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

[Neet_Mc]

I am wondering about all of her fatigue, breathing problems etc. it sounds like her GP is ordering what she requests and in Australia an Echo comes as part of a a cardiology review so would have ruled out a heart condition.

The defence seems to be arguing that she was affected by death cap mushrooms but escaped severe symptoms, maybe because she didn’t have co-morbid symptoms like Don. But - she wasn’t at all healthy was she? Severely fatigued, huffing and puffing with day-to-day activities

Personally I don’t think she could lie straight in bed. So many lies. I actually think alot of EPs interactions with people, medical professionals annd FBook friends included, is just to test boundaries on how easily she can convince them lies about whatever she is purporting. And her default reaction when her lies aren’t bought, is turning nasty and vindictive (ie as she did in her response to SP when he declined the lunch invite). Every interaction being some kind of manipulative mind game.

 

[MrJ]

Personally I don’t think she could lie straight in bed. So many lies. I actually think alot of EPs interactions with people, medical professionals annd FBook friends included, is just to test boundaries on how easily she can convince them lies about whatever she is purporting. And her default reaction when her lies aren’t bought, is turning nasty and vindictive (ie as she did in her response to SP when he declined the lunch invite). Every interaction being some kind of manipulative mind game.

It’s all reminiscent of some kind of narcissism. Very me, me, me, I’m infallible and know better than you, so don’t challenge me or you’re on my bad side. JMO

 

[Neet_Mc]

It’s all reminiscent of some kind of narcissism. Very me, me, me, I’m infallible and know better than you, so don’t challenge me or you’re on my bad side. JMO

100% but I’m no psychologist, so possibly an even more fitting psychological diagnosis exists. But the shiftiness and audacity to be switching SIM cards under nose of police smacks of her grandiosity

 

[Scuffy35]

This doesn't make sense. Phone A (The Samsung Galaxy A23) was never found. The Phone B (Nokia) was the one which Erin surrendered to police on August 5, which was remotely reset whilst in police custody, I thought...

Phone B was not the Nokia. There were up to four (maybe five) phones that have been talked about in the trial (one of the recent ABC podcasts went through the list of the phones). The Nokia phone has always been referred to as only the "Nokia" phone.

There was a news.com article that reported that there were two Samsung A23 phones, and these where the "A" and "B" phones:

"He told the court that when Ms Patterson’s home was searched six days after the lunch, on August 5, 2023, she handed over a Samsung Galaxy A23 with the SIM of 835. "

Constable Eppingstall told the jury the records identified the SIM was used in a second Samsung Galaxy A23 with a different unique identifier, or IMIE, from February 2023.

The jury was told police conducted a second search warrant at Ms Patterson’s Leongatha home on November 2, 2023, looking for Phone A, the Samsung Galaxy A23.

www.news.com.au

 

[MrJ]

Yeah no-one is here knows her at all so I say reminiscent because while it certainly seems an element of narcissism there may well not be. But I do believe there is definitely self-centredness there and manipulation. I mean she admitted to lying, which is just wrong and quite sad since all the guests seem by all accounts to be kind-hearted. I really don’t think that she considered anyone except herself in all of this. IMO

 

[Baby baby Jane]

The A23 is the cheaper/cheapest Galaxy phone and can get dual SIM version.
A person looking buy several cheap phones and use multiple SIM cards, this phone would be one to choose.

 

[Scuffy35]

Who was it that said that Erin Patterson had books about mushrooms/fungi on her bookshelf?

Deadly mushroom chef ‘very good at foraging’ for wild fungi

The cook behind the poisonous lunch that killed three of her relatives was an experienced fungi forager, a friend of the family says, as the mum-of-two hit back at being ‘painted as an evil witch’.

www.perthnow.com.au

I posted that it was from a "friend".

Just like the "friend of the family" the prosecution never subpoenaed them as a witness.

So either the stories were not true, or the prosecution missed an opportunity.

S

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

May 18, 2025

That's a great point Cartie. Do we know when she made the mushroom brownies? Potentially before the dehydrator purchase. Regardless, you could argue that she was experimenting with mushroom powder, what it tastes like it recipes without mushroom, whether it was detectable in any way. With regular, edible mushrooms of course because she wouldn't want her kids sick.


If she did not have a dehydrator until April 28th, yet was still able to dehydrate mushrooms, then one could say that there was a reason why she chose to buy one then. Right after having visited a location known to have...

• Scuffy35

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[SouthAussie]

I posted that it was from a "friend".

Just like the "friend of the family" the prosecution never subpoenaed them as a witness.

So either the stories were not true, or the prosecution missed an opportunity.

S

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

May 18, 2025

That's a great point Cartie. Do we know when she made the mushroom brownies? Potentially before the dehydrator purchase. Regardless, you could argue that she was experimenting with mushroom powder, what it tastes like it recipes without mushroom, whether it was detectable in any way. With regular, edible mushrooms of course because she wouldn't want her kids sick.


If she did not have a dehydrator until April 28th, yet was still able to dehydrate mushrooms, then one could say that there was a reason why she chose to buy one then. Right after having visited a location known to have...

• Scuffy35

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I think some witnesses and their testimony were probably cut on the day that they delayed court to try to go through things and shorten the length of the trial a bit.

imo


Erin Patterson’s triple-murder trial is expected to return to court after jurors were given a day off for “things happening behind the scenes”.

“I’ve just been having a discussion with counsel about the way the case is progressing and the way that we can save some time and we can best achieve that by not sitting on Monday,” he said.

