An Australian woman on trial for allegedly murdering three of her relatives with a mushroom-laced meal told a court it was possible she had searched online for death cap mushrooms, although she could not recall doing so.
Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of killing her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both aged 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, after allegedly serving them a Beef Wellington dish laced with death cap mushrooms at her home in Leongatha, a small town in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023.
Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, was also hospitalised after the meal but later recovered. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
Prosecutors allege that the mushrooms were deliberately included in the lunch as part of a calculated plot. Ms Patterson denies this, describing the incident as a “terrible accident”.
The trial, taking place in the town of Morwell, has captured national attention. Journalists, podcasters, and documentary crews have descended on the regional courtroom. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s daily podcast covering the trial is currently the most listened-to podcast in the country.
During cross-examination on Friday, prosecutor Nanette Rogers questioned Ms Patterson about computer records that showed searches for death cap mushrooms – on the citizen science website iNaturalist using the Bing search engine on 28 May 2022. The court heard the user viewed sightings of the deadly fungus near Melbourne, including one logged at Bricker Reserve in Moorabbin.
“I suggest that person was you. Correct or incorrect?” Dr Rogers asked.
Ms Patterson replied: “I don’t remember doing it. It’s possible it was me.” She also said she wasn’t certain whether one of her two children might have conducted the search.
“I suggest you had an interest in death cap mushrooms on May 28, 2022, agree or disagree?” the crown prosecutor asked.
“Depends what you mean by interest,” Ms Patterson responded.
Dr Rogers pointed to inconsistencies in the accused’s behaviour, suggesting she maintained a “public face” of affection towards her in-laws while privately harbouring resentment, referencing messages in which Ms Patterson had criticised Don and Gail Patterson, as well as her estranged husband Simon Patterson.
“Are you asking me to agree if I have two faces?” shot back Mr Patterson. “I had a good relationship with Don and Gail.”
She also rejected the suggestion that she had invited Simon Patterson, who ultimately declined to attend, in order to serve him a toxic meal.
Text messages presented in court showed Ms Patterson expressing disappointment at his absence. “I wanted it to be a special meal as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time,” she wrote.
Ms Patterson admitted to misleading guests about the purpose of the lunch, initially claiming it was arranged to discuss a serious health condition.
She later told the court that she had lied about having cancer in order to cover up her plans for weight-loss surgery, which she had felt embarrassed to disclose.
The court also heard that after her guests fell ill, Ms Patterson did not alert health authorities to the potential presence of foraged mushrooms in the dish, despite suspecting that her dried wild mushrooms may have been stored in the same container as store-bought ones.
Asked why she had not come forward with this information, she said the victims were already receiving treatment for suspected mushroom poisoning and that she feared being blamed.
“You got up, you drove your children to school … and then you got rid of the dehydrator,” Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson replied, “Correct.”
Justice Christopher Beale told jurors the trial – originally expected to run for six weeks – would now likely continue for at least another fortnight.
Ms Patterson will resume giving evidence when the court reconvenes on Tuesday following the King’s Birthday public holiday in Victoria. Closing addresses and legal instructions to the jury will follow.
