Latest news with #mushroompoisoning
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- RNZ News
Mushroom lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson returns to church after Patterson guilty verdict
By Jack Colantuono , ABC Ian Wilkinson is the pastor at Korumburra Baptist Church, located in the Victorian region of South Gippsland. Photo: ABC News: Danielle Bonica Mushroom lunch survivor and pastor Ian Wilkinson has made his return to the Korumburra Baptist Church for the first time since Erin Patterson was convicted of murdering his wife. A Supreme Court jury found Patterson guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after serving beef wellington dishes laced with death cap mushrooms at her Leongatha home in July 2023. In his sermon on Sunday, Wilkinson gave everyone a warm welcome, including those visiting from interstate and watching online, and was applauded by the congregation. Ian Wilkinson (left) was the only guest to survive the lunch. His wife Heather Wilkinson, and Don and Gail Patterson all died from suspected mushroom poisoning. Photo: ABC / Supplied "Somebody's come all the way from Brisbane to be with us today," Wilkinson said. "And we have some other visitors too. "I should introduce myself… my name is Ian; I used to lead services here. "And I'm pleased to be back with you again." The light-hearted moment was met with laughter from the congregation, before it was straight back to business for Wilkinson, who began the service by reading psalms and announcing upcoming events in Korumburra. Later in the service, a church member delivered a prayer. "We pray especially for the Wilkinson and Patterson families," she said. Wilkinson did not break his silence on the outcome of the Erin Patterson trial. After eating the beef wellington at Erin Patterson's house, Wilkinson spent a number of weeks recovering in hospital. Erin Patterson arriving in the back of a prison transport vehicle at Latrobe Valley Magistrate's Court in Morwell, Australia. Photo: AFP / MARTIN KEEP Patterson was found guilty of murdering her parent-in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of her husband Mr Wilkinson by a jury earlier this month. Patterson, 50, had pleaded not guilty to the charges, telling the court the poisonous mushrooms were accidentally included in the meals she served to four relatives in 2023. Patterson, who was expected lodge an appeal of the guilty verdict, will be sentenced at a later date. The trial lasted more than two months, and the jurors heard from more than 50 witnesses. - ABC
ABC News
09-07-2025
- ABC News
Remembering mushroom murder victims, Gail and Don Patterson and Heather Wilkinson
The victims of Erin Patterson's deadly beef Wellington lunch are being remembered for their altruistic nature and kind hearts, just days after a jury convicted their killer of murder. Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, died from death cap mushroom poisoning following the lunch while Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, suffered serious injuries. They all lived in the regional Victorian town of Korumburra, south-east of Melbourne, which is home to roughly 4,500 people. Korumburra educator Andrea Lewis crossed paths with Gail, Don and Heather through work they had all done at local primary and secondary schools. "They were just lovely. They were funny ... they were the nicest people." Ms Lewis said Gail and Heather were part a learning assistance program she managed, helping disadvantaged children. "The way they worked with those children and what they were able to bring out in them was just phenomenal," Ms Lewis said. "They just had real talents and skills in all those sorts of areas." Heather also taught migrant women, which Ms Lewis said was more evidence of her giving nature. "Once again, she was looking at a group who were marginalised in the community and saying 'I can do something about that', and she did." She believed it was their faith that led all three to live such selfless lives, acting with "humour, good grace and humility". "I think they believed that we all had a greater mission or purpose beyond ourselves," Ms Lewis said. "We had to just get out there and help others. We're in a fortunate position and we had to go out there and make things better for others, particularly young children." Local councillor Nathan Hersey was mayor at the time of the lunch. He said the high-profile case had rocked the small community as those close to the families dealt with their loss. "At the centre of this is a tragic story and a tragic loss," he said. He said the local community had strong connections and he was proud of its ability to come together and support one another through a challenging time. "From this point forward, our community will have the opportunity to have closure, to complete the grieving process," he said. For Ms Lewis, while the verdict had been delivered, she doesn't feel like the ordeal is over just yet. "We have to remember what's at the heart of this — those four people and then those that extend out from them," she said. Remembering her colleagues as "model citizens", Ms Lewis said they were "fabulous human beings" who the wider community could learn a lot from.
