Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #11 *Arrest*

[MrJ]

I think it's to appeal to the jurors by mentioning things that most adults have experienced to some degree - oh, she's self conscious about her weight; she's struggled with self-esteem; she wanted to study to pursue a career!

Except... most people who go through these very same things don't allegedly murder three people in an (allegedly) deliberate poisoning method.

 

[mamamama9873]

I think it's to appeal to the jurors by mentioning things that most adults have experienced to some degree - oh, she's self conscious about her weight; she's struggled with self-esteem; she wanted to study to pursue a career!

Except... most people who go through these very same things don't allegedly murder three people in an (allegedly) deliberate poisoning method.

Yes totally done to make her more relatable and maybe even somewhat likeable.

Prior to her appearing on the stand, she appeared to be a wealthy heiress that didn’t work and had a lot of time on her hands - not something that many people could relate to.

 

[Detechtive]

BBM : I wonder if there is any evidence of this.

Had she tried other methods of weight loss??

Did she see her GP & get a referral to a bariatric surgeon?

Did she meet the criteria?

Gastric bypass surgery

Gastric bypass surgery helps you lose weight by changing how your stomach and small intestine absorb food. It is usually very effective.

www.healthdirect.gov.au

I’m not understanding why this has been mentioned at all?

 

[JLZ]

I’m not understanding why this has been mentioned at all?

It's showing she had a range of normal healthy plans to improve her life. She wasn't obsessing that the only way out of her misery was to murder some in-laws.

 

[JBowie]

So scrolling through this entire list of her detailed testimony---was any of it relevant to the alleged crimes?

Nope.

IMO it was designed to support the defence's position that the poisonings were all a terrible random accident and that her subsequent actions were entirely the result of her panicking.

 

[MrJ]

Nope.

IMO it was designed to support the defence's position that the poisonings were all a terrible random accident and that her subsequent actions were entirely the result of her panicking.

Next she'll say that the iNaturalist searches happened because her hands fell onto the keyboard, involuntarily typed in the website name, and before she knew it, they had a mind of their own and looked up death caps!

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Can’t the Prosecution butt in and say her life history is all but irrelevant to this case. It’s not an episode of This Is Your Life.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

10m ago07.28 BST
Patterson says in April 2009 the couple set off on another road trip. She says Simon wanted to resume travelling.

She says:



She says they met Simon’s brother, Michael, and his partner, Tanya, in Broome before heading along the Gibb River Road.

She says the couple arrived in Townsville in November 2009.

Mandy asks how Patterson was feeling at this point.

She says it became “a lot harder” travelling with their young son. She says:



Patterson then flew back to Perth. Simon flew back five to seven days later, the court hears.

Patterson says the couple lived separately for two to three months. She says:



Patterson rented a “little cottage” for her and their son in Perth while Simon stayed in a caravan park, she says.

6m ago07.32 BST

Patterson: ‘We just couldn’t communicate well’​

Mandy turns to the couple’s separations between 2009 and 2015.

He asks about tension in the relationship between Patterson and Simon. She says:



Patterson says the tension in the relationship did not extend to arrangements for their son. She says:


They were adult problems. They’re not problems for a child.

6m ago07.32 BST
The court has adjourned.

The trial will resume from 10.30am tomorrow.

Erin Patterson murder trial day 24 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

BBM

ANOTHER conflicting story. Was it:

A) Erin FLEW back ALONE to WA & Simon DROVE back later with the BABY
B) Erin FLEW back with the BABY to WA & Simon DROVE back later ALONE
C) Erin FLEW back ALONE & Simon FLEW back later with the BABY
D) Erin FLEW back with the BABY & Simon FLEW back later ALONE

Or even:

E) The BABY FLEW back ALONE and left his parents for dead
OR
F) The BABY DROVE back ALONE and left his parents for dead

I think all the possible configurations have been exhausted. Short of proving one or both of them are lying or misremembering, I really don't see a huge amount of relevance. Are we going to go back to her childhood to ask how she felt her parents hated her, her jealousy of her sister blah, blah, blah, whatever it may be?

I think the defence is going the "poor Erin" route. To get the jury on side, to feel sorry for her sad life, and side with her. Melt their hearts towards her a little and hope for the best.

 

[JBowie]

I really don't see a huge amount of relevance

Here's the relevance for me:

For a mother to up and abandon a young baby like that, clear across the continent, speaks volumes about the sort of person she is.

To claim that she brought the baby back with her is the polar opposite of what Simon said. There can be no confusion. It's not the sort of episode that one simply misremembers. IMO she is flat out lying (yet again).

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I have to believe her defence team advised her against giving evidence.

It’s generally not a good idea to expose yourself to cross-examination, especially if you’re on trial for three murders

She's unreliable and untrustworthy.

A big Police No No is they don't like continued liars..!

She planned a quintuple murder. One survived, and the ex was supposed to be there.

But she should've spent a few more months planning, as she did a genuinely awful job of covering her tracks.

Popcorn time..!!! "If you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."

 

[SouthAussie]

The Age says that several members of the Wilkinson and Patterson families were there today - including Don Patterson's brother, Colin, and Ian Wilkinson.

