43 h. ago Admitted lies, emojis and a dehydrator: Erin Patterson spars with prosecutor as fatal mushroom lunch deconstructed

Murder accused cross-examined in Victorian supreme court trial over beef wellington lunch that left three in-laws deadWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?There were times in Erin Patterson’s fourth day in the witness box where it seemed as if her lies she has admitted in her testimony, like the mushrooms she prepared for the beef wellington, were being cooked down as much as possible.Had she pretended to have cancer at the fateful lunch or had she not? What, exactly, were the reasons for her repeated lies to Gail Patterson about a lump in her elbow? How about the lies she told to police? Continue reading...

Events

59 h. ago Mushroom trial mother accused of poisoning her in laws dumped a kitchen item used to make death cap lunch, court hears

Erin Patterson, 50, said she disposed of the food dehydrator at a local tip because she feared she would be blamed for making her relatives ill and her children would be taken from her.

Events

3 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson tells court she felt ‘scared, responsible’ after husband asked if she poisoned his parents using dehydrator

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal 2023 beef wellington lunch. Follow liveErin Patterson explains health lies, food issues and how she made mushroom lunch as murder trial continuesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson says it was ‘a possibility’ foraged mushrooms were in containerMandy turns to preparations for the meal.I cooked that for a very long time.You’ve got to get almost all of the water out so it won’t turn your pastry soggy.I decided to put in the dried mushrooms which I bought from the grocer which I still had in the pantry. Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago After weeks of silence, Erin Patterson begins to tell her side of the story to deadly mushroom lunch trial

Accused triple murderer gives emotional testimony as she faces questions on beef wellington lunch that killed threeErin Patterson accepts beef wellington served at fatal lunch contained death cap mushrooms, triple murder trial hearsErin Patterson had been in the witness box for 142 minutes, a window to her right showing the rain falling outside in regional Victoria, when her barrister Colin Mandy SC said: “I’m going to ask you some questions now about mushrooms”.Patterson had already spoken to the court about her children and her family, her hefty inheritances, her relationship with her estranged husband, Simon, and their slow and gradual decoupling, in her evidence on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Erin Patterson tells triple murder trial she discovered wild mushroom foraging during Covid lockdowns

Australian woman accused of fatally poisoning relatives describes learning to identify wild mushrooms during the pandemic and says she found them ‘more interesting’ than store-bought kind

Events

4 d. ago Erin Patterson talks about family rift at fatal mushroom lunch trial

Accused, 50, describes fractured family dynamic and struggles with low self-esteem in court testimony

Events

8 d. ago Erin Patterson given voice as interview with police fills in some blanks: week five in court

As much as any moment, the video shown to the Victorian supreme court helped give the murder accused shape after weeks of silenceWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson watched herself on a screen, her voice filling court room four of the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell.She had done little but stand up and sit down, and watch on silently, throughout the first 20 days of her triple murder trial, as more than 50 witnesses catalogued their own role in her story.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Lead detective denies police errors in mushroom lunch investigation as Erin Patterson trial continues

Defence argues photos taken by police inside Patterson’s home appear to show computers and a phone that were not seized during searchWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?The detective in charge of the investigation into the deadly beef wellington lunch served by Erin Patterson has denied police made several errors in the case, including failing to seize electronic items during a search of her house and wrongly identifying her son on CCTV footage, a court has heard.Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to poisoning her four lunch guests – relatives of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson – with a beef wellington served at her house in Leongatha, Victoria on 29 July 2023. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago What police found on Erin Patterson’s computer and text messages with mother

Detective also tells mushroom lunch trial that phone records indicate a sim card was switched while police searched murder accused’s homeWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Electronic records taken from a computer seized by police from Erin Patterson’s house indicated that it had been used to visit webpages listing sightings of death cap mushrooms, a Victorian court has heard.The court also heard on Wednesday that Patterson sent multiple text messages to her mother-in-law, Gail Patterson, about health issues and medical appointments that police found no record of having ever occurred. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Erin Patterson's shopping list before deadly mushroom lunch is revealed

Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial here.