The Sun
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
‘You did it': Doc who treated mushroom killer Erin Patterson tells how he knew she was a ‘heinous' murderer in minutes
THE doctor who treated Australian mushroom killer Erin Patterson has revealed how he knew she was a "heinous" murderer within minutes. Dr Chris Webster treated the Leongatha, Victoria, mother and now- convicted killer after she took herself to hospital following the infamous lunch. 9 9 9 9 Patterson, 49, had cooked a beef wellington with lethal death cap mushrooms and intentionally fed it to four guests, killing three, for lunch in July 2023. Webster he had spent the next morning treating two of the poisoned four only for Patterson to turn up complaining of gastro, he told the BBC. Within minutes, Webster knew she was a cold-blooded killer. The doctor said: "I thought, 'Okay, yep, you did it, you heinous individual. You've poisoned them all'." Patterson was convicted on Monday of killing her 70-year-old in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather, 66. The at-home chef was also convicted of one count of attempted murder against local pastor Ian Wilkinson - Heather's husband - in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Webster had first treated Heather and Ian at Leongatha Hospital the next morning after the lunch with intense gastroenteritis-like symptoms. He initially believed it was a case of mass food poisoning and through quizzing his patients suspected the meat in the beef wellington was the culprit. Webster said: "I did ask Heather at one stage what the beef Wellington tasted like and she said it was delicious." The doctor took Heather and Ian's blood samples and then sent them for analysis to a larger town with better facilities than the small rural Leongatha Hospital. 'Mushroom killer' Erin Patterson GUILTY of murdering three relatives with deadly beef wellington Soon after, he received a call from the doctor treating the other two who were poisoned - Don and Gail - at Dandenong Hospital. She said it was the mushrooms, not the meat, and Webster's stomach dropped. Webster had hooked Heather and Ian with fluids, but quickly changed tack as he realised their life was on the line. He knew he needed to save their failing livers and prepared to send them to a larger hospital where they could get better care. 9 9 But then a person presented themselves to the hospital claiming they had gastro symptoms. Webster asked Patterson for her name and said when he heard it: "The penny dropped… it's the chef." The doctor quizzed the chef about where the mushrooms had come from - Woolworths, she said. It was with that answer that Webster knew she was guilty. But the doctor said that made no sense as the supermarket giant would have stringent food safety standards. Webster also said Patterson didn't seem worried about the danger Heather and Ian - lying only metres away - were in. He then sent Ian and Heather off in an ambulance to Dandenong Hospital, saying he tragically knew they wouldn't return. When he returned, Patterson had checked herself out against medical advice. After desperately trying to call Patterson but being unable to reach her, Webster called the cops. He said: "This is Dr Chris Webster from Leongatha Hospital. I have a concern about a patient who presented here earlier, but has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning." 9 9 At the trial, Patterson said she had been caught off guard by the information about the deadly mushrooms and went home to pack an overnight bag and feed the animals. She also had a "lie-down" before returning to the hospital. When she finally did, Webster tried to get her to also bring her children, who the chef claimed had eaten leftovers. In court, Patterson said she was "concerned that they were going to be frightened." Days later, Patterson was caught on CCTV trying to cover her tracks by dumping the food dehydrator she used in her twisted murder plot. Wearing a long coat and sunglasses, Patterson is seen unloading the food dehydrator at the Koonwarra Transfer Station on August 2, 2023 - an apparent attempt to erase evidence linked to the deadly beef wellington meal. And in a chilling image also released by the court, the meal that left her family dying in agony is laid out next to forensic evidence bags. The annotated photo was taken during toxicology testing at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine. 9
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Doctor who treated Erin Patterson's death cap mushroom victims reveals alarming details
