19 h. ago Deliberate poisoning or a tragic accident? The question at the heart of Australia’s mushroom murders trial

Jury hears of a collapsed marriage, cancer claim and mushroom foraging in week one of the trial of Erin PattersonWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?On the afternoon of 29 July 2023, five people sat down to lunch in the dining room of a house in Leongatha, a small town in the South Gippsland region of Australia’s south-east.Erin Patterson owned the house, and the guests were her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson; Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson; and Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband. Continue reading...

Events

25 h. ago Erin Patterson never checked on sick guests after fatal mushroom lunch at her house, estranged husband says

Simon Patterson tells trial the lack of inquiries ‘intrigued’ him

Events

26 h. ago The phone app playing an unlikely role in Australia’s mushroom murder trial

What exactly is iNaturalist? The 17-year-old citizen science project that has been referenced in an Australian murder trial

Events

27 h. ago Erin Patterson never checked on sick guests after fatal lunch at her house, estranged husband says

Simon Patterson tells trial the lack of inquiries ‘intrigued’ him

Events

29 h. ago Erin Patterson turned ‘extremely aggressive’ in dispute with estranged husband, mushroom murders trial hears

Simon Patterson tells Victorian court of ‘inflammatory messages’ his wife sent to his parents amid a financial disputeErin Patterson trial – live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson was “extremely aggressive” during a financial dispute with her estranged husband about their children, a Victorian court has heard, as more message exchanges between the former couple were revealed.Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha in South Gippsland in 2023. Continue reading...

Events

30 h. ago Erin Patterson's deadly mushroom murder trial told of the family row over a birthday party invite

Erin Patterson argued with her estranged husband about a late invite to his mother's birthday party in the months before she allegedly murdered her. 

Events

31 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live updates: mushroom cook had ‘tension’ with inlaws and struggled with mental illness, estranged husband says

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington 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?‘Important you’re all there’: Erin Patterson urged husband to reconsider skipping mushroom lunch, murder trial hearsJurors have been shown messages between Simon and Erin between 14-15 October 2022 exchanged on the app Signal.Simon says there was “a lot of tension” in his relationship with Erin at this point. He says her relationship with his parents was also tense.Hey are you coming to mum’s Birthday lunch.I’m not too sure how your dad could have been confused..... Seems that my invite tomorrow is a bit of an afterthought and not even from your parents so I might pass thanks...What I recon is everybody forgot to actually invite me to this thing and I feel very very hurt about that..I’m sorry for shouting at you this afte...

Society

32 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live updates: estranged husband Simon Patterson’s evidence continues in mushroom cook’s murder case

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington 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?‘Important you’re all there’: Erin Patterson urged husband to reconsider skipping mushroom lunch, murder trial hearsMandy questions Simon about a conversation he had with his father, Don, on 30 July when he was hospitalised after the mushroom lunch.Mandy says at this point Don had been “distressed, physically for a long period of time”. Continue reading...

Society

33 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live updates: estranged husband Simon Patterson’s evidence to continue in mushroom cook’s murder case

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington 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?‘Important you’re all there’: Erin Patterson urged husband to reconsider skipping mushroom lunch, murder trial hearsWe’re waiting to begin.Our reporter Nino Bucci was in the court room yesterday on day three of Erin Patterson’s murder trial, when her estranged husband Simon Patterson started his evidence. Continue reading...

Society

50 h. ago Erin Patterson trial: Estranged husband tells court he was ‘too uncomfortable’ to attend fatal mushroom lunch

Text messages between Simon and Erin Patterson read out in court suggests the accused found his decision not to attend ‘really disappointing’

Events

51 h. ago Mushroom trial LIVE updates: Estranged husband reveals why he feared Erin Patterson was 'using' him

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

Politics

54 h. ago Mushroom trial LIVE updates: Erin Patterson's texts to estranged husband Simon before deadly mushroom lunch shown in court

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

Events

55 h. ago Mushroom trial LIVE updates: Erin Patterson's estranged husband Simon reveals moment that blew up his relationship with the accused mushroom lunch killer as he tears up on the witness stand

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

Events

55 h. ago Australia’s mushroom murders trial: who are Erin Patterson and the other key figures?

As the trial over the deadly 2023 beef wellington lunch continues in the Victorian supreme court, here’s what you need to know about the people involvedErin Patterson trial – live updatesA fatal family lunch in regional Victoria is at the centre of a high-profile murder trial that is under way in the state’s supreme court.Erin Patterson is accused of murdering her estranged husband Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister and Simon’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson, by feeding them a meal of beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms in July 2023. Continue reading...

Events

57 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live updates: mushroom cook’s murder trial continues in Victoria’s supreme court

Victorian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in South Gippsland in 2023Hello and welcome to Guardian Australia’s live coverage of the Erin Patterson trial, which is expected to restart at 10.30am this morning.Patterson is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson by feeding them a beef wellington dish allegedly laced with death cap mushrooms in July 2023. The lunch took place in the regional Victorian town of Leongatha, in Australia’s south-east. Continue reading...

Events

62 h. ago Erin Patterson: New Mail podcast launches to hear case against Australian mother

The stage is set for a case that will dominate headlines in Australia, with crime correspondent Caroline Cheetham and reporter Wayne Flower set to share every courtroom revelation as it happens.

Politics

66 h. ago Mushroom murder trial: The bizarre case of a woman accused of killing her ex

Erin Patterson is on trial in Australia over the deaths of her estranged partner’s parents and aunt, Rachel Clun writes

Events

2 d. ago Poisonous mushrooms trial: Five key bombshells from Australia court you missed overnight

Erin Patterson, 50, is standing trial following the deaths of her former in-laws who were poisoned after they ate a beef wellington that she had prepared for them

Events

3 d. ago Erin Patterson trial: Woman who hosted deadly mushroom lunch used different coloured plate, jury told

Patterson, 50, is accused of murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives in a case that has gripped Australia

Events

3 d. ago Erin Patterson concocted cancer diagnosis to ensure children missed fatal mushroom lunch, murder trial hears

Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in South Gippsland in 2023Election 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaignGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastPolice have never recovered a phone used by Erin Patterson at the time of the deadly mushroom lunch, and another phone seized during their investigation was subject to a “remote factory reset” while they were searching her house, a Victorian court has heard.Patterson also told police she had never owned a food dehydrator nor dehydrated food, despite CCTV showing her dumping a dehydrator at a local tip, and forensic analysis later revealing it had her fingerprints, and contained traces of death cap mushrooms.Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Continue reading...

Events