Australian woman weighed fatal dose of mushrooms ahead of deadly lunch, prosecutors allege

Published on 05/06/2025 - 15:32 GMT+2

An Australian female accused of murdering 3 of her estranged husband's relatives weighed venomous mushrooms earlier serving a fatal lunch, prosecutors alleged connected Thursday.

In a execution proceedings that started almost six weeks ago, nan prosecution claims that 50-year-old mother-of-two Erin Patterson deliberately fed her visitors Beef Wellington that contained toxic fungi.

The repast took spot astatine her location successful nan agrarian municipality of Leongatha successful nan authorities of Victoria successful July 2023.

Don and Gail Patterson, her ex-partner's parents, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, each died from mushroom poisoning.

Wilkinson's husband, Ian, survived aft undergoing a liver transplant.

The defendant, who took to nan witnesser guidelines connected Monday, denied knowingly feeding her guests decease headdress mushrooms, arguing that nan 3 deaths were a tragic accident.

On her 4th time arsenic a witness, Patterson said photos of mushrooms connected scales that were recovered connected her telephone were apt taken astatine her home.

"I propose you were weighing these decease headdress mushrooms truthful that you could cipher nan weight required to cipher nan management of a fatal dose for 1 person," charismatic Nanette Rogers said successful court.

Patterson, who denied nan suggestion, told nan tribunal earlier this week that she thought she was adding dried mushrooms bought from an Asian supermarket to nan meal.

"Now I deliberation that location was a anticipation that location were foraged ones successful location arsenic well," she said, explaining that she had deviated from her chosen look to amended nan dish's "bland" flavour.

The mother-of-two has admitted to many times lying to constabulary astir foraging mushrooms and having a nutrient dehydrator.

Patterson confessed that she threw retired her nutrient dehydrator aft nan fatal lunch, saying she had done truthful "in nan discourse of reasoning that possibly mushrooms that I'd foraged aliases nan repast I'd prepared was responsible for making group sick."

The instrumentality was later recovered — pinch her fingerprints connected — from a section rubbish dump.

"It was this stupid knee-jerk guidance to excavation deeper and support lying," she told nan court. "I was conscionable scared, but I shouldn't person done it."

If convicted, she faces life successful situation for execution and 25 years for attempted murder.