Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #12 *Arrest*

[Detechtive]

The conversation on this thread has made it clear that the prosecution did not do a good job clarifying how many mushrooms would be needed to poison the guests, how much would be deadly, how quickly it would be deadly, etc

To be fair, we only get a sanitised version from the media.

 

[Lisa4]

Someone yesterday did show proof that the investigators did find traces of other foods in the dehydrator.
Doe anyone know if it is possible that the traces that were left weren't actually able to cause contamination?

 

[tmar]

EP tries to show how smart she is in answering.
Dr Rogers is using her questioning, to highlight this, revealing EP's aggressive character.

I hope today, Dr Rogers continues in exposing EP's character. Hope her 'so called smart answers' lead to her downfall.
She remembered in detail, her life history, but now, she is not sure, in answering leading questions exposing her actions.

 

[MrJ]

Here we go, everyone!

Key Event
Just now
Proceedings in courtroom 4 begin

By Joseph Dunstan

Erin Patterson is seated in the witness box for a fifth day of evidence in her Supreme Court triple-murder trial being held in Morwell.

She's wearing a dark-coloured top with white polka dots.

Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC picks up her cross-examination of Ms Patterson.

 

[Detechtive]

A nice little visualisation

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-trial-live-mushroom-cooks-crossexamination-continues/live-coverage/96f4b99c4b1e9690eb9cf37d8e56c071

 

[LinasK]

Yep:

Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch with you, mum, dad, Heather and Ian tomorrow, but am happy to talk about your health and implications of that at another time if you’d like to discuss on the phone,” he wrote to Erin at 6.54pm, according to a text shown to the court.

“Just let me know.”

Patterson then replied at 6:59pm: “That’s really disappointing. I’ve spent many hours this week preparing lunch or tomorrow which has been exhausting in light of the issues I’m facing and spent a small fortune on beef eye fillet to make beef wellingtons because I wanted it to be a special meal as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time.

“It’s important to me that you’re all there tomorrow and that I have the conversations that I need to have.

“I hope you’ll change your mind. Your parents and Heather and Ian are coming at 12:30. I hope to see you there.”

Simon said he did not respond. He had already told his parents he would not be attending.

Text messages in lead-up to deadly mushroom lunch revealed as Erin Patterson’s estranged husband testifies

Murder accused urged Simon Patterson to change his mind about not attending ‘special meal’, Victorian court hears

www.theguardian.com

Wow! What a guilt trip! "Issues I'm facing"- you mean imaginary Cancer???

 

[LinasK]

Just because the jury were only shown pictures of mushrooms doesn't mean there weren't pictures of other foods on her devices. The investigators would only be selecting pictures which are relevant to the allegations IMO

If there were exculpatory pictures of other foods she'd supposedly used the dehydrator for- apples, bananas, even tomatoes, wouldn't you think that her lawyers would have shown them?

 

[MrJ]

Erin picks up the shovel to dig again this morning.

Key Event
Just now
Erin denies she was trying to get in-laws involved in school fees stoush

By Joseph Dunstan

Yesterday the hearing wrapped while Dr Rogers was talking to Ms Patterson about communication she had with her parents-in-law in late 2022.

In them, Ms Patterson was expressing frustration about a disagreement with her estranged husband Simon Patterson over how financial support should be offered to their children.

Dr Rogers now asks Ms Patterson to read out one of the messages she sent, where she indicated she'd keep updating her in-laws on issues where she felt Simon needs "accountability".

Erin agrees that the children's school fees was a big issue in the message she sent to her parents-in-law.

But she disputes that she was trying to get Don and Gail to make Simon pay the school fees she felt he should be contributing.

"I was not trying to get them to do that," Ms Patterson says.

 

[MsMarple]

7m ago20.33 EDT
The jurors have entered the courtroom in Morwell.

Erin Patterson trial day 28 – as it happened

This blog has now closed

www.theguardian.com

 

[MrJ]

More digging.

Key Event
Just now
Erin denies she was angered by Don and Gail Patterson

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Under more questioning, Erin denies that she wanted Don and Gail Patterson to get involved.

"It seems you and I have a different interpretation of what I was asking him [Don] to do," Erin says.

Dr Rogers asks again, and says Don messaged saying he would not get involved.

"Sure. OK," Erin concedes.

Dr Rogers then suggests to Erin that she was "angry" with the response from Don and Gail, which Erin denies.

 

[Detechtive]

More digging.

Key Event
Just now
Erin denies she was angered by Don and Gail Patterson

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Under more questioning, Erin denies that she wanted Don and Gail Patterson to get involved.

"It seems you and I have a different interpretation of what I was asking him [Don] to do," Erin says.

Dr Rogers asks again, and says Don messaged saying he would not get involved.

"Sure. OK," Erin concedes.

Dr Rogers then suggests to Erin that she was "angry" with the response from Don and Gail, which Erin denies.

She said in her defence questioning that she shouldn't have asked them to get involved!?!

