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

[drsleuth]

11.52am

‘No, it’s not true’: Crown prosecutor grills Patterson over dehydrator​

By​

The cross-examination of Erin Patterson has begun.

Clad in a paisley shirt, Patterson is answering fast-paced questions from senior Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers.

Rogers has now taken Patterson to a series of images captured by CCTV cameras of a woman getting out of a red car and disposing of a large item in the e-waste bin at the tip. Patterson agrees that the footage is of her dumping the dehydrator.

Rogers has also taken Patterson to a photograph of a bin containing digital waste, including computer screens and a black dehydrator.

“Unless somebody else put a dehydrator as well as me, then I presume this is the one that I put in,” Patterson said.

Here are some of the questions and answers in court:

Rogers: You knew they were death cap mushrooms that you [dehydrated]
Patterson: No, I didn’t know.
Rogers: You were very keen to dispose any evidence that would connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms.
Rogers: That’s why you rushed out after your release from Monash to [dispose of it].
Patterson: No.
Rogers: You lied because you knew if you told the police the truth it would implicate you in the deliberate poisoning of your four lunch guests.
Patterson: No, it’s not true.

Erin Patterson murder trial day 27 as it happened: ‘You thought the lunch guests would die’: A rare invitation and a ‘lie about cancer’

It was rare for Erin Patterson to host guests; having four people over for a meal was not an ordinary, casual event for the mother of two.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Detechtive]

1m ago
Erin's Facebook posts about dehydrating mushrooms raised

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers says the evidence from Erin's Facebook friends was that Ms Patterson had told them she'd been dehydrating mushrooms. She says there was no mention of other foods.

Erin says there were other foods she was "sure" she would have told them about.

"What kind of foods?" Dr Rogers asks.

"I tried to dry apples, um, bananas, um, quite a lot of different types of fruit," she says.

"And did you take photos of them?"

"I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson replies.

Erin Patterson is composed as Dr Nanette Rogers asks her these questions about dehydrating mushrooms.

Oooh, this is goooood!!

 

[MrJ]

Key Event
Just now
Erin denies she only dehydrated mushrooms

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers takes Erin to more Facebook messages with her friends and puts to her that she was mostly using the dehydrator for mushrooms.

In a message to a Facebook friend, Erin had written she was only using the dehydrator for mushrooms.

But in court, Erin disagrees that she was using the dehydrator "just for mushrooms".

"I do disagree," she says.

"You were using this dehydrator to dehydrate mushrooms, not to dehydrate other types of food," Dr Rogers says.

"I did do it with other types of food," Erin replies.

 

[JennieM]

2m ago02.52 BST

Patterson denies intentionally dehydrating death caps​

Patterson is shown a photo of the dehydrator at the tip and asked if this is the one she owned.

“I presume so,” Patterson says.

“And why do you presume so again?” Rogers asks.

“Unless somebody else put in a dehydrator as well as me I presume this is the one I put in,” Patterson says.

Rogers tells Patterson it is an agreed fact in the trial that analysis by a fingerprint expert found the fingerprints on the dumped dehydrator matched Patterson’s fingerprints.

Rogers puts to Patterson: “You knew they were death cap mushrooms you’d been dehydrating?”

“No, I didn’t know that,” Patterson says.

Rogers says Patterson was “keen” to dispose of evidence she had dehydrated death cap mushrooms.

“No, I didn’t know they’d been in it,” Patterson says.

Patterson denies Rogers’ suggestion that the reason she rushed out of Monash hospital was to dispose of evidence she had dehydrated death cap mushrooms.

Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson ‘lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible’, court hears

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal 2023 beef wellington lunch. Follow live updates

www.theguardian.com

 

[drsleuth]

2m ago02.52 BST

Patterson denies intentionally dehydrating death caps​

Patterson is shown a photo of the dehydrator at the tip and asked if this is the one she owned.

“I presume so,” Patterson says.

“And why do you presume so again?” Rogers asks.

“Unless somebody else put in a dehydrator as well as me I presume this is the one I put in,” Patterson says.

Rogers tells Patterson it is an agreed fact in the trial that analysis by a fingerprint expert found the fingerprints on the dumped dehydrator matched Patterson’s fingerprints.

Rogers puts to Patterson: “You knew they were death cap mushrooms you’d been dehydrating?”

“No, I didn’t know that,” Patterson says.

Rogers says Patterson was “keen” to dispose of evidence she had dehydrated death cap mushrooms.

“No, I didn’t know they’d been in it,” Patterson says.

Patterson denies Rogers’ suggestion that the reason she rushed out of Monash hospital was to dispose of evidence she had dehydrated death cap mushrooms.

Erin Patterson trial day 27 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

 

[MrJ]

Unbelievable.

1m ago
Erin confirms hiding mushrooms in her children's food

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers takes Erin to a conversation at a hospital in the days after the lunch, when Erin, Simon and the children were discussing a taste test Erin had done.

The court hears in the test, Erin's daughter was blind tasting muffins, and preferred the taste of the muffin with more mushrooms in it.

Erin says she revealed the presence of the mushrooms to her daughter afterwards, saying to her "well, surprise there was mushrooms in it".

She says she also added mushrooms to other foods, to try and make sure they were eating vegetables.