The doctor who led the fight to save Erin Patterson's victims of mushroom poisoning described the horrifying effects of the toxins that alarmed his team and raised suspicion that they were dealing with a killer. Dr Stephen Warrillow, director of intensive care at Austin Health in Victoria, said the four patients who had eaten the beef wellington dish cooked by Patterson were among the sickest he had ever seen. Patterson, 50, was found guilty this week of murdering her former husband's parents Gail and Donald Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and of attempting to murder Heather's husband Ian. Patterson had invited them for a meal at her home in Morwell, Victoria, on 29 July 2023 and served them beef wellington containing toxic mushrooms. They fell sick shortly afterwards and died, except Ian, who survived after a period in hospital. She had also invited her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, to the lunch, but he cancelled the day before because he was feeling too 'uncomfortable' amid rising tensions between them. Dr Warrillow described to the ABC how each of the four guests spiralled into multi-organ failure despite the best efforts of his team. The four patients were 'devastatingly unwell', Dr Warrillow recalled, but what rang the alarm bells for his team was they all showed the same pattern of organ failure, which pointed to a common and powerful toxin. 'Certainly, the sickest patients in the whole state,' he said, 'but it is unusual to have four patients similarly afflicted and they were critically ill with multiple organ failure'. The triple murder trial of Patterson – dubbed the death cap mushroom cook case – gripped Australia for over two months as shocking details emerged of how she had murdered three of her estranged husband's relatives. Patterson denied deliberate poisoning and contended she had no reason to murder her elderly in-laws. But the jury rejected her defence that the inclusion of toxic mushrooms in the meal was a terrible accident. The death cap mushroom toxin first attacks the liver and the damage quickly spreads. Kidney failure follows, then circulatory collapse and broader metabolic failure. 'Once the liver fails, it tends to drag down all the other organs with it,' Dr Warrillow pointed out. The four patients were put on mechanical ventilators and dialysis machines to purify their blood. Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson became too sick to be even considered for liver transplants, the lead doctor said. Don Patterson was able to get one but could not be saved. 'Liver transplantation is one of the most complex and lengthy surgical procedures that we would ever do. The patient has to be sick enough to need one, but well enough to get through the surgery,' he said. Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, was only saved due to 'extraordinary work by the bedside clinical team' at the ICU despite his multiple organ failure, Dr Warrillow said. His family was told he might not survive but measures of support for his circulation to try and clear toxins from his blood helped. 'He had very high levels of acid in his blood, higher levels of ammonia toxin in his blood, and looked very much like he was likely to die,' the doctor recalled. "It's quite a remarkable outcome for him that he was ultimately able to survive and could recover so well in the end." Dr Chris Webster, who treated Heather Wilkinson before the incident, said her death was "particularly distressing". He described the couple as "humble, softly spoken, unassuming and respectful of each other". Dr Webster said that he immediately suspected Patterson of foul play after she had told him the mushrooms came from Woolworths. He described her demeanour as 'evil' and 'sociopathic' and said her lack of concern after being told she might have been exposed to a deadly toxin raised serious alarm. Recalling Patterson's behaviour at the hospital, Dr Webster said she sat just metres away from two of the critically ill victims, Ian and Heather, without showing the slightest concern. 'That absence of concern for the wellbeing of Ian and Heather, I found that quite stark in terms of its oddness,' he said. 'It contributed to the ongoing tapestry in my mind of her culpability.'
ABC News
09-07-2025
- ABC News
The questions we couldn't answer until now
If the jury didn't hear it, we couldn't talk about it. That's why for weeks we have left certain questions unanswered, even after getting them hundreds — sometimes thousands — of times. Today Stocky and Rachael lift the lid on these topics for the first time: why manslaughter was not an optional charge, where Erin Patterson lived during the trial, whether a certain novel was found on her bookshelves, and much more. If you've got questions about the case that you'd like Rachael and Stocky to answer in future episodes, send them through to mushroomcasedaily@ - It's the case that's captured the attention of the world. Three people died and a fourth survived an induced coma after eating beef wellington at a family lunch, hosted by Erin Patterson. Police alleged that the beef wellington contained poisonous mushrooms, but Erin Patterson said she was innocent. This podcast follows every development of the trial as the accused triple murderer fights the charges in a regional Victorian courthouse. Reporters Kristian Silva and Rachael Brown and producer Stephen Stockwell are on the ground, bringing you all the key moments as they unravel in court. From court recaps to behind-the-scenes murder trial explainers, and post-verdict analysis, Mushroom Case Daily is your eyes and ears inside the courtroom. To catch up on all the evidence from the case, go back and listen to all our Friday Wrap episodes:
