5 h. ago How a family’s beef wellington lunch ended with three dead and a mother on trial for murder

The key question in the Australian murder trial of Erin Patterson was how fatal death cap mushrooms got into the meal, Rachel Clun writes

Events

56 h. ago Beef wellington 'poisoner' accused of 14 'incriminating' actions as in

Prosecutors allege Erin Patterson, 66, deliberately served a beef wellington laced with deadly mushrooms to her in-laws - while her defence insists it was a tragic accident

Events

62 h. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson jury to begin deliberations after judge’s charge concludes on Monday

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal mushroom lunch in 2023. Follow liveBeale turns to Patterson’s evidence about the dried mushrooms.He says Patterson said she realised on 2 August 2023 that she may have put foraged mushrooms in a Tupperware container including store-bought mushrooms that she used in the beef wellington. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Update in case against influencer accused of poisoning her baby to gain online fame

The case of a social media influencer accused of poisoning her baby contains so many medical documents her solicitor had to hire specialist staff, a magistrate has heard.

Politics

5 d. ago Wild twist in case of influencer accused of poisoning baby daughter for likes

The unnamed social media star was alleged to have drugged her baby for the sake of garnering huge attention on social media in the hopes of making thousands from donations

Politics

7 d. ago Couple accused of plotting cyanide poisonings against two of man’s ex

One of the women targeted was hospitalized with cyanide poisoning, prosecutors say

Politics

7 d. ago Accidental foraging, reasonable doubt and ‘lies upon lies’: Erin Patterson jury hears week of closing submissions in triple

Jurors must find accused not guilty if ‘reasonable possibility’ mushroom poisoning was an accident, defence says, while prosecution points to ‘calculated deception’What the Erin Patterson jury heard in the eighth week of her triple-murder trialColin Mandy SC, Erin Patterson’s barrister in her triple-murder trial, was into the final minute of a closing submission that spanned three days when he started repeating one phrase, almost like a mantra, over and over.It was the last time the jury would hear from anyone in the case other than Justice Christopher Beale, a coda after the prosecution’s closing argument and evidence from more than 50 witnesses. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: ‘Absurd’ and ‘illogical’ propositions disputed as Erin Patterson’s defence concludes

Accused, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over a beef wellington lunch she served to in-lawsDefence turns to argument about children being testedMandy turns to the prosecution’s argument about Patterson’s reluctance to have her children medically tested. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: ‘Absurd’ and ‘illogical’ propositions refuted as Erin Patterson’s defence concludes

Accused, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over a beef wellington lunch she served to in-lawsDefence turns to argument about children being testedMandy turns to the prosecution’s argument about Patterson’s reluctance to have her children medically tested. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson would have dumped or reset main phone if she had planned ‘cold, calculated murders’

Accused, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over a beef wellington lunch she served to in-lawsDefence turns to argument about children being testedMandy turns to the prosecution’s argument about Patterson’s reluctance to have her children medically tested. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: defence set to conclude closing address in murder trial of Erin Patterson

Accused, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over a beef wellington lunch she served to in-lawsMandy says the prosecution argued Patterson’s phone records showed she did not simply go home and then return to the hospital after she discharged herself.Prosecution said the records were consistent with Paterson travelling south-west of Leongatha. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Cookbooks on their way out as the nation gets its recipes from TikTok

A glossy hard-back cookbook is deemed too extravagant and expensive by the youth of today who prefer TikTok - and lots of them have never heard of Beef Wellington

Society

1 week ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson intended to kill lunch guests and thought cancer lie ‘would die with them’, prosecution says

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder following a fatal beef wellington lunch in Leongatha in 2023. Follow liveTears, disagreements and dried mushrooms: how Erin Patterson responded over eight days in the witness boxWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRogers says Patterson chose the meal for the lunch and was responsible for selecting the ingredients.Rogers says the recipe from the RecipeTin Eats book, which Patterson told police she used for the beef wellington did not call for “multiple individual” pasties. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Nine key questions could decide beef Wellington 'poisoner' Erin Patterson's fate

Erin Patterson has been accused of intentionally poisoning several family members and her eight-day cross-examination in the murder trial has come to an end

Politics

2 w. ago The NINE questions that will decide the fate of the mum of two accused of murdering her in

Four elderly family members were joining her lunch. But within a week of this supposedly happy occasion, three of her guests were dead and the fourth in hospital, fighting for his life.

Events

2 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: evidence concludes in Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial after weeks of testimony from witnesses

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 liveWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastProsecutor Nanette Rogers SC turns to evidence about factory resets performed on the mobile referred to as “Phone B”. The court previously heard four resets – one in February 2023 and three in August 2023 – were performed on the phone that Erin Patterson provided to police during the search on 5 August 2023. Rogers says one of these resets were done when she was left alone to call a lawyer while police searched Patterson’s Leongatha home. Patterson rejects this and says she phoned a lawyer at 2pm. Rogers says Patterson performed the three factory resets after the lunch to “conceal” the contents on Phone B. Patterson rejects this. Rogers then turns to her final points in the cross-ex...

Events

2 w. ago ‘The perfect dish for them’: Erin Patterson explains why she included dried mushrooms in fatal lunch

Triple-murder accused also denies foraging death caps hours before buying food dehydrator as trial continuesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson has denied leading health officials on a “wild goose chase”, and that she foraged death cap mushrooms two hours before buying a food dehydrator, a Victorian court has heard.Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to poisoning four lunch guests with beef wellington served at her house in Leongatha, Victoria, on 29 July 2023. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Erin Patterson denies foraging death cap mushrooms hours before buying food dehydrator, murder trial hears

Murder accused also tells Victorian supreme court that she thought beef wellingtons were ‘the perfect dish’ for dried mushroomsWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson has denied leading health officials on a “wild goose chase”, and that she foraged death cap mushrooms two hours before buying a food dehydrator, a Victorian court has heard.Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to poisoning four lunch guests with beef wellington served at her house in Leongatha, Victoria, on 29 July 2023. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson denies foraging death caps two hours before buying dehydrator

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 live‘You knew how suspicious it would look’: Erin Patterson makes series of denials in tense cross-examinationErin Patterson questioned over what her children ate the day after fatal lunchProsecutor Nanette Rogers SC begins to ask Erin Patterson about evidence regarding what her children ate the day after the lunch. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson tells court she thought beef wellington recipe was ‘the perfect dish’ for dried mushrooms

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 live‘You knew how suspicious it would look’: Erin Patterson makes series of denials in tense cross-examinationErin Patterson questioned over what her children ate the day after fatal lunchProsecutor Nanette Rogers SC begins to ask Erin Patterson about evidence regarding what her children ate the day after the lunch. Continue reading...

Society