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

[Deleted member 363451]

The Front: Erin Patterson’s ‘ashamed’ tears​

 

[Bats]

Sounds like she's blaming the mystery Asian grocer and that she mixed up the ones she foraged with the ones she supposedly bought there.

Again, they're not blaming the Asian grocer.

So what is her defense of how the Death Caps made there way into the BW that she cooked and served?

That it was a tragic accident.

 

[MrJ]

Here we go!

Key Event
Just now
Questioning of Erin Patterson resumes

By Tim Callanan

Erin Patterson has returned to the witness stand to take questions from her defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC.

She is being shown some photographs found on an SD card in her possession.

Our reporter in court, Joseph Dunstan, tells us Erin is wearing a light grey coloured top, and has put her glasses on as she looks at the photos of the screen.

 

[drsleuth]

I'm probably unable to do the regular updates today , if someone wants to help out MrJ, that would be great.

I'll post the live links here

Erin Patterson says estranged husband asked her about poisoning his parents — as it happened

Erin Patterson is giving evidence for a third day in her triple-murder trial in Morwell. She's accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Look back at how Wednesday's hearing unfolded in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

Accused mushroom killer’s wild dehydrator admission

RECAP: Accused triple murdered Erin Patterson has described how she secretly disposed of a food dehydrator and kept information hidden from health authorities before changing phones.

thenightly.com.au

Erin Patterson murder trial day 26 as it happened: Mushroom cook says fear of estranged husband’s actions led to phone resets; details dumping food dehydrator at local tip after fatal lunch

Erin Patterson has told a court her estranged husband asked her if she had used a dehydrator to poison his parents, and admitted resetting her phone out of fear police would discover photos she had of foraged mushrooms.

www.theage.com.au

Erin Patterson trial day 26 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-trial-live-mushroom-cook-to-detail-her-account-of-the-lethal-lunch/live-coverage/08486560497a92e222bae6e486abb8d7

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-trial-live-mushroom-cook-to-detail-her-account-of-the-lethal-lunch/live-coverage/08486560497a92e222bae6e486abb8d7

 

[MrJ]

1m ago
Photos taken on a rail trail near Leongatha

By Joseph Dunstan

Mr Mandy zooms in on a row of several stills taken from a video taken on a device. Erin says the videos were filmed by her.

In the bottom-right, Erin identifies her two children on a path in parkland, on the rail trail in the Leongatha area.

Erin says another set of stills from a video show her daughter on a scooter on the path in a red top.

Erin describes another photo as mushrooms on some grass and leaf litter.

She tells the court she took the images we're being shown in early 2020. A timestamp on one of the images shown to the court suggests it was in April.

Erin says she couldn't be specific about the date, but it was during the first COVID lockdown.

 

[Bekind89]

Panic behavior is usually a sign of guilt- like fleeing a scene, not crying at a funeral...At minimum she feared being charged with manslaughter. But I think the alleged poisonings were intentional and she still held rage at Simon and his family.

For me and my opinion only, the fact that she didn't rush her kids to the hospital after learning that everyone at that lunch was hospitalized and in grave condition indicates her guilt more than anything else.
The parents here like myself would be almost hysterical, having a panic attack and I would probably have to be sedated until I learned that my children were not in danger.
I'm sorry, but if I were on that jury that would speak volumes to me . Jmo.

 

[MrJ]

1m ago
More discussion of mushroom images

By Joseph Dunstan

Erin says she recalls using a Samsung Galaxy A70 to film the videos.

One of the images shows several mushrooms sitting on an open newspaper.

Erin says the mushrooms are sitting on the kitchen bench in the home she was living at in 2020.

In the background of one of the photos of mushrooms, Erin identifies her daughter, who she says appears to be in the same red top she was wearing in the videos of her on a scooter in parkland.

Another photo is closely focused on mushrooms sitting on newspaper pages.

"I can't see enough of non-newspaper to know where that was taken," she says.

 

[Detechtive]

Some people would defined her as a 'polymath'.

Nothing wrong with lifelong learning in diverse areas unless she's costing others somehow or it causes a problem in and of itself.

If anything negative, it could be a symptom of a workaholic or an over-active compulsive mind that can't sit still and find ease and relaxation. We'd have to know more about her to know if that's the case.

It could be a pattern. That she enjoys studying, finds it rewarding, suits her personality and academic skills, takes up a new subject intensively, then after some time moves on to the next. Studying hard can be so firmly rewarded in childhood and young adulthood that it sits inside a comfort zone and helps a person feel worthy or of value. JMO

I think it’s more likely emotional disregulation.

She’s been
An accountant
Air traffic controller
Admin for Rapca
Business owner
Worked in bankruptcy at treasury
She’s studied; business, marketing, accounting, bachelor of education and now nursing and midwifery

It’s bizarre and turbulent, like her, imo

 

[southgoldengirl]

Again, they're not blaming the Asian grocer.


That it was a tragic accident.

But how did this "accident" occur?
How did the death caps end up in her meal?

