The Global Fascination with Australia's 'Mushroom Murder' Trial

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Recently, the regional Victorian town of Morwell has gained global attention.

Patterson denies all charges, with her defense arguing that the poisoning was an unfortunate accident.

Throughout the eight-week trial, six seats in the small Latrobe Valley courtroom have been reserved for media, allocated through a daily ballot. Meanwhile, the public and true crime enthusiasts have queued each morning to watch from the gallery. It has been packed most days.

While most outlets focus on major trial developments, this case has been covered daily.

The trial has garnered widespread media attention both within Australia and internationally. Coverage spans from local papers to major outlets like Reuters, CNN, and the BBC, and includes podcasts offering daily updates and discussions on the jury’s evidence.

Local businesses have experienced increased traffic, notably seen in longer coffee lines, with some attributing this to the media’s presence.

As the trial nears its end, Justice Christopher Beale recently instructed jurors to disregard the “unprecedented” media focus when reaching their verdict.

The facts of the case

On 29 July 2023, Patterson served beef Wellingtons to her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, her mother-in-law’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, and Wilkinson’s husband, Ian.

The lunch meal at her home in Leongatha consisted of steak covered in mushroom paste, wrapped in pastry.

All four guests were taken to hospital the following day.

Heather Wilkinson and Gail Patterson both died on 4 August, and Don Patterson died on 5 August. Ian Wilkinson was the only guest who survived.

Erin Patterson, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, spent eight days giving evidence. Source: AAP / Anita Lester

Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in November 2023.

Patterson has maintained her innocence, asserting the incident was accidental and unintentional. The trial commenced this past April in Morwell under Justice Beale.

The prosecution’s case

Prosecutors allege Patterson deliberately sourced death cap mushrooms, blitzed them into a powder and concealed them in beef Wellingtons to poison her lunch guests, a jury has been told.

Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC accused Patterson of carrying out “four calculated deceptions” in her final address to the jury.

The first alleged deception was fabricating a cancer diagnosis so there would be a reason to have the four guests over for lunch, the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor argued that Patterson’s second alleged deceit involved the meal itself, specifically obtaining death cap mushrooms and hiding them in individual beef Wellingtons.

It was alleged by the prosecution that Patterson then bought a dehydrator and dehydrated those mushrooms, before blitzing them into a powder to use in the individually portioned beef Wellington.

The prosecutor told the jury Patterson chose to serve the beef Wellingtons as small individual parcels instead of the recipe-mandated log form so she could avoid eating the death cap mushrooms.

Patterson also served her own meal on a different coloured plate for the same reason, according to the prosecution’s case. Patterson denied using a different plate.

The prosecutor told the jury they should instead believe Ian Wilkinson, who gave evidence during the trial.

Rogers alleged Patterson also feigned illness after lunch, which she denied in court.

The defence’s case

Patterson gave evidence in court, claiming the lunch was a terrible accident and she did not intend to poison her guests.

She spent eight days in the witness box, including five days of cross-examination by Rogers.

Patterson admitted she lied during her police interview about foraging for mushrooms, owning a dehydrator, and using it to dehydrate food.

But she denied deliberately foraging for death cap mushrooms and knowing they were in the beef Wellingtons she served to her guests.

Three people exiting a building wearing professional legal attire.

Defence barrister Colin Mandy (left) has argued Patterson did not have a motive to kill members of her estranged husband’s family and never planned to serve them death cap mushrooms. Source: AAP / James Ross

When asked by defence barrister Colin Mandy SC if she had ever “intentionally picked death cap mushrooms”, Patterson said “no”.

She denied intentionally including them in the beef Wellingtons.

During his closing submissions, Mandy argued Patterson did not have a motive to kill members of her estranged husband’s family and never planned to serve them death cap mushrooms.

He criticised the prosecutor’s claims there was animosity between Patterson, her estranged husband Simon and her in-laws Don and Gail in the lead-up to the lunch.

Patterson’s barrister argued jurors should not find her guilty of three murders because she told some lies, while also criticising the prosecution’s “absurd” theories.

“She’s not on trial for lying,” Mandy said.

“This is not a court of moral judgement.”

What happens now?

The jurors tasked with deciding Patterson’s fate will begin deliberations next week.

Beale is continuing to sum up evidence in the case and give the jury their final directions, known as the charge.

On Tuesday, he said they must decide on a verdict based “solely on the evidence” and urged members to resist feelings of bias or sympathy for the family of the victims.

He also urged jurors not to be prejudiced against Patterson after she had admitted telling lies and concealing evidence.

“The prosecution alleges the accused knew she was guilty of the offences for which she’s charged and engaged in the relevant conduct in an endeavour to conceal her guilt,” he said on Wednesday.

“The defence, on the other hand, argues that there are other reasonable innocent explanations for the alleged conduct relied on by the prosecution.”

A court sign with flowers in the foreground.

The trial at Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell began in late April. Source: AAP / James Ross

Beale asked the jury not to pay attention to the “unprecedented media attention” the trial had received as they come to their decision.

“No one in the media, in the public, in your workplace or in your homes has sat in that jury box throughout the trial,” he said.

“You and you alone are the ones who must decide whether the prosecution has proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Beale told jurors on Thursday that he would complete his charge before lunch on Monday. The 14 jurors will then be balloted down to 12, who will be sent away to decide whether Patterson is guilty or not guilty.

— With reporting from the Australian Associated Press and Reuters.