 

[Detechtive]

'You knew they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating': Crown grills accused​

Dr Rogers takes Erin to CCTV stills of her car at the tip.
Erin agrees the images show her getting out of the car, taking a large black box out of the boot and putting it into an e-waste bin.
She also admits she conducted a factory reset on Phone B at 11.09am – before she got to the tip.
The prosecutor puts to the witness that she lied to police about never owning a dehrator because she knew she’d been using it to prepare death caps.
She denies this.
Dr Rogers: “You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you’d been dehydrating, correct?”
Erin: “No, I didn’t know that.”
Dr Rogers: “And you were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?”
Erin: “No, I didn’t.”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-trial-live-accused-details-her-panic-after-lunch-guests-fell-ill/live-coverage/deceb01e56aa9aaef387eee386e98e7c#/entry/32053201

 

[L_B]

"I think I used the Thermomix," Erin says.

All these answers are so vague, she can't just say YES. There probably is only so many ways she could have blended the mushrooms, like how can you just forget how you did it?

 

[drsleuth]

4 minutes ago - 11:55 AMMax Corstorphan

‘Spaghetti, lasagne, stew, brownies’: Where Patterson hid mushrooms​

Ms Patterson said she tested hiding “dried mushrooms” on her kids.

“Spaghetti, lasagne, stew, brownies,” she listed off, explaining where she would hide mushrooms.

“I was trying to get extra vegetables into my kids’ bodies.”

Ex ‘would have had beef Wellington too’ if he’d come

LIVE UPDATES: Erin Patterson says she would have served ex-husband Simon Patterson a beef Wellington, too, if he had turned up to the deadly lunch.

thenightly.com.au

 

[Detechtive]

All these answers are so vague, she can't just say YES. There probably is only so many ways she could have blended the mushrooms, like how can you just forget how you did it?

Because you wouldn't use an expensive Thermomix which could become contaminated with deathcap spores, IMO.

 

[LinasK]

5m ago11.46 AEST
Rogers shows the jury a photo, previously tendered, of a dehydrator manual in Patterson’s kitchen drawer. The photo was taken by police on 5 August 2023 during a search of Patterson’s Leongatha hospital.

Patterson agrees it is the manual for the dehydrator she purchased in April 2023.

Rogers shows the court a photo of a dehydrator police found at the Koonwarra transfer station and landfill.

Roger asks: “That is your dehydrator?”

“I presume so,” Patterson says.

Asked to explain her answer, Patterson says she has heard evidence her fingerprints were found on the dehydrator.

Patterson agrees a photo of a red four-wheel drive vehicle captured at the Koonwarra transfer station and landfill on 2 August 2023 is her car.

Patterson agrees a black Sunbeam dehydrator was the only item she disposed of at the tip’s e-waste section on that day.

Erin Patterson trial day 27 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

So it's her car caught on camera at the dump and her exact model of dehydrator that she has the manual for, and her fingerprints on it. Will she now claim that they planted her fingerprints?

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Key Event
Just now
Erin denies she only dehydrated mushrooms

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers takes Erin to more Facebook messages with her friends and puts to her that she was mostly using the dehydrator for mushrooms.

In a message to a Facebook friend, Erin had written she was only using the dehydrator for mushrooms.

But in court, Erin disagrees that she was using the dehydrator "just for mushrooms".

"I do disagree," she says.

"You were using this dehydrator to dehydrate mushrooms, not to dehydrate other types of food," Dr Rogers says.

"I did do it with other types of food," Erin replies.

In a message to a Facebook friend, Erin had written she was only using the dehydrator for mushrooms.

 

[LinasK]

That is Consciousness of Guilt, IMO....she knew that the dehydrator would have potential evidence against her because she had dried foraged mushrooms in it.

So at the same time she was tipping it, she was also lying to Public Health officials about it----still denying that any foraged mushrooms were involved.

There should be some accountability and some punishment for that, imo.

If it was truly an accident she could have said so immediately and we wouldn't be here right now.

I'm so glad this evidence was allowed in. Earlier someone had me worried that it wasn't admissible.

 

[drsleuth]

11.59am

Prosecution suggests Erin was testing how to hide mushrooms​

By​

Senior Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers has taken the accused mushroom killer to a screenshot of a mushroom from an account that read: “I’ve been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything, mixed it into a chocolate brownie yesterday, the kids had no idea”.

Patterson told the jury she had sent that message to a group of online friends on Facebook.

“I suggest that you were testing whether you could hide mushrooms into food without anyone noticing,” Rogers said.

Patterson said she had tried to hide mushrooms in food for her children.

“Without them noticing,” Rogers replied.

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Patterson said.

When Rogers suggested that she had told online friend Daniella Barkley that she had been using the dehydrator “just for mushrooms” Patterson responded: “I don’t agree with that”.

Patterson said she had dehydrated other types of food. Earlier during the cross-examination, she said she had tried dehydrating apples, bananas, and other kinds of fruits, but she could not remember taking photos of them.

Patterson said she could not say how many times she had put dried mushrooms in food for her children, and said she had added them to various meals.

“Spaghetti, lasagna, strew, brownies,” she said.

“I was trying to get extra vegetables into my kids’ bodies.”

Erin Patterson murder trial day 27 