 

[MsMarple]

I'm probably unable to do the regular updates today , if someone wants to help out MrJ, that would be great.

I'll post the live links here

Erin Patterson says estranged husband asked her about poisoning his parents — as it happened

Erin Patterson is giving evidence for a third day in her triple-murder trial in Morwell. She's accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Look back at how Wednesday's hearing unfolded in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

Accused mushroom killer’s wild dehydrator admission

RECAP: Accused triple murdered Erin Patterson has described how she secretly disposed of a food dehydrator and kept information hidden from health authorities before changing phones.

thenightly.com.au

Erin Patterson says estranged husband asked her about poisoning his parents — as it happened

Erin Patterson is giving evidence for a third day in her triple-murder trial in Morwell. She's accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a meal that contained poisonous mushrooms. Look back at how Wednesday's hearing unfolded in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

Erin Patterson trial day 26 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-trial-live-mushroom-cook-to-detail-her-account-of-the-lethal-lunch/live-coverage/08486560497a92e222bae6e486abb8d7

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-trial-live-mushroom-cook-to-detail-her-account-of-the-lethal-lunch/live-coverage/08486560497a92e222bae6e486abb8d7

2m ago20.50 EDT
Patterson has placed her glasses on as she looks at the photos on the screen in front of her in the witness box.

Mandy asks his client about the photo showing mushrooms on pages of newspapers.

“That was on the bench in my kitchen,” she says.

Patterson says it was taken at her home in Korumburra.

In another photo showing mushrooms laid on a newspaper, Patterson says the person in the background is her daughter.

A reminder that a suppression order prevents either of the Patterson children from being named.

4m ago20.48 EDT
Mandy takes Patterson to her prior evidence that from early 2020 she became interested in wild mushrooms.

He shows the court images from an SD card police seized from Patterson’s home in Leongatha.

Some images show mushrooms laid out on pages of a newspaper. Others are closeup shots of mushrooms in the wild.

Mandy asks Patterson if these are images she took.

“Yes, I did,” she says.

Patterson says she took these photos “early in 2020” during the first Covid lockdown.

The jury is also shown stills of videos. Two people are captured in some of the stills. Patterson says they are her children, as her voice begins to crack.

“We were on the rail trail. I believe that was coming out of the Leongatha trailhead,” Patterson says.

Erin Patterson trial day 26 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

 

[MrJ]

Key Event
Just now
Mushroom photos dating back to 2020 shown

By Joseph Dunstan

Erin says another photo was taken in the garden to try and identify what was growing at her home at the time.

Another photo shows what Erin describes as some mushrooms sitting on paper towel.

Erin says another photo shows a flooded paddock at the property, in roughly April-May, 2020.

She describes how a blocked pipe caused the paddock to "fill right up".

The discussion continues at quite a fast pace as Mr Mandy takes his client through the collection of photos, only pausing briefly to ask a question or two before continuing.

"I'm not sure where that photo would have been taken," Erin says of a photo of a mushroom piece sitting on the ground outside.

We go through several photos which Erin says show mushrooms sitting on her kitchen sink.

 

[Detechtive]

What's been implied by her testimony today, I think what they are trying to suggest is:

- she did a lot of foraging as a matter of course.

- she did a lot of dehydrating mushrooms as a matter of course.

- at some point she did pick mushrooms from near an oak tree and these were dehydrated and stored.

- she was in the habit of storing her wild dehydrated mushrooms in a tupperware box and then sprinkling them into things; that box (multiple boxes) would contain a mix of different dehydrated wild mushrooms gathered previously at a range of times.

- for the meal her intention was to use fresh mushrooms from woollies and dried mushrooms from an Asian store. And that this is also what she believed she had done.

- when she purchased the dried asian mushrooms they were smelly so she stored them in a tupperware.

- implication is that she used the fresh mushrooms from woollies as planned, went to grab the dried shop bought ones from the tupperware, confused it with one of her many other tupperwares full of dried mushrooms (or perhaps had stored them all together), inadvertently introduced death caps accidentally foraged at a previous date into the meal unbeknownst to her.

- she then vomits up her meal AND/OR as she is adding dried mushrooms randomly from multiple tuppers, she just happens not to get dosed.

Does it do enough of a job at introducing reasonable doubt? It actually does a pretty good job, imo. After that you are left with explaining her behaviour in the wake of the dinner, which is largely circumstantial actions or could be attributed to guilt.

Do i personally buy it? On balance, I don't. But it's good enough to give me pause, and that's all the defense needs.

It’s not plausible

You can’t vomit after eating deathcaps and not get ill. The toxins absorb very quickly into the body.

 

[MrJ]

omg

Key Event
1m ago
Erin says she was aware of death cap mushrooms in the area

By Joseph Dunstan

Erin says she remembers on the day she filmed her children on scooters on the rail trail, they were "pretty excited" about the outing.

Mr Mandy asks if at some stage, Erin became aware of poisonous mushrooms growing in Gippsland and she says she did.

