Latest news with #forensicanalysis
ABC News
21-05-2025
- ABC News
Death cap mushroom web page visited a year before fatal lunch, Erin Patterson's trial told
Police who investigated Erin Patterson found evidence of a visit to a web page about death cap mushrooms prior to the fatal lunch at her home, the Supreme Court has heard. Internet records were displayed to the court, after police conducted an analysis of Ms Patterson's computers and phones in August 2023. The trial of Erin Patterson, who stands accused of using a poisoned meal to murder three relatives, continues. Catch up on the latest developments from Wednesday's hearing with our blog. Computer data showed that on May 28, 2022, a visit was made to the iNaturalist website, used by citizen scientists for observations of flora and fauna. The title of one of the visited pages included the words, 'Deathcap from Melbourne VIC, Australia on May 18, 2022'. Another search conducted on May 28, 2022 was for the Korumburra pub, a venue not far from Ms Patterson's home. The alleged iNaturalist website visit was made about 14 months before the fatal lunch staged at Ms Patterson's home, where guests were served beef Wellingtons containing mushrooms. Ms Patterson denies deliberately placing toxic death cap mushrooms inside the meals, and has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder. Alleged internet activity from Ms Patterson's devices was the focus of evidence on Wednesday afternoon, as Victoria Police forensic data analyst Shamen Fox-Henry was called to the stand. In the aftermath of the lunch, Mr Fox-Henry said police looked at three computer hard drives, and searched for the keywords "death cap", "death cap mushroom", "death cap mushrooms", "mushrooms" and "poison". Mr Fox-Henry, whose evidence will continue on Thursday, took the jury through a detailed presentation about computers. The first slide of his presentation was titled 'What is a computer'. From there it moved to how files and folders work, and data that can be retrieved from internet search history information. The trial, which is now into its fourth week, had previously heard from users of the iNaturalist website who said they made public posts about death cap mushrooms growing in Loch and Outtrim in April and May 2023. Prosecutors say Ms Patterson's mobile phone connected to cell towers in those locations for extended periods shortly after those posts went online. The four guests who attended Ms Patterson's house — in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and Heather and Ian Wilkinson — all suffered symptoms consistent with death cap mushroom poisoning. Mr Wilkinson was the sole lunch guest who survived. Ms Patterson's lawyers say she also fell sick, although not to the same extent as her guests. Ms Patterson told investigators mushrooms in the meal came from a local supermarket and an unspecified Asian grocer. At the start of the case, prosecutors told the jury they could not point to a motive for the alleged poisonings. Several witnesses including her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, said Ms Patterson's relationship with members of her extended family had deteriorated in the months before the lunch. The trial continues.
CBS News
20-05-2025
- CBS News
Watch Live: Karen Read trial continues with expert cross-examined over Lexus data
The Karen Read trial is resuming Tuesday with a 19th day of witness testimony inside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Forensic analyst Shanon Burgess will be back on the stand for more cross-examination over his report on data from Read's Lexus SUV on the night prosecutors say she hit and killed John O'Keefe. You can watch testimony live on CBS News Boston when it begins at 9 a.m. by clicking on the video player above. Read is accused of hitting O'Keefe, a Boston police officer who she was dating, with her SUV in January 2022 after a night of drinking and leaving him to die in the snow outside Brian Albert's home at 34 Fairview Road in Canton. Her defense says O'Keefe was killed during a fight inside the home, then dragged outside and left in the yard. Special prosecutor Hank Brennan called Burgess as a witness on Monday. Burgess, a forensic analyst from Aperture LLC, testified that Read's Lexus drove in reverse around 12:32 a.m. on January 29, 2022. A prior witness testified that O'Keefe's cellphone stopped moving at almost the exact time. Defense attorney Bob Alessi began a tense cross-examination on Monday. Burgess was still on the stand when court ended for the day, so the forensic analyst returned a day later. Shanon Burgess testimony Alessi focused Monday on Burgess' academic credentials, noting that he does not have a bachelor's degree despite starting to study for that degree in 2008. The defense attorney also highlighted that Burgess changed his report to adjust his timeline of events based on the different clocks on Read's Lexus and O'Keefe's phone only two weeks ago. "So in approximately 10 years, this is the first time you've submitted an amended supplemental report in the middle of a trial?" Alessi asked. "A supplemental report, correct," Burgess said. Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Her first trial ended with a mistrial due to hung jury in 2024.
