45 h. ago Foraged mushrooms, fatal doses and food binges: the week Erin Patterson told her story to triple murder trial

Accused told court the moment she realised she could be blamed for harming her in-laws came before they even diedAustralia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn Erin Patterson’s telling, the moment she realised she could be blamed for harming her in-laws came before they even died.According to evidence Patterson gave at her triple-murder trial this week, she was in a Monash hospital room alone with her estranged husband, Simon, after their two children had left to buy food from a vending machine, when he asked her: “Is that how you poisoned my parents, using that dehydrator?”Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

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49 h. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Patterson reveals messages she 'regrets' sending about lunch guests

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

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49 h. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson did not tell anyone about realisation foraged mushrooms may have been in lunch meal, court hears

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder after a fatal beef wellington lunch in Leongatha in 2023. Follow livePatterson denies telling ex-partner she had important medical news she wanted advice onRogers says Simon gave evidence that on 16 July 2023 – two weeks prior to the lunch – Patterson approached him after a church service and said she had some important medical news she wanted advice on and how to break it to the children. Continue reading...

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50 h. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Patterson is quizzed over single word she used to describe her husband

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

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51 h. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Murder accused to be grilled under cross

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

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61 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...

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2 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson ‘lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible’, court hears

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 live updatesPatterson is shown a photo of the dehydrator at the tip and asked if this is the one she owned.“I presume so,” Patterson says.This post was amended on 5 June 2025 to correct the location of the police search, which was at Patterson’s Leongatha home and not at Leongatha hospital as previously stated. Continue reading...

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2 d. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Erin Patterson is grilled under cross

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

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3 d. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Erin Patterson forced to respond to accusation she weighed death cap mushrooms to work out fatal dose ahead of beef Wellington lunch, court hears

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

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3 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson denies intentionally dehydrating death caps

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 live updatesPatterson is shown a photo of the dehydrator at the tip and asked if this is the one she owned.“I presume so,” Patterson says.This post was amended on 5 June 2025 to correct the location of the police search, which was at Patterson’s Leongatha home and not at Leongatha hospital as previously stated. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago ‘Is that how you poisoned my parents?’: Erin Patterson tells mushroom trial husband confronted her over dehydrator

Triple murder accused, who denies deliberately poisoning anyone, tells court she dumped dehydrator used to dry foraged mushrooms due to feeling ‘scared’ of child protection officers seeing itWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson has told a court her estranged husband asked her if she had used a dehydrator to poison his parents, and admitted resetting her phone out of fear police would discover photos she had of foraged mushrooms.In her third day in the witness box, Patterson also said she thinks there is a “possibility” that foraged mushrooms were unintentionally added to her beef wellington mixture as she tried to improve its “bland” flavour, and lied to her lunch guests about having cancer because she was embarrassed about planned weight loss surgery.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Erin Patterson details the day of the deadly beef Wellington lunch in her own words

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

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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...

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3 d. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Patterson reveals she threw up after eating several pieces of cake following the fatal beef Wellington lunch

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

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4 d. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Patterson tells of emergency highway toilet stop involving a doggy bag after eating her beef Wellington

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

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4 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson tells court ‘I shouldn’t have lied to’ lunch guests about having cancer

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 liveWho 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...

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4 d. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Patterson reveals how she decided on the 'special' meal ahead of the fatal lunch

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

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4 d. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Patterson denies foraging for death cap mushrooms as she takes the stand for a third straight day

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

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4 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson agrees text messages with mother

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 liveWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Mandy takes the jury to messages from June 2023 between Patterson and her mother-in-law Gail.In the messages, Gail asked Patterson about a medical appointment. Patterson later replied and said she had a needle biopsy conducted.I must have told them I was having a medical appointment that day.I think I just said I was having a problem or a lump on my arm checked out.Were those lies?Yes.The issue started to resolve and I felt a bit embarrassed I had made such a big deal about it. I didn’t want their care of me to stop so I just kept it going.I shouldn’t have done it.I became aware of death caps quite early in this period.I don’t specifically remember doing that day but it’s possible it was me.It’s possible that’s part of the process I went through to see if t...

Politics

4 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...

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