Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #10 *Arrest*

[MsMarple]

So iNaturalist posts about death caps spotted in Outtrim on May 21 and Erin’s phone shows a visit to Outtrim the very next day.

IMO that’s damning evidence that she went there to forage death caps! JMO

 

[MsMarple]

2m ago06.43 BST

Mobile data shows Patterson’s device could have been in area where death caps reportedly sighted​

Sorell says using EBM [event-based monitoring] analysis helps to overcome the limitations of only looking at call charge records. He says:

These records now become somewhat more detailed and specific.

Sorell’s revised opinion, taking in the EBM analysis, suggests Patterson’s device could be in the Outtrim location between 11.24am to 11.49am on 22 May 2023, the court hears.

He says the data, which shows a “sequence of sole connections”, indicates the phone is “more likely to be relatively stationary” during this time period.

On day 10 of the trial, fungi expert Dr Thomas May told the jury that he submitted a post about some death cap mushrooms he had spotted to the iNaturalist website on 21 May 2023, which included the location of Outtrim.

 

[katydid23]

So iNaturalist posts about death caps spotted in Outtrim on May 21 and Erin’s phone shows a visit to Outtrim the very next day.

IMO that’s damning evidence that she went there to forage death caps! JMO

True, but now I am confused about something else---

IIRC, she allegedly bought the dehydrator on the same day she foraged, which was supposedly April 28, I believe? So did she forage twice?


ETA:

Erin Patterson ‘hiding’ dehydrated mushrooms ‘in everything’, court hears

The mother is accused of killing three people with poisonous death cap mushrooms.

7news.com.au

Rogers said on April 18, a local spotted a death cap mushroom in Loch (about a 24 minute drive away from Leongatha).

“On April 28, two and a half hours before she bought the dehydrator, the accused’s mobile service data from her phone suggests that she travelled to and remained in the Loch area before returning to Korumburra,” Rogers said.

Rogers said another sighting, by a myocologist, was posted on the iNaturalist website on at 2.50 pm on May 21, 2023.

 

[drsleuth]

Erin Patterson's phone linked with death cap mushroom location​

We're back from the break, and picking up on Dr Sorell's analysis of the phone records alleged to be from Erin Patterson's phone.

The prosecution shows maps from the website Whereis, showing an outline of the Outtrim postcode area.



The prosecution presents some more zoomed in maps, including one group of streets in the northern section of the Outtrim area.

The prosecution mentions Neilson Street in particular.



Dr Sorell cross-references the location on Neilson Street with the Outtrim base station.

The jury heard earlier in this trial that that was the area in which death cap mushrooms were spotted.

The second map shows the Outtrim mobile phone base station. While not a perfect comparison by any means, it appears to be very closeby.

So, according to this evidence, Ms Patterson’s phone has connected to a base station that appears very close to where these mushrooms were allegedly growing.

"It is possible there was a visit to Neilson St at that time," Dr Sorell says of Ms Patterson's movements on May 22, 2023.

Erin Patterson's phone recorded in areas near death caps, court hears — as it happened

More witnesses will give testimony at Erin Patterson's murder trial at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell. She accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Follow the trial in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Detechtive]

True, but now I am confused about something else---

IIRC, she allegedly bought the dehydrator on the same day she foraged, which was supposedly April 28, I believe? So did she forage twice?

Yes.

April 18 the first posting about Death Caps in Loch on the Inaturalist Website
April 28 Erin is in Lock (according to the opening) and she also buys the dehydrator this day.

May 21 The second Death Cap sighting logged on Inaturalist website in Outtrim
May 22 Erin is at Outtrim

 

[MsMarple]

True, but now I am confused about something else---

IIRC, she allegedly bought the dehydrator on the same day she foraged, which was supposedly April 28, I believe? So did she forage twice?

I think that’s exactly what happened. There was another sighting posted on iNaturalist on April 18 at a different location.

 

[Detechtive]

I think that’s exactly what happened. There was another sighting posted on iNaturalist on April 18 at a different location.

If they don't have digital evidence of her visiting the Inaturalist website, these can be put down to coincidences, IMO.

 

[MsMarple]

If they don't have digital evidence of her visiting the Inaturalist website, these can be put down to coincidences, IMO.

Even without evidence of her reading the iNaturalist site it’s still strong on the face of it. Especially if they show a visit to the site in Loch. That’s two coincidences connecting Erin to places where death caps were found. Of course the jury will have to decide what to make of it but IMO the dots will connect.

 

[drsleuth]

3m ago

Expert asked to track Erin Patterson's phone in Loch​

In much the same fashion as with Outtrim, Dr Sorell is asked to chart Erin Patterson's phone's movement in the Loch area.

Again, the various nearby base stations are pointed out on a map.

Erin Patterson's phone recorded in areas near death caps, court hears — as it happened

More witnesses will give testimony at Erin Patterson's murder trial at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell. She accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Follow the trial in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MsMarple]

4m ago15.57 AEST
Warren asks about 22 May where Sorell has mentioned the phone was possibly in the location of northern Outtrim.

She shows Sorell a screenshot of a “Whereis” map of the Outtrim area. Warren asks Sorell about the location of Neilson Street.

Sorell says it falls within the coverage of an antenna at the Outtrim base station.

He says it is “possible” there was a visit to Neilson Street during that time.

The jury previously heard that Neilson Street was the tagged location of a reported death cap mushroom sighting on the iNaturalist website on 21 May.

 

[drsleuth]

1m ago

Erin Patterson's phone connects near Loch on April 28​

Attention now shifts to a potential trip Ms Patterson made to Loch on April 28, 2023.

This is 10 days after our earlier witness from today, Christine McKenzie, said she spotted death caps in that area.

