Latest news with #poisonousmushrooms
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Woman on trial for mushroom murders says she was trying to improve ‘bland' lunch
An Australian woman accused of murdering three of her estranged husband's relatives with poisonous mushrooms told a court she had been trying to improve a 'bland' recipe for them. Before Erin Patterson's in-laws and their relatives arrived at her home for lunch, she bought expensive ingredients, consulted friends about recipes and sent her children out to see a film. Advertisement Then she served them a dish containing poisonous death cap mushrooms — a meal that was fatal for three of her four guests. Whether that was Patterson's plan is at the heart of a triple murder trial that has gripped Australia for nearly six weeks. Prosecutors in the Supreme Court case in the state of Victoria say the accused lured her guests to lunch with a lie about having cancer, before deliberately feeding them toxic fungi. Ian Wilkinson leaving the Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court in Morwell, Australia, on Wednesday (James Ross/AAP Image via AP) But her lawyers say the tainted beef Wellington she served was a tragic accident caused by a mushroom storage mishap. She denies murdering her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and their relative, Heather Wilkinson. Advertisement The mother of two also denies attempting to murder Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, who survived the meal. In a rare step for a defendant charged with murder, Patterson chose to speak in her own defence at her trial this week. On Wednesday, she spoke publicly for the first time about the fateful lunch in July 2023 and offered her explanations on how she planned the meal and did not become ill herself. No one disputes that Patterson, 50, served death cap mushrooms to her guests for lunch in the rural town of Leongatha, but she says she did it unknowingly. Patterson said on Wednesday she splurged on expensive ingredients and researched ideas to find 'something special' to serve. She deviated from her chosen recipe to improve the 'bland' flavour, she said. Advertisement She believed she was adding dried fungi bought from an Asian supermarket from a container in her pantry, she told the court. 'Now I think that there was a possibility that there were foraged ones in there as well,' she told her lawyer, Colin Mandy. Patterson had foraged wild mushrooms for years, she told the court Tuesday, and had put some in her pantry weeks before the deaths. Patterson, who formally separated from her husband Simon Patterson in 2015, said she felt 'hurt' when Simon told her the night before the lunch that he 'wasn't comfortable' attending. She earlier told his relatives that she had arranged the meal to discuss her health. Patterson admitted this week that she never had cancer — but after a health scare, she told her in-laws she did. Advertisement In reality, Patterson said she intended to have weight loss surgery. But she was too embarrassed to tell anybody and planned to pretend to her in-laws that she was undergoing cancer treatment instead, she said. 'I was ashamed of the fact that I didn't have control over my body or what I ate,' a tearful Patterson said Wednesday. 'I didn't want to tell anybody, but I shouldn't have lied to them.' The accused said she believes she was spared the worst effects of the poisoned meal because she self-induced vomiting shortly after her lunch guests left. She had binged on most of a cake and then made herself throw up — a problem she said she had struggled with for decades. Patterson also said she believes she had eaten enough of the meal to cause her subsequent diarrhoea. She then sought hospital treatment but unlike her lunch guests, she quickly recovered. Advertisement At the hospital where her guests' health was deteriorating, her estranged husband asked her about the dehydrator she used to dry her foraged mushrooms, she said. 'Is that how you poisoned my parents?' she said Simon Patterson asked her. Growing afraid she would be blamed for the poisoning and that her children would be taken from her, Patterson said she later disposed of her dehydrator. She told investigators she'd never owned one and had not foraged for mushrooms before. While still at the hospital, she insisted she'd bought all the mushrooms at stores even though she said she knew it was possible that foraged mushrooms had accidentally found their way into the meal. She was too frightened to tell anyone, Patterson said. Also later, Patterson said she remotely wiped her mobile phone while it sat in an evidence locker to remove pictures of mushrooms she had foraged. Prosecutors argued in opening their case in April that she poisoned her husband's family on purpose, although they did not suggest a motive. She carefully avoided poisoning herself and faked being ill, they said. The trial continues with Patterson's cross-examination by the prosecutors. If convicted, she faces life in prison for murder and 25 years for attempted murder.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Woman may have accidentally served foraged mushrooms in deadly lunch that killed three, court hears
An Australian woman accused of using poisonous mushrooms to murder three elderly relatives of her estranged husband gave on Wednesday her account of the fatal lunch, in a case that has gripped the public. 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 in a Beef Wellington pastry dish at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 some 135km from Melbourne. She denies the charges, with her defence calling the deaths a 'terrible accident', but faces a life sentence if found guilty. READ MORE She wept repeatedly on Wednesday as she told the court she might have accidentally included foraged mushrooms in the meal she served. 'Now I think there was a possibility there were foraged ones in there,' Ms Patterson said in questioning by her lawyer, Colin Mandy. The court also heard that Ms Patterson, who began giving evidence on Monday as the first witness for her own defence, had invented medical issues partly to elicit sympathy from her estranged husband's relatives, as she felt they were growing apart. 'I didn't want their care of me to stop, so I kept it going. I shouldn't have done it,' she told the court. 'Did you lie to them?' Mr Mandy asked. 'I did lie to them,' she replied, through tears. The prosecution accuses Ms Patterson of having invented the medical issues to lure the victims to her home for the meal, a claim she denies. Previously the court heard that shortly after the lunch, Ms Patterson disposed of a food dehydrator found to contain traces of death cap mushrooms, while mobile phones she owned were reset to factory status three times. On Wednesday, Ms Patterson said she had disposed of the dehydrator before a visit from child protection workers investigating her living arrangements. 'I was scared of the conversation that might flow about the meal and the dehydrator,' Ms Patterson said. 'I was scared they would blame me for it, for making everyone sick. I was scared that they would remove the children.' The phones were reset either due to damage or because she panicked during the police investigation, she told the court. The prosecution rested its case on Monday, after a month of evidence from witnesses, including relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. The trial, which began on April 29th, has drawn intense media interest, with podcasters, journalists and documentary-makers descending on the town of Morwell, about two hours east of Melbourne, where it is being held. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast about the proceedings is currently Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs. The trial, set to conclude this month, continues. – Reuters
ABC News
7 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Erin Patterson admits she misled lunch guests
Accused triple murderer Erin Patterson has told her trial she lied to her lunch guests about health issues to conceal her plans to have gastric bypass surgery. Ms Patterson is accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef wellington meal containing poisonous mushrooms.
