Five Important Highlights from the Second Week of Erin Patterson's Trial

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A prominent murder trial concerning a lunch that resulted in three deaths continued this week.

Erin Patterson is charged with using death cap mushrooms in a meal served to her estranged husband’s family in July 2023 at her residence in the Victorian town of Leongatha.

She has entered a plea of not guilty.

Testimonies during the trial’s second week included accounts of Patterson’s fondness for mushrooms, a doctor’s alert to the police, and evidence from the meal’s sole surviving attendee.

Here are some key observations regarding the case thus far:

Online friends testify about Patterson’s love of mushrooms

On the first day of the trial, members of a true crime Facebook group that Patterson was part of gave evidence.

One member said Patterson had in 2023 shared photos of a black dehydrator with mushrooms inside.

“She was a bit excited that she’d purchased a food dehydrator,” Daniela Barkley said via video link.

Screenshots of Patterson’s messages to the group were also shown to the jury.

“I’ve been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything. Mixed into chocolate brownies yesterday, the kids had no idea,” she wrote in one post.

Jenny Hay, another online friend, said Patterson “seemed to really like mushrooms”.

Sole surviving guest recounts meal

On the second day of the trial, Ian Wilkinson, the sole surviving lunch guest, gave evidence,

Heather Wilkinson, his wife, was among the three individuals who succumbed to death cap mushroom poisoning in the hospital following the meal prepared by Patterson.

Wilkinson said Patterson rejected an offer from his wife and Gail Patterson — the mother of Patterson’s estranged husband — to help plate up the food.

He said four grey plates were taken to the table by Heather and Gail, with Patterson carrying her own “orange or tan” plate across.

Wilkinson told the jury that both he and Heather were unwell that night, believing they were suffering from gastro.

Doctor’s call to police played to jury

On Wednesday, medical practitioner Chris Webster recounted for the first time in court his initial encounters with Patterson at Leongatha Hospital and his call to the police regarding Patterson’s discharge.

He said he referred Patterson to a nurse and told her that she may have been exposed to “deadly death cap mushroom poisoning”, but within five minutes of arriving at the hospital, she discharged herself against medical advice.

He said that he told the hospital’s executives what had happened and then called triple zero.

The call was played to the jury.

Two men inspect an organic waste bin next to a woodchip-covered garden surrounded by trees.

Police visited Erin Patterson’s residence and contacted Dr. Chris Webster, who informed them that Patterson had returned to the hospital. Source: AAP / James Ross

Daughter’s interview with police played in the court

Patterson’s nine-year-old daughter’s call with police was played to the jury on Thursday.

She told police that the day after having the meal, Patterson began feeling unwell and used the bathroom 10 times over the course of the day.

“She just needed to go to the toilet a lot, and she felt sick in her gut,” she said.

Registered nurse Cindy Munro also told the court she assessed Patterson in the hospital. Patterson reported having nausea and diarrhoea, but the nurse said her appearance was different from the other lunch guests.

“She didn’t look unwell like Heather and Ian,” Munro told the court.

A gravestone with two names on it is seen with flowers in the foreground.

Heather Wilkinson and Gail Patterson died at the Austin Hospital on 4 August, followed by Don Patterson on 5 August. Source: AAP / James Ross

Patterson’s son talks about parents’ relationship

On Friday, Patterson’s 14-year-old son’s interview with police was heard by the court. He said that their relationship, in the months before the deadly beef Wellington lunch, was “very negative”.

He told the police that his mother moved houses around seven years prior to the deadly lunch after having a few arguments with his father, Simon Patterson, although the couple did not divorce.

“I know Dad does a lot of things to try and hurt Mum, like messing around with the school,” he said in his interview.

The jury was told Patterson served her children the leftover steak, potatoes and beans from the lunch for their dinner.

What’s next?

The trial’s third week in the regional town of Morwell will return on Tuesday, and it is expected to take weeks.

A jury of 15, made up of 10 men and five women from Victoria’s Gippsland region, has been selected for the case, and 12 of them will make the final decision by the end of the trial.

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