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

[MsMarple]

3m ago

There's some debate over a question​

By Joseph Dunstan​

The police informant's evidence is briefly interrupted with an objection from the defence to a question from the prosecution.

The jury leaves the room while the matter is discussed.

 

[Lisa4]

Dbm

 

[Lisa4]

We're now taken to the RecipeTin Eats cookbook which was found on Erin's bench inside her home.

"It was a general discussion, but the beef Wellington came up, she explained to me that she'd used the RecipeTin Eats cookbook that was in the kitchen," LSC Eppingstall says.

Did she also explain to him that she had made individual ones? I so want to know this.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Grey plates weren't seen in police video​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

The jury returns and Ms Warren continues her questioning.

She's asking the informant about a video taken during the search of Erin's Leongatha home on August 5th, 2023.

We hear that the video shows the entire house, including the kitchen before it descends into more detail, taking a look at each of the cupboards, the pantry and inside the dishwasher.

"In the video that you viewed did you observe any plates that match the four grey plates that match the evidence that Ian Wilkinson gave in his evidence?" Ms Warren asks.

LSC Eppingstall replies no.

Ian had earlier given evidence that the four guests ate from grey plates while Erin ate from a different-coloured plate.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Jurors shown video of Erin being interviewed by police​

By Joseph Dunstan​

The court is then played a video of a police interview with Erin Patterson on August 5, at 4:41pm, after the search of her home.

Erin is wearing the same beige-coloured jumper she was wearing during the house search, sitting in a white-walled room with a desk.

The judge encourages jurors to look up at the video rather than a transcript of it they can access it on their tablets.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

1m ago

Grey plates weren't seen in police video​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

The jury returns and Ms Warren continues her questioning.

She's asking the informant about a video taken during the search of Erin's Leongatha home on August 5th, 2023.

We hear that the video shows the entire house, including the kitchen before it descends into more detail, taking a look at each of the cupboards, the pantry and inside the dishwasher.

"In the video that you viewed did you observe any plates that match the four grey plates that match the evidence that Ian Wilkinson gave in his evidence?" Ms Warren asks.

LSC Eppingstall replies no.

Ian had earlier given evidence that the four guests ate from grey plates while Erin ate from a different-coloured plate.

Where did you put those grey plates, Erin ??
She also forgot to wipe off her fingerprints and the deathcap mushrooms' resin in the dehydrator she tossed quickly away

 

[MsMarple]

Key Event
1m ago

Police discuss deaths with Erin in interview​

By Joseph Dunstan​

Erin gives her full name to the officer interviewing her, who explains to her that anything she says or does in the interview can be used in evidence against her.

She softly responds to indicate she has understood his instructions as he runs through other rights she holds at this stage in the investigation.

She gives the police officer her date of birth and confirms her Australian citizenship, before also giving contact details.

During the interview, Erin blinks and nods occasionally, but largely has a neutral expression on her face as the officer runs through a series of questions.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Police ask Erin why she wasn't as ill as guests​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

The officer interviewing Erin tells her they're trying to understand what made her guests so ill and why she wasn't that sick.

She acknowledges that she understands.

"I'm sure you understand too that I've never been in a situation like this before and I have been very, very helpful with the Health Department during the week because I wanted to help that side,' she replies.

"I do want to know what happened, so I've given them as much information as they've asked for."

 

[Shortfusepsb]

1m ago

Police ask Erin why she wasn't as ill as guests​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

The officer interviewing Erin tells her they're trying to understand what made her guests so ill and why she wasn't that sick.

She acknowledges that she understands.

"I'm sure you understand too that I've never been in a situation like this before and I have been very, very helpful with the Health Department during the week because I wanted to help that side,' she replies.

"I do want to know what happened, so I've given them as much information as they've asked for."

"...as much information as they've asked for." Yeah, gave them lies. Lies!

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Erin speaks about her in laws​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

Erin is asked why her estranged husband's family were invited for lunch.

"Because I've got no other family," she responds.

She goes on to say: "I like them a lot."

"They’ve always been good to me and I want to maintain those relationships," she says.

Earlier in the trial, we heard Erin Patterson told her Facebook friends that she was "so f***ing done with this family".

 

[MsMarple]

2m ago

Erin speaks about relationship with in laws​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

Erin tells the officer: "I think Simon hated that I had a relationship with his family."

She then goes on to say she loved his family a lot and they had always been good to her.

"They always said to me they'd support me with love and emotional support even though Simon and I were separated and I really appreciated that because both my parents are gone," she says in the video.

"They're the only family that I've got and the only grandparents that my children have and I want them to stay in my kids' life and that's really important to me."

 

[MsMarple]

Just now

A second phone in case the other needs repairs​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

She is asked about her time at the hospital with Dr Webster, she was told that they were expecting her.

After she attended hospital, Erin and the doctor had a conversation which she recalls to the officer.

"Then he said to me, I can't say the exact word, but he said something along the lines of 'We think they've eaten death cap mushrooms'," Erin says during the police interview.

"And I said 'What?' And he said 'Yeah that's what we think they've eaten'."

She says she told the hospital that there were leftovers she had thrown out and they could look for them.

The police interviewing her then turn to devices found at Erin's home.

She says she has an old, Nokia phone in case her regular phone needs to be sent off for repairs.

 

[MsMarple]

She’s got an answer for everything.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

We take a break​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

Defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC says he has a blood nose and the jurors are sent out for a quick break.