I imagine they may be feeling a bit anxious, with the end of the trial drawing near.

And court artist Anita Lester drew the below sketch today.

imo

Court hears evidence from alleged mushroom cook: Erin Patterson trial day 24 as it happened

Erin Patterson, who is accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained death cap mushrooms, is giving evidence. Follow our live updates from the trial.

www.theage.com.au

 

[MrsAddick]

Here's the relevance for me:

For a mother to up and abandon a young baby like that, clear across the continent, speaks volumes about the sort of person she is.

To claim that she brought the baby back with her is the polar opposite of what Simon said. There can be no confusion. It's not the sort of episode that one simply misremembers. IMO she is flat out lying (yet again).

“For a mother to up and abandon a young baby like that, clear across the continent, speaks volumes about the sort of person she is”

…I don’t agree with this. It’s a simplistic Prima facie response.

Have you personally experienced the depths and impending doom of post-natal depression or even PND-psychosis? You can love you baby very much but your sleep-deprived, hormonally-dysfunctional brain distorts and messes with rational thought processes. It’s scary and not uncommon. Sadly, in the western world of nuclear families and limited support networks, women are often expected to do everything alone. Completely at odds with generations of community and family-supported care networks.

 

[MrsAddick]

I have to believe her defence team advised her against giving evidence.

It’s generally not a good idea to expose yourself to cross-examination, especially if you’re on trial for three murders

She's unreliable and untrustworthy.

A big Police No No is they don't like continued liars..!

She planned a quintuple murder. One survived, and the ex was supposed to be there.

But she should've spent a few more months planning, as she did a genuinely awful job of covering her tracks.

Popcorn time..!!! "If you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."


View attachment 590832

Yeah, there’s no way her defence wanted her on the witness stand. Her chopping and changing of stories is in no way believable. Terrible at covering her tracks.
It’s bizarre that she had so long to plan…but the whole cover up was so clumsy

 

[JBowie]

Have you personally experienced the depths and impending doom of post-natal depression or even PND-psychosis?

No, I have not. Regardless, even if she had, I don't believe for a minute that she could "misremember" leaving the baby with Simon 5,000 km from home and flying home alone.

If Simon had to drive back to Perth from North QLD nursing a young baby I'm very sure that he would have vivid memories of that trip.

 

[Old Soul]

Here's the relevance for me:

For a mother to up and abandon a young baby like that, clear across the continent, speaks volumes about the sort of person she is.

To claim that she brought the baby back with her is the polar opposite of what Simon said. There can be no confusion. It's not the sort of episode that one simply misremembers. IMO she is flat out lying (yet again).

I originally read it as a lie, as per my earlier post, but I now think it is a case of it being reported incorrectly by the ABC.

In The Age she is reported to have said,
“I flew back to Perth, and Simon followed with [the baby],”

Patterson said it took about a week for them to get back to Perth. She said she had rented a cottage for her and the baby to live in, while Simon stayed in a caravan nearby.

Court hears evidence from alleged mushroom cook: Erin Patterson trial day 24 as it happened

Erin Patterson, who is accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained death cap mushrooms, is giving evidence. Follow our live updates from the trial.

www.theage.com.au

I’m not sure what angle the defence are aiming at with all the camping trip details, maybe they want the jury to perceive Erin as a devoted wife tolerating Simon’s whims to go adventuring and camping all the time despite her own discomfort and the challenges of camping with an infant?

Clearly they are going to downplay any animosity toward Simon and his family because they don’t want the jury to think Erin had a motive to hurt anyone.

 

[Bats]

I have to believe her defence team advised her against giving evidence.

It’s generally not a good idea to expose yourself to cross-examination, especially if you’re on trial for three murders

My thoughts on this move by the defence is the exact opposite to this...

To me this is a sign of a defence team that is very confident their client will be acquitted of the charges.

 

[JBowie]

In The Age she is reported to have said,
“I flew back to Perth, and Simon followed with [the baby],”

Patterson said it took about a week for them to get back to Perth.

Still makes no sense: Flying back to Perth from QLD (say Cairns) takes around 8 hours, not a week.

 

[Bats]

Still makes no sense: Flying back to Perth from QLD (say Cairns) takes around 8 hours, not a week.

I think she flew back. Simon and baby returned in car about a week later

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Still makes no sense: Flying back to Perth from QLD (say Cairns) takes around 8 hours, not a week.

Maybe Simon stayed the duration of the planned trip? I mean, why leave a trip early to go back to a wife you're fighting with and an uncomfortable home life? Maybe he stayed, or maybe he meandered his way back as soon as she left (it could easily take a few days to drive back, especially with a baby in tow, even if you do a fair few km per day.) Or maybe he enjoyed the rest of the planned trip, and flew back after about a week?

 

[JBowie]

I think she flew back. Simon and baby returned in car about a week later

That's what I have been led to understand, too. The baby was around 4 months old at the time, so the feeding regime must have been difficult for Simon. In his shoes I'd be on a plane back to Perth quick smart.