“There are things happening behind the scenes to try and condense the material that will be presented to you and if Monday is devoted to that rather than you sitting here in court listening to some evidence, I expect the case will conclude earlier.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-to-resume-after-day-off-for-things-happening-behind-the-scenes/news-story/4ba33be914d3a93af41a695f58b521ae

 

[Scuffy35]

I think some witnesses and their testimony were probably cut on the day that they delayed court to try to go through things and shorten the length of the trial a bit.

imo

...

If that is true, I think that is a terrible error by the prosecution.

So far there has been no evidence to support the knowledge of mushrooms and her experience in foraging. It would go to disproving the main defence that it was just a terrible mistake.

This could make all the difference in convincing the Jury for a murder conviction.

Why would the prosecution be keen to condense and shorten the trial anyway.? A better way would be to not have so many late starts, early finishes and days or afternoons off.

 

[Kemug]

It seems strange that she would leave it this much to chance though. I would have thought that she would ensure that she herself got the coloured plate and not make it look suspicious. The only real way to do that would be to hand each guest their plate individually.

If she alternatively took her coloured plate first and then allowed the guests to choose there's, this would look very rude.

Possibly hers was slightly different from the rest, ie definitely smaller, peas instead of beans, and if necessary she could have said something like "Oh no, that one's for me, there's no butter in the mash, I'm trying to lose a kilo or two". Something of that sort.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

I don't think any of the above info proves that EP was telling the truth about having 'Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer' diagnosis.


I can see why she may have had fears about it, if it was prominent in her family. But that doesn't excuse calling a lunch meeting to announce her diagnosis and get help concerning telling the children, etc. IMO

Depends if she herself truly believed it, as in it formed a sort of delusion she was convinced by even if there were scant or zero evidence.

Were that the case, perhaps a murderous scheme was a form of bowing out action? If she believed her days were numbered and she had little to no future, a final act to express her rage and disappointment. Just an idea. JMO MOO

 

[SouthAussie]

Why would the prosecution be keen to condense and shorten the trial anyway.? A better way would be to not have so many late starts, early finishes and days or afternoons off.

Who knows? We don't know who wanted to shorten the trial or why. We don't know what the court calendar looks like. What other cases the judge, prosecution, and defence are involved with - what other trials are on their schedules.

But the judge clearly stated that they were trying to condense evidence.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Possibly hers was slightly different from the rest, ie definitely smaller, peas instead of beans, and if necessary she could have said something like "Oh no, that one's for me, there's no butter in the mash, I'm trying to lose a kilo or two". Something of that sort.

Indeed, the surviving victim may have been able to shed light on this but she could have said she's following a diet plan or weight watchers suchlike. JMO.

 

[Scuffy35]

Who knows? We don't know who wanted to shorten the trial or why. We don't know what the court calendar looks like. What other cases the judge, prosecution, and defence are involved with - what other trials are on their schedules.

But the judge clearly stated that they were trying to condense evidence.

I would guess the defence would be very much in favour of condensing the evidence.

 

[Kemug]

Indeed, the surviving victim may have been able to shed light on this but she could have said she's following a diet plan or weight watchers suchlike. JMO.

And Ian may not have noticed. That poor man, apart from the losses he has, it must be quite a burden to be the one expected to know and remember all the details!

 

[Kemug]

Those texts between Erin and Gail, when Gail asked how her "appointment" went - I think Gail was resented whatever she said. If she hadn't texted, Erin would have considered that she didn't care about her. But she did text, and Erin probably considered her "a nosy old cow", or similar.

 

[Kemug]

Erin's sister could no doubt shine a bright light on her personality. But we know nothing about her, they have possibly been estranged for years.

 

[Jake18]

If that is true, I think that is a terrible error by the prosecution.

So far there has been no evidence to support the knowledge of mushrooms and her experience in foraging. It would go to disproving the main defence that it was just a terrible mistake.

This could make all the difference in convincing the Jury for a murder conviction.

Why would the prosecution be keen to condense and shorten the trial anyway.? A better way would be to not have so many late starts, early finishes and days or afternoons off.

Dr Tom May’s testimony highlighted that foraging is very risky, even for experienced foragers. To the extent that he stated he previously felt that no one should forage, ever and eventually softened to the stance that people should undertake a sort of foraging apprenticeship, if they did forage.

It’s also hard for the prosecution to argue that EP was a frequent forager when Simon denied this.

The only point, IMO, that the defence has successfully made this far is that all foraging IS risky, and easy to get wrong.

Dr Tom may was a net positive for the prosecution though, in that he identified the mushrooms from the picture of EP’s dehydrator as death caps with “reasonable certainty” having previously correctly identified 10/10 of the “gotcha” pictures the defence showed him.

 

[Bats]

JMO

I believe the prosecution will be asking the jury to "infer" that the only reasonable explanation as to why Erin invited her guests to lunch, was to poison them, using the "cancer diagnosis" as a reason to get them all together, without the kids.

The defence on the other hand would say that since the cancer diagnosis WAS the reason for the invitation, it would be wrong to draw the inference that there could be no other reasonable explanation for the invitation but to poison them, regardless of the cancer diagnosis being a lie.

What a mind bender!

 

[dalsglen]

I cannot wait to hear about any texts between Simon and Erin following the hospitalisations of Don, Gail, Heather and Ian.

I chuckled at her putting her sim in the old Nokia. Must've thought the police were stupid.