 

[sunspun]

Collateral Damage?

I can see that being the answer IF she hadn't specifically invited them to attend. Like if she had only invited Simon's parents but they showed up with the other 2 as well. Of course, this wouldn't ever happen and even if it did, the dish she had made wasn't one that would easily accommodate two unexpected additional guests. And even if she somehow could manage it, there would have been no reason why she would have served them poisoned food as well. So this is all moot, because for all practical purposes, it wouldn't happen. But I'm saying collateral damage might make sense to explain it if it did, but it doesn't make any sense at all when we know that she specifically invited them along with the Pattersons.

She didn't HAVE to invite them. I doubt she had any reason to think that the Pattersons would only come if the Wilkinsons did too. They were, AFAICS, a completely superfluous addition to the luncheon guest list. So I really wonder what was in her mind when she asked them. Seems like she must have had some real reason in her mind to include them. But she could even have invited them but not served them anything harmful! I'll probably never understand it.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Hmmm is it suspicious that I have always had a second phone for if my main one dies or needs repairs.

Sounds like commonsense to me.

 

[katydid23]

1m ago

Grey plates weren't seen in police video​

By Mikaela Ortolan​

The jury returns and Ms Warren continues her questioning.

She's asking the informant about a video taken during the search of Erin's Leongatha home on August 5th, 2023.

We hear that the video shows the entire house, including the kitchen before it descends into more detail, taking a look at each of the cupboards, the pantry and inside the dishwasher.

"In the video that you viewed did you observe any plates that match the four grey plates that match the evidence that Ian Wilkinson gave in his evidence?" Ms Warren asks.

LSC Eppingstall replies no.

Ian had earlier given evidence that the four guests ate from grey plates while Erin ate from a different-coloured plate.

Does anyone remember the earlier testimony about the plates being grey?

IIRC, both Ian and Simon testified about it. I think that Simon testified that Heather told him about the plates when they were driving to the hospital? Does anyone remember it like that?

And Ian also said he remembered 4 grey plates and one smaller brightly coloured one used by EP.

So this is interesting that no grey plates are visible in the video taken of the home that day.

Will people think the witnesses were mistaken or will they think that someone hid or threw out the grey plates?

 

[MsMarple]

3m ago

Police informant goes through various maps of key locations​

By Joseph Dunstan​

We return and LSC Eppingstall is taken to a map of Loch. The video of Erin's police interview has been stopped.

Visible on the map is an oval which appears to be to the east of the township.

LSC Eppingstall identifies it as a football oval.

Now we're zooming in on the locality of Outtrim, specifically a street where fungi expert Tom May had previously identified death cap mushrooms.

There's some laughter as the judge questions whether an exhibit titled "Whereis map of all locations" is a "good idea".

It's agreed to give it a more specific name.

 

[MsMarple]

3m ago

CCTV of a visit to subway shown to court​

By Joseph Dunstan​

"I did say these are in no particular order, so I'll just flag that again," prosecutor Jane Warren says, before we jump to a different point in time.

We're hearing about a visit to a Subway restaurant.

LSC Eppingstall says he was told by Simon Patterson that on the day of the lunch, Erin Patterson had stopped with her son for dinner after dropping a friend of his at his home.

We're now being shown CCTV footage from the Subway in Leongatha.

It's from July 29, at 7:22pm, the night after the lunch took place.

5m ago

Travel times between locations in Gippsland region​

By Joseph Dunstan​

The court is now being shown that map of part of Victoria's Gippsland region, with Loch, Outtrim, Korumburra and Leongatha circled in red.

LSC Eppingstall is asked if he calculated the typical travel times between each location and their distance to which he says yes.

It's confirmed that all locations are less than a 30-minute drive from Leongatha.



Now we're taken to a map titled "City of Monash", which includes Mount Waverley, Oakleigh and Clayton.

We hear about Erin's connection to the area, including owning a Mount Waverley property which has been referred to several times during the trial.

 

[katydid23]

I can see that being the answer IF she hadn't specifically invited them to attend. Like if she had only invited Simon's parents but they showed up with the other 2 as well. Of course, this wouldn't ever happen and even if it did, the dish she had made wasn't one that would easily accommodate two unexpected additional guests. And even if she somehow could manage it, there would have been no reason why she would have served them poisoned food as well. So this is all moot, because for all practical purposes, it wouldn't happen. But I'm saying collateral damage might make sense to explain it if it did, but it doesn't make any sense at all when we know that she specifically invited them along with the Pattersons.

She didn't HAVE to invite them. I doubt she had any reason to think that the Pattersons would only come if the Wilkinsons did too. They were, AFAICS, a completely superfluous addition to the luncheon guest list. So I really wonder what was in her mind when she asked them. Seems like she must have had some real reason in her mind to include them. But she could even have invited them but not served them anything harmful! I'll probably never understand it.

When I said 'collateral damage' I was thinking along the lines of her intentionally inviting 2 other people to make it seem less likely that she had any reason or motive to harm them. So they were 'collateral' as they were not the real target but they were included to try and muddy the waters?

Yet, by allegedly doing that, she brought the focus of the investigation right to her door immediately. If she has only invited her 2 in-laws, the doctors would have had several meals to investigate, instead of just hers. But because hers was the only meal the 4 of them had shared in last 48 hrs, they narrowed it down quickly.