Globe and Mail
7 days ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
Australian woman accused of mushroom murders gives her account of fatal lunch
An Australian woman accused of murdering three of her estranged husband's elderly relatives with poisonous mushrooms gave her account of the fatal lunch on Wednesday, in a case that has gripped the public. 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 alleges she knowingly served the guests lethal death cap mushrooms in a Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of around 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) from Melbourne. She denies the charges, with her defence saying the deaths were a 'terrible accident'. She faces a life sentence if found guilty. The accused, the first witness for her own defence and who began her evidence on Monday afternoon, repeatedly wept as she told the court on Wednesday she may have accidentally included foraged mushrooms into the food she served. 'Now I think there was a possibility there were foraged ones in there,' she said as she was questioned by her own barrister, Colin Mandy. The court also heard on Wednesday that Erin Patterson had invented medical issues partly to elicit sympathy from her estranged husband's relatives, from whom she said she felt she was growing apart. Mushroom madness grips small Australian town as murder trial brings media storm 'I didn't want their care of me to stop, so I kept it going. I shouldn't have done it,' she told the court. 'Did you lie to them?' Mandy asked. 'I did lie to them,' the accused replied, through tears. The prosecution alleges Patterson invented the medical issues to lure the victims to her home for the meal, a claim she denies. The prosecution rested its case on Monday, following a month of evidence from witnesses, including relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. The trial, which began on April 29, has seen intense interest from Australian 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 held. State broadcaster ABC's daily podcast about proceedings is currently the most popular in the country, while many Australian newspapers have been running live blogs on the case. The trial, scheduled to conclude this month, continues.
CBS News
02-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Woman on trial for killing 3 relatives of ex-husband with poison mushrooms testifies about marital issues
Mother and son lucky to be alive after eating poisonous mushrooms in Amherst Mother and son lucky to be alive after eating poisonous mushrooms in Amherst Mother and son lucky to be alive after eating poisonous mushrooms in Amherst The woman accused of murdering three members of her ex-husband's family by serving them poisonous mushrooms has taken the stand at an Australian court on Monday as the highly publicized triple murder trial nears its conclusion. Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of killing her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, and also of attempting to murder Wilkinson's husband, Ian, 68 after the four consumed a meal at Patterson's home in Victoria state in July 2023. She could face up to 25 years in prison for the attempted murder charge, while murder in the state of Victoria carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Her lawyer, Colin Mandy, previously told the Victorian state Supreme Court during the six-week trial the poisoning was accidental. Patterson's appearance as a defense witness Monday marked the first time the 50-year-old has spoken since pleading not guilty to all charges in May last year. She served meals of beef Wellington, mashed potato and green beans at her home in the rural town of Leongartha on July 29, 2023. All four guests were hospitalized the next day with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, also known as amanita phalloides, that were added to the beef and pastry dish. Ian Wilkinson survived after a liver transplant. Under questioning from Mandy, Patterson revealed personal battles with low self-esteem, shifting spirituality, the complicated birth of her son and growing distance from her estranged husband's family in recent years. "I had felt for some months that my relationship with the wider Patterson family, and particularly Don and Gail, perhaps had a bit more distance or space put between us," Patterson said. "We saw each other less." She described how husband Simon -- the pair were estranged but still legally married -- seemed to be pushing her out of the family in the lead up to the fatal meal. "I'd become concerned that Simon was not wanting me to be involved too much in the family anymore," she said. "I wasn't being invited to so many things." Erin Patterson looks on in Melbourne, Australia, April 15, 2025. James Ross/AP Patterson is due back on the witness stand Tuesday as the trial continues. The prosecution completed the presentation of its evidence to a jury of 14 people earlier on Monday afternoon. "They can be scared and alive or dead" Last month, Ian Wilkinson told the courtroom that he and his wife had been "very happy to be invited" to the lunch, the BBC reported. Wilkinson told the court that Patterson had plated "all of the food," according to the BBC. "Each person had an individual serve, it was very much like a pasty," he said. "It was a pastry case and when we cut into it, there was steak and mushrooms." The court also heard that lunch host Erin Patterson's estranged husband, Simon, had been invited to the meal but declined, saying he was uncomfortable with the prospect. Erin Patterson went to hospital two days after the lunch, but left five minutes later against medical advice, the doctor said. "I was surprised," he told the court. Patterson later returned and told Webster her children had also consumed the beef Wellington — but not the mushrooms or pastry. She was hesitant to tell them about the poisoning in case they became "frightened," the doctor said. "I said: 'They can be scared and alive or dead.'" The court also heard from another of Don and Gail Patterson's sons, Matthew, who said he had called the lunch host to ask where the mushrooms came from Death caps are responsible for 90% of lethal mushroom poisoning globally, the BBC reported. In 2022, doctors in Massachusetts were able to save a mother and son who nearly died from death cap mushroom poisoning. In 2020, a spate of poisonings in Victoria, Australia, killed one person and hospitalized seven others.