A chart on the screen shows Ms Patterson’s phone connected to the Korumburra base station at 8.59am before a new connection to a cell phone tower at Loch at 9.08am.

The device hooks in to a tower at Loch South, and returns to the Loch tower until about 10.02am.

But Dr Sorell qualifies, this is not a guarantee that the phone remained in the Loch township for that entire period.

Erin Patterson's phone recorded in areas near death caps, court hears — as it happened

More witnesses will give testimony at Erin Patterson's murder trial at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell. She accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Follow the trial in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

 

[drsleuth]

1m ago

Phone records show a second trip to Loch​

The court is shown another detailed chart — this is a possible return trip from Leongatha to Loch on May 22, 2023.

The records show Ms Patterson's phone connected consistently to a Loch South tower from about 9.18am to about 10.01am.

This points to the phone being in or close to the Loch township.

"It can't be moving very far," Dr Sorell says.

Erin Patterson's phone recorded in areas near death caps, court hears — as it happened

More witnesses will give testimony at Erin Patterson's murder trial at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell. She accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Follow the trial in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

 

[drsleuth]

Key Event
1m ago

Court is adjourned for the day​

That concludes today's proceedings. Dr Sorell will resume his testimony tomorrow.

Court is adjourned.

Erin Patterson's phone recorded in areas near death caps, court hears — as it happened

More witnesses will give testimony at Erin Patterson's murder trial at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell. She accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Follow the trial in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago02.17 EDT
Warren turns to question Sorell about phone records related to the location of Loch.

Sorell agrees he analysed Patterson’s call charge records to determine if they were consistent with Patterson’s phone passing through or visiting Loch. He also analysed the EBM records, the court hears.

Warren asks Sorell about the records on 28 April 2023. Earlier today, the jury heard evidence that retired pharmacist Christine McKenzie posted a reported death cap mushroom sighting in Loch on the iNaturalist website on 18 April 2023.

Sorell says the records are “consistent with the phone having “moved into the vicinity of the Loch postcode by 9.09am”.

“The next time we see that phone is at 10am,” he says.

Sorell says there is the “potential” for a visit to Loch “between 9.14am and some time short of 10am”.

But he says there is an absence of records in this time period. He says this means it does not definitively point to the phone being in and remaining in the Loch area during this time.

 

[Detechtive]

1m ago

Phone records show a second trip to Loch​

The court is shown another detailed chart — this is a possible return trip from Leongatha to Loch on May 22, 2023.

The records show Ms Patterson's phone connected consistently to a Loch South tower from about 9.18am to about 10.01am.

This points to the phone being in or close to the Loch township.

So she went to Loch again, prior to going to Outtrim. This makes it all the more damning, IMO. I think she had obviously found Deathcaps at Loch Prior. Perhaps none were there on 22nd, so she jumped back on Inaturalist website and saw the listing for Outtrim posted the day before, so then heads straight there. Yikes!

 

[MsMarple]

Wow. Remember how Ms McKenzie said she tried to destroy the death caps that she found because she knew dogs often were in the area?

I think what happened was multiple checks were necessary in order to gather a sufficient number of mushrooms. IOW checking back for new sprouts. JMO

 

[MsMarple]

4m ago07.21 BST
Sorell is asked about Patterson’s phone records for 22 May 2023.

He says records show Patterson’s mobile phone connected to a Loch south phone tower consistently on this day between 9.18am and 10.01am.

Sorell says this means it cannot be moving very far.

 

[Marg944]

Simon took photos of some toadstools for the community newsletter…. when his parents Don & Gail Patterson were the Editors….

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64ee9fbc5f35271034ee8f5e/t/64f9937844ac3c2e158fbba7/1694077844266/2016-06-winter.pdf

 

[Eloise]

Simon took photos of some toadstools for the community newsletter…. when his parents Don & Gail Patterson were the Editors….

View attachment 587026


View attachment 587025

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64ee9fbc5f35271034ee8f5e/t/64f9937844ac3c2e158fbba7/1694077844266/2016-06-winter.pdf

Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more


toadstool
/ˈtəʊdstuːl/


noun
noun: toadstool; plural noun: toadstools

1. the spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically in the form of a rounded cap on a stalk, especially one that is believed to be inedible or poisonous.
   

 

[drsleuth]

What we learned today​

Another week of the Erin Patterson murder trial is underway in Morwell.

Today, we saw two witnesses give their testimony in the triple-murder case.

Christine McKenzie, a poisons expert and fungi enthusiast gave her testimony regarding death cap mushrooms in the Outtrim area.

Telecommunications expert Matthew Sorell gave us a very detailed account of mobile phone networks, before sharing his analysis of a phone number linked to Erin Patterson.

Here's what we learned today:

1. 1.Fungi enthusiast Christine McKenzie detailed her posts on the iNaturalist website, where she told the court she had posted about a sighting of death cap mushrooms near Loch on April 18, 2023.
2. 2.Ms McKenzie says she picked all the mushrooms she could see to dispose of them, but was concerned they might grow back and be picked by foragers.
3. 3.Matthew Sorell was asked to analyse four years of phone records related to a number linked to Erin Patterson.
4. 4.Dr Sorell says the phone number was recorded connecting to Outtrim and Loch, close to the dates where death cap mushroom observations were recorded online.
5. 5.He told the court the phone may have made multiple trips to the areas, but was likely to be stationary in Outtrim for 25 minutes on May 22, a day after a death cap was observed in the area.

Erin Patterson's phone recorded in areas near death caps, court hears — as it happened

More witnesses will give testimony at Erin Patterson's murder trial at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell. She accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Follow the trial in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au