Events

1 week ago Protester accosts judge as Erin Patterson trial hears how officials tried to find source of deadly mushrooms

Health department witness tells Victorian supreme court of efforts to glean information from Patterson in days after fatal mushroom lunchWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastErin Patterson spent days after the beef wellington lunch speaking with a department of health official in detail about sourcing the mushrooms for the meal from an Asian grocer and Woolworths, a Victorian court has heard.Day 19 of Patterson’s trial at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell was also interrupted by a protester, who shouted accusations at Justice Christopher Beale before being escorted out of the room by police.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago A life saved and what Erin Patterson allegedly confided to friends: week four of the mushroom lunch trial

Sole surviving lunch guest watches on as Victorian supreme court hears how hospital staff ‘thought he was going to die’ from death cap mushroom poisoningWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Ian Wilkinson sat in the Victorian supreme court, only metres from the woman accused of trying to murder him, as one of the men who helped save his life gave evidence.Prof Stephen Warrillow, the director of intensive care at Austin Health, had already spoken about the deaths of three people from death cap mushroom poisoning and the particular characteristics of their illnesses; “rapidly progressive deterioration”, the organ failure and of it being “non-survivable”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Sick of this’: Erin Patterson told friends she wanted ‘nothing to do’ with in

Victorian supreme court shown Facebook messages in which murder accused vents frustration at estranged husband’s parents Who are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson told a Facebook group chat “this family I swear to fucking god” and said she wanted “nothing to do” with her parents-in-law, according to messages shown in a Victorian court.Messages written by the user Erin Erin Erin, which the court has previously heard was one of three Facebook names used by Patterson, also included saying she was ““sick of this shit” and “fuck em” about the parents of her estranged husband Simon. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Mushroom lunch leftovers examined and a juror removed: how week three of the Erin Patterson murder trial unfolded

Australian jury asked to consider if murder accused was pretending to be sick after lunch that killed three in-lawsWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?The mushroom paste was contained in a vial about 2cm wide and 5cm high, with the exhibit name EX X1 Z13.The paste was taken from inside a beef wellington, which in turn was taken from inside a paper bag found in a wheelie bin outside Erin Patterson’s home. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Distinguishing between edible and poisonous fungi is difficult, mushroom expert tells Erin Patterson trial

Victorian court hears from mycologist who identified death cap mushrooms growing near Patterson’s home in GippslandKey figures in the mushroom lunch trialAn internationally renowned mushroom expert who discovered death caps near Erin Patterson’s home has started giving his evidence in her triple murder trial.Dr Thomas May, a mycologist or scientist specialising in fungi, appeared in Patterson’s trial on Tuesday.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Mushroom expert who discovered death caps near Erin Patterson’s home gives evidence in triple murder trial

Victorian court hears from mycologist who posted photos and GPS coordinates of death cap mushrooms on ‘citizen science’ websiteKey figures in the mushroom murders trialAn internationally renowned mushroom expert who discovered death caps near Erin Patterson’s home has started his evidence in her triple murder trial.Dr Thomas May, a mycologist or scientist specialising in fungi, appeared in Patterson’s trial on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Events

last month Australia mushroom murders trial: Erin Patterson’s daughter describes eating ‘leftovers’ of fatal lunch in police video

Court also hears from nurse who says triple murder accused told Leongatha hospital staff ‘I don’t want any of this’ in relation to treatment for suspected poisoningWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson’s daughter told police she ate leftovers of the deadly mushroom meal with her mother and brother for dinner the day after the meal, a court has heard.A video of Patterson’s daughter’s evidence was played on Thursday during her mother’s triple murder trial. Continue reading...

Events

last month Erin Patterson trial live: deceased mushroom lunch guests Don and Gail Patterson were ‘fantastic’ in

Patterson has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesErin Patterson ‘didn’t look unwell’ like other mushroom lunch attendees, hospital nurse tells murder trialWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson’s lawyer Colin Mandy cross-examining Kylie AshtonMandy asks about the previous evidence from medical witnesses that Erin was present at the hospital for five minutes before she discharged herself.I said these could be symptoms of illness and we needed to do further investigation to ensure she was safe. Continue reading...

Politics

last month Erin Patterson trial live: nurse says mushroom cook did not ‘look unwell’ but lunch guest ‘couldn’t lift his head’ from hospital pillow

Patterson has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson’s lawyer Colin Mandy cross-examining Kylie AshtonMandy asks about the previous evidence from medical witnesses that Erin was present at the hospital for five minutes before she discharged herself.I said these could be symptoms of illness and we needed to do further investigation to ensure she was safe. Continue reading...

Society