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

[MsMarple]

Erin Patterson murder trial day 14 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

1m ago11.35 AEST
Prosecutor Sarah Lenthall turns to questioning about the website iNaturalist.

McKenzie says she has a profile on the website she describes as a “citizen science” website. She says her profile name is “ChrisMck” and has contributed about 70 posts to the website, mainly about fungi.

She says she has made two posts about sightings of death cap mushrooms. The first was in May 2022 in the gardens of the state parliament house under oak trees.

The second was in Loch in April 2023. Under questioning by Lenthall, McKenzie says she was in Loch on 18 April to visit her daughter:

We’d been for a walk ... my husband and I took our grandson and dog for a walk and we were on the oval sportsground at Loch, surrounded by oak trees. I observed some Amanita phalloides [death cap mushrooms] around the roots, or underneath the oak trees on the western side ... of the oval.

She said initially she spotted the death caps under a single oak tree and then noticed more under the surrounding oak trees.

McKenzie said she took photos of the mushrooms and then removed all of the death caps and placed them in a plastic bag.

Because of my training at the poisons centre, I’m very aware about the toxicity of the Amanita phalloides.

She says death caps are also toxic to dogs and she knew the area was a popular dog walking spot. She tells the court: “I was very keen to remove all the samples I could find of them.”

McKenzie says it was a “risk” that more could “pop up”.

 

[MsMarple]

So multiple experts posted on INaturalist about locations of death caps being found then on April 28 the accused’s phone data shows the phone at those locations. Then on the same day Erin purchased a Sunbeam dehydrator.

 

[Eloise]

Are there going to be any character references, people to attest to her nice nature, and how she couldn't possibly have done what she is accused of?

that's for sentencing, I believe

 

[MsMarple]

Photos of deadly mushrooms logged to public site​

By Judd Boaz​

Screenshots of the iNaturalist website, showing a page where Ms McKenzie logged the location of death cap mushrooms are shown to the court.

A pin on a map of Victoria on the page shows the location is in the town of Loch.

Ms Warren asks about the location in particular, and Ms McKenzie says the mushrooms were growing on the western side of an oval near a number of oak trees.

Earlier in the trial, we heard death caps grow at the base of trees in the oak tree family.

The defence is up to question Ms McKenzie now.

 

[MsMarple]

Erin Patterson murder trial day 14 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

2m ago11.44 AEST
Under questioning by Warren, McKenzie says it is possible to zoom into the dropped pin on the post to see the location of the site.

The jurors are shown a zoomed in screenshot, showing the dropped pin to the left of the oval in Loch.

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2m ago02.44 BST
The same evening, McKenzie posted them on iNaturalist, the court hears.

She says she had “location settings” turned on, meaning the uploaded photos included the location of where the photographs were taken.

The court is shown a screenshot of McKenzie’s iNaturalist post, including photos of the mushrooms.

It shows the posts of these mushrooms were observed on 18 April 2023 at 11.31am and posted at 1.39pm.

Under the post, McKenzie suggested it was a death cap mushroom.

Another user has also “suggested” it is a death cap mushroom.

The post also includes “observation” notes by McKenzie where she wrote: “About 2 metres from large oak trees on Loch recreation reserve” and “under tree canopy”.

 

[Detechtive]

So multiple experts posted on INaturalist about locations of death caps being found then on August 28 the accused’s phone data shows the phone at those locations. Then on the same day Erin purchased a Sunbeam dehydrator.

August 28? I think it was April?

 

[MsMarple]

Poisons expert worried mushrooms could be picked mistakenly​

By Judd Boaz​

The defence's Sophie Stafford asks about Ms McKenzie's fungi logging habits.

Ms McKenzie says she has a habit of being on the lookout for death cap mushrooms, and it was the first time she had seen them growing under those particular oak trees.

Ms Stafford suggests that Ms McKenzie removed the mushrooms because she was worried someone would mistake them for edible mushrooms, and Ms McKenzie agrees.

She says that when photographing them, she attempted to capture all the features that would show they were death cap mushrooms.

