-05-2025
- Perth Now
Details accused mushroom killer Erin Patterson told detectives revealed in court
Accused triple murderer Erin Patterson told detectives in the days following her deadly death cap mushroom lunch that she had 'never' foraged for mushrooms and said she did not 'know anything' about a food dehydrator. The new details came to light as the jury in the Supreme Court trial were shown Patterson's police interview tape on Tuesday as lead investigator in the case, Homicide Detective Stephen Eppingstall, took the stand. Eppingstall told the court he was a part of a team that carried out a search at Patterson's Leongatha home, in Victoria's Gippsland region, on 5 August 2023, before she was taken back to Wonthaggi Police Station that afternoon to be interviewed. During the search, police seized an instruction manual for a Sunbeam food dehydrator, food items, and several electronic devices. The video, which was taken at 4.31pm on 5 August 2023, began with Eppingstall and his colleague informing Patterson of her rights, including access to legal advice. Patterson, then 48, acknowledged she understood and said she was happy to proceed without first speaking to a solicitor. After explaining to Patterson that two of her lunch guests (Heather Wilkinson, 66, and Gail Patterson, 70) had died, and two others (Don Patterson, 70, and Ian Wilkinson, 68) were still critically ill, Eppinngstall said: 'We are trying to understand what could have made them so ill, which is why we are asking you questions. Erin Patterson's police interview tape has been played in court. Credit: 7NEWS 'We are conversely trying to understand why you are not ill.' In response, Patterson said she had been trying to help authorities who had launched an investigation into her claims that her beef wellington ingredient included Woolworths mushrooms and dried mushrooms purchased from an Asian grocer in Melbourne. 'I'm sure you understand that I've never been in a situation like this before and I have been very, very helpful with the Health Department during the week because I wanted to help that side,' she told the detectives. 'I do want to know what happened, so I've given them as much information as they've asked for.' The police noted to Patterson that she had been helpful during the earlier search at her house, but noted they did not see a lot of Asian grocer-style food at the premises. Patterson asked: 'Did you look in my fridge? I have a lot of Asian food in my fridge?'. The police noted Patterson had a second property in Mount Waverley, in Melbourne, and asked her if they would find any Asian-grocer style food there, but she explained they would not because she was in the process of cleaning it out to sell it and had recently emptied that pantry. The police then asked Patterson if she had ever foraged for mushrooms, with the mother-of-two responding: 'never'. Eppingstall then turned the conversation to Patterson's motivation for hosting the lunch. 'You have described to me your relationship with your ex-partner Simon... I can't understand why you had his parents and uncle and aunty over for lunch,' he said. The court heard her Leongatha home was searched by police on 5 August 2023. Credit: 7NEWS 'Because I have no other family,' Patterson said. 'They've always been very good to me. I maintain my relationships with them. I like them a lot. They have always been very good to me. 'They have always said they would support me even though Simon and I were separated. 'My parents are all gone. They are the only grandparents my children have and that's really important to me. I think Simon hated that I still had a relationship with his parents, but I loved them. 'Nothing will change the fact they were good people..' Patterson was then probed over why she left Leongatha Hospital just five minutes after presenting to the emergency room days after the lunch. She said staff told her she may need to be admitted and she had not turned up prepared to do so. 'I had to go home and feed the animals, and pack my daughter's bag, and I did that,' she said. Patterson told the detectives she went into the hospital and spoke to a nurse, advising her she had diarrhoea and urgently had to use the toilet. Patterson said when she returned to the triage area from the toilet, she mentioned to a doctor that she was a 'gastro case' and, after identifying herself, he said staff had been 'expecting' her because others had fallen sick after eating at her home. She told the detectives that was the first time she learnt that medics suspected her four lunch guests had been poisoned with death cap mushrooms. The detectives then went through some of the items they seize from her home, which included a manual for a Sunbeam food dehydrator. Asked whether she knew anything about a dehydrator in her house, Patterson said 'no', adding 'I have manuals for lots of things that I don't use'. The court heard police also seized a Recipetin Eats cook book, white jug of brown liquid from the pantry, fruit platter, computers, Samsung tablets, and phones from the home. Earlier on Tuesday, the court heard from Detective Sergeant Luke Farrell who was apart of the team conducting the 5 August 2023 search of Patterson's home. Farrell told the court Patterson 'expressed surprised' when she was advised two of her lunch guests had passed away. The court was also shown CCTV footage of Patterson taking her son to Subway on the evening of 29 July 2023 — the day of the lunch — after they dropped his friend home. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of murder. Her trial at Latrobe Valley Law Courts, in Morwell, continues.