"I found out that there were some mushrooms growing on my property that were probably toxic to dogs," she says.

"They're called inocybe."

Mr Mandy asks if she became aware of death cap mushrooms.

"I became aware of death cap mushrooms quite early through this period and I looked up to see if they grew in South Gippsland and I remember finding out that they didn't, essentially," she says.

 

[Shortfusepsb]

I think we will have at least two more days of this nonsense before the prosecutors get their shot at her. Her attorneys will not want the jury going into the weekend after she has to answer any of their questions.

If the defense thinks Erin can hold it together under pressure—calm, sympathetic, non-defensive—they might let cross start Friday, to prove she’s unshakable.

But if they fear she’ll come off as cold, inconsistent, or caught in contradictions, they’ll drag out direct examination and let the jury marinate in her emotional plea over the weekend.

Given how high-profile this is, and how carefully choreographed her testimony has been, I’d bet they’ll aim to finish direct examination Friday morning at the latest, giving just a short window for controlled cross to start—enough to tease conflict, but not so much that it dominates the jurors’ weekend thoughts.

 

[Detechtive]

Key Event
Just now
Mushroom photos dating back to 2020 shown

By Joseph Dunstan

Erin says another photo was taken in the garden to try and identify what was growing at her home at the time.

Another photo shows what Erin describes as some mushrooms sitting on paper towel.

Erin says another photo shows a flooded paddock at the property, in roughly April-May, 2020.

She describes how a blocked pipe caused the paddock to "fill right up".

The discussion continues at quite a fast pace as Mr Mandy takes his client through the collection of photos, only pausing briefly to ask a question or two before continuing.

"I'm not sure where that photo would have been taken," Erin says of a photo of a mushroom piece sitting on the ground outside.

We go through several photos which Erin says show mushrooms sitting on her kitchen sink.

This just makes me think she’s less likely to be innocent because she’s known about and been interested in mushrooms for a long time

 

[MrJ]

Oh God...
Key Event
Just now
Erin denies foraging for mushrooms in Loch and Outtrim

By Joseph Dunstan

Mr Mandy takes Erin to evidence of a web search for death cap mushrooms, which the court previously heard was made from a computer in her home.

"I don't specifically remember doing it that day, but it's possible it was me and possible that's part of the process I went to to see if they grew in South Gippsland," she says.

Mr Mandy notes there's been evidence in the case about records of her phone and its travel being consistent with travelling to Loch and Outtrim.

Erin denies ever foraging for mushrooms in Loch and Outtrim. She then denies ever seeing posts made by Christine McKenzie or Dr Tom May on iNaturalist, which reported death caps growing in the area.

 

[Detechtive]

If the defense thinks Erin can hold it together under pressure—calm, sympathetic, non-defensive—they might let cross start Friday, to prove she’s unshakable.

But if they fear she’ll come off as cold, inconsistent, or caught in contradictions, they’ll drag out direct examination and let the jury marinate in her emotional plea over the weekend.

Given how high-profile this is, and how carefully choreographed her testimony has been, I’d bet they’ll aim to finish direct examination Friday morning at the latest, giving just a short window for controlled cross to start—enough to tease conflict, but not so much that it dominates the jurors’ weekend thoughts.

I think they want her to appear damaged and soft so that when the prosecution pulverises her it will look like aggressive bullying of the poor mother.

 

[MsMarple]

I’m so done with the accused and her fairy tales.

 

[MrJ]

Key Event
1m ago
Erin was 'worried' about relationship with Patterson family

By Joseph Dunstan

Erin is being asked about a lunch held in June, 2023 with Don and Gail Patterson and the kids.

Erin says she'd invited them and Simon to lunch about a week beforehand.

"I had become a little worried that perhaps ... that there might be some distance growing between me and the Patterson family," she says.

"I wasn't sure if there was a gathering or two that I hadn't been invited to."

She says previously, Simon would always tell her about Patterson family events, but she realised about May or June that she probably needed to be more "proactive" to maintain her relationship with the Patterson family.

She says it was a "great" lunch and the kids "really enjoyed it".

It really is all about her isn't it?

 

[MrJ]

Key Event
Just now
Erin lied to family about medical tests

By Joseph Dunstan

Erin is then taken to messages from Gail Patterson shortly afterwards where Gail was asking about how her medical appointments were going.

Gail's concern was about a lump on her arm, which Erin says she "thought" she had "at one point".

In Erin's reply, she said she had had a needle biopsy and would be returning for an MRI to investigate the matter.

But she says she had not been to an appointment, had a needle biopsy, or been booked in for an MRI.

She admits they were lies.

"Some weeks prior, I had been having an issue with my elbow with pain and I thought there was a lump there and I had told Don and Gail about that," she says.

"They had shown quite a lot of care about that, which felt really nice.

"The issues started to resolve and I felt embarrassed that I had made such a big deal about it and I didn't want their care of me to stop so I just kept it going.

"I shouldn't have done it."

Erin is sniffing and her voice is halting more as she discusses her reasons for lying to her mother-in-law.