 

[Lisa4]

The conversation on this thread has made it clear that the prosecution did not do a good job clarifying how many mushrooms would be needed to poison the guests, how much would be deadly, how quickly it would be deadly, etc

To be fair, we only get a sanitised version from the media.

Great points.

With the volume of information about every other minute detail in this trial so far, there is NO way they haven't covered all of this!

I can see why it wouldn't be published for general consumption though. (Unintentional pun). Probably laws around that sort of information.

 

[MsMarple]

Guardian is being slow today.

 

[Detechtive]

Erin back in the witness box​

Erin Patterson has returned to the witness box for a fifth day.
Erin is wearing a navy blouse with white dots and her glasses to read the exhibits being shown to her.
Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC is continuing her cross-examination.
Dr Rogers takes Erin back to evidence she gave yesterday when she was asked whether she wanted her in-laws to help get Simon to pay half their school fees.
“Do you agreed that in one of those messages, you said you wanted Don and Gail to encourage Simon to do the right thing by his children?” she asks.
“Agree,” Erin replies.
Dr Rogers asks Erin to read out a message Erin sent to a group chat with Simon and his parents.

 

[LinasK]

I don’t think she was trying to improve taste. I think she wanted the death cap powder to be undetected amongst the regular Woolies mushrooms. That’s why she was experimenting with the powdered mushrooms in her kids muffins etc. to see if powdered mushrooms could be tasted. MOO.

Exactly. It was a lie to see if the mushrooms could be tasted. She used the Woolworths and any "Asian" visible mushrooms to say- see it couldn't be the mushrooms. Well duh- those kinds of mushrooms aren't toxic! The Death Caps were ground up into powder and undetectable, but just as deadly.

 

[MrJ]

1m ago
Erin says some tensions remained initially after school stoush

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers suggests to Erin Patterson that she "just moved" the children to a new school after the financial dispute without forewarning her estranged husband.

"Incorrect," Erin says.

Dr Rogers asks if the dispute between the two had "disappeared" by December 18, 2022, when Erin sent a message to Simon while on holiday in New Zealand, asking him to help with a goat at her Gippsland property.

"I don't think it had completely disappeared, no," she says. But she says it had disappeared "some weeks later".

 

[LinasK]

1m ago
Erin says some tensions remained initially after school stoush

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers suggests to Erin Patterson that she "just moved" the children to a new school after the financial dispute without forewarning her estranged husband.

"Incorrect," Erin says.

Dr Rogers asks if the dispute between the two had "disappeared" by December 18, 2022, when Erin sent a message to Simon while on holiday in New Zealand, asking him to help with a goat at her Gippsland property.

"I don't think it had completely disappeared, no," she says. But she says it had disappeared "some weeks later".

So she's finally admitting that she was still angry at them. I knew she had simmering rage as soon as I saw her angry faced expletive emojis.

 

[MrJ]

She's such a liar.

1m ago
Erin says she told estranged husband about school changes

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Erin puts on her glasses to look at the monitor before her as Dr Rogers brings up a trial exhibit.

It's a message that Erin sent to her Facebook friends where she said Simon wanted to "walk away from his responsibilities … that's his choice".

She goes on to say that perhaps it's a "blessing in disguise" because she is no longer obliged to uphold her estranged husband's school preferences if he won't pay for school fees.

Dr Rogers suggests that Erin never told Simon about changing schools.

Erin says this is incorrect, and says she told him of the change in March 2023.

 

[MsMarple]

5m ago10.48 AEST
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC is cross-examining Patterson.

Patterson is seated in the witness box, dressed in a dark top with white polka dots.

Rogers takes Patterson to a group chat she had with Simon and his parents, Don and Gail. The messages, shown to the court yesterday, are from December 2022 and on the app Signal.

In the messages, the group are discussing financial arrangements for their children, including their school fees.

Yesterday, Patterson said in the messages she was not trying to get her in-laws to persuade their son, Simon, to pay half of Patterson and Simon’s children’s school fees.

Rogers asks Patterson if this is still her answer. Patterson says it is.

She says she was trying to get her in-laws to “mediate” the issue.

“I was trying to ask Don and Gail to help Simon and I communicate about this better,” Patterson says.

 

[LinasK]

She's such a liar.

1m ago
Erin says she told estranged husband about school changes

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Erin puts on her glasses to look at the monitor before her as Dr Rogers brings up a trial exhibit.

It's a message that Erin sent to her Facebook friends where she said Simon wanted to "walk away from his responsibilities … that's his choice".

She goes on to say that perhaps it's a "blessing in disguise" because she is no longer obliged to uphold her estranged husband's school preferences if he won't pay for school fees.

Dr Rogers suggests that Erin never told Simon about changing schools.

Erin says this is incorrect, and says she told him of the change in March 2023.

So she makes a unilateral decision to place their kids in a more expensive school and he's supposed to just pay up?