She tells the court that although concerned there was a risk they could grow back, she did not return to the site to check.

 

[MsMarple]

August 28? I think it was April?

Yes. Death caps spotted April 18, alleged trip to those locations and purchase of dehydrator on April 28.

 

[MsMarple]

August 28? I think it was April?

I corrected it. Thanks!

 

[MsMarple]

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

We're out for a break​

By Judd Boaz​

With that, Ms McKenzie's testimony is wrapped up and the jury heads out for a break.

Back with more soon from courtroom 4, with the ABC's Kristian Silva to bring us the latest.

5m ago

More mushroom posts by fungi enthusiast shown to court​

By Judd Boaz​

Ms Stafford shows other images to the court, featuring other observations made and posted to iNaturalist by Ms McKenzie.

They include the stubble rosegill mushroom and the buttery collybia mushroom, which the defence established earlier in the trial are not known to be toxic.

 

[Detechtive]

A break after 40 mins!

 

[MrJ]

It sure does seem like a lot of breaks but to be fair if I was on that jury I'd probably suffer from information overload.

 

[MsMarple]

now12.11 AEST
The prosecution has called their next witness, Dr Matthew Sorell.

Erin Patterson murder trial day 14 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

 

[MsMarple]

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

Ooh, here we go…

Digital forensic expert up next​

By Judd Boaz​

Dr Matthew Sorrell is the next witness called to the stand.

He is a digital forensic science expert, with particular expertise on mobile phones and mobile phone networks.

 

[MsMarple]

Key Event
Just now

The next witness is a telecommunications specialist​

By Kristian Silva​

Professor Matthew Sorrell has taken to the witness box, and explains that he works for a private company that specialises in digital forensic sciences.

Mobile phone data and analysis of telecommunication records is a specialty of his, he says.

Professor Sorrell has experience in the telecommunications industry overseas and in Australia, and also works at the University of Adelaide.

 

[MrJ]

1m ago

Prosecution case will focus on Telstra network​

By Kristian Silva​

Professor Sorrell says he’s regularly called on to consult for criminal cases, usually for the prosecution but also “without hesitation for defence.”

He’s now been involved in about 400 criminal cases, he says.

In this case, Professor Sorrell says his focus has been on Telstra mobile towers.

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]

From abc.net.au

Prosecution case will focus on Telstra network​

K
By Kristian Silva​

Professor Sorrell says he’s regularly called on to consult for criminal cases, usually for the prosecution but also “without hesitation for defence.”

He’s now been involved in about 400 criminal cases, he says.

In this case, Professor Sorrell says his focus has been on Telstra mobile towers.

 

[MsMarple]

Erin Patterson murder trial day 14 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

2m ago12.21 AEST
Sorell is the principal at Digital Forensics Sciences Australia, a company that provides consulting work on digital evidence.

He has worked on telecommunications in Australia and internationally, the court hears.

Sorell is currently a senior lecturer in telecommunications and digital forensic science at the University of Adelaide.

Sorell is commonly asked to give evidence about mobile phone network data in criminal matters, the court hears.

He says in this case his work focused on the location of mobile phones in relation to mobile network

 

[MrJ]

1m ago

Court to get crash course in mobile phone networks​

By Kristian Silva​

Professor Sorrell has prepared a report for the court on how mobile phone networks and records work.

He’s asked what a mobile phone network is by prosecutor Jane Warren.

In response, he enthusiastically says he’ll do his best to sum up a telecommunications degree in five minutes.

After the jury got a crash course in mushroom taxonomy last week, now they’re getting an education in how phones work.

Live: Erin Patterson's triple murder trial resumes in regional Victoria

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 ago

Prosecution case will focus on Telstra network​

​

By Kristian Silva​

Professor Sorrell says he’s regularly called on to consult for criminal cases, usually for the prosecution but also “without hesitation for defence.”

He’s now been involved in about 400 criminal cases, he says.

In this case, Professor Sorrell says his focus has been on Telstra mobile towers.

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

@MrJ can you post abc.net? If so I’ll do Guardian.