7NEWS
27-05-2025
- 7NEWS
Erin Patterson mushroom trial: Accused triple murderer's police interview played in court
Accused triple murderer Erin Patterson told detectives in the days following her deadly death cap mushroom lunch that she had 'never' foraged for mushrooms and said she did not 'know anything' about a food dehydrator. The new details came to light as the jury in the Supreme Court trial were shown Patterson's police interview tape on Tuesday as lead investigator in the case, Homicide Detective Stephen Eppingstall, took the stand. Eppingstall told the court he was a part of a team that carried out a search at Patterson's Leongatha home, in Victoria's Gippsland region, on 5 August 2023, before she was taken back to Wonthaggi Police Station that afternoon to be interviewed. During the search, police seized an instruction manual for a Sunbeam food dehydrator, food items, and several electronic devices. The video, which was taken at 4.31pm on 5 August 2023, began with Eppingstall and his colleague informing Patterson of her rights, including access to legal advice. Patterson, then 48, acknowledged she understood and said she was happy to proceed without first speaking to a solicitor. After explaining to Patterson that two of her lunch guests (Heather Wilkinson, 66, and Gail Patterson, 70) had died, and two others (Don Patterson, 70, and Ian Wilkinson, 68) were still critically ill, Eppinngstall said: 'We are trying to understand what could have made them so ill, which is why we are asking you questions. 'We are conversely trying to understand why you are not ill.' In response, Patterson said she had been trying to help authorities who had launched an investigation into her claims that her beef wellington ingredient included Woolworths mushrooms and dried mushrooms purchased from an Asian grocer in Melbourne. 'I'm sure you understand that I've never been in a situation like this before and I have been very, very helpful with the Health Department during the week because I wanted to help that side,' she told the detectives. 'I do want to know what happened, so I've given them as much information as they've asked for.' The police noted to Patterson that she had been helpful during the earlier search at her house, but noted they did not see a lot of Asian grocer-style food at the premises. Patterson asked: 'Did you look in my fridge? I have a lot of Asian food in my fridge?'. The police noted Patterson had a second property in Mount Waverley, in Melbourne, and asked her if they would find any Asian-grocer style food there, but she explained they would not because she was in the process of cleaning it out to sell it and had recently emptied that pantry. The police then asked Patterson if she had ever foraged for mushrooms, with the mother-of-two responding: 'never'. Eppingstall then turned the conversation to Patterson's motivation for hosting the lunch. 'You have described to me your relationship with your ex-partner Simon... I can't understand why you had his parents and uncle and aunty over for lunch,' he said. 'Because I have no other family,' Patterson said. 'They've always been very good to me. I maintain my relationships with them. I like them a lot. They have always been very good to me. 'They have always said they would support me even though Simon and I were separated. 'My parents are all gone. They are the only grandparents my children have and that's really important to me. I think Simon hated that I still had a relationship with his parents, but I loved them. 'Nothing will change the fact they were good people..' Patterson was then probed over why she left Leongatha Hospital just five minutes after presenting to the emergency room days after the lunch. She said staff told her she may need to be admitted and she had not turned up prepared to do so. 'I had to go home and feed the animals, and pack my daughter's bag, and I did that,' she said. Patterson told the detectives she went into the hospital and spoke to a nurse, advising her she had diarrhoea and urgently had to use the toilet. Patterson said when she returned to the triage area from the toilet, she mentioned to a doctor that she was a 'gastro case' and, after identifying herself, he said staff had been 'expecting' her because others had fallen sick after eating at her home. She told the detectives that was the first time she learnt that medics suspected her four lunch guests had been poisoned with death cap mushrooms. The detectives then went through some of the items they seize from her home, which included a manual for a Sunbeam food dehydrator. Asked whether she knew anything about a dehydrator in her house, Patterson said 'no', adding 'I have manuals for lots of things that I don't use'. The court heard police also seized a Recipetin Eats cook book, white jug of brown liquid from the pantry, fruit platter, computers, Samsung tablets, and phones from the home. Earlier on Tuesday, the court heard from Detective Sergeant Luke Farrell who was apart of the team conducting the 5 August 2023 search of Patterson's home. Farrell told the court Patterson 'expressed surprised' when she was advised two of her lunch guests had passed away. The court was also shown CCTV footage of Patterson taking her son to Subway on the evening of 29 July 2023 — the day of the lunch — after they dropped his friend home. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of murder. Her trial at Latrobe Valley Law Courts, in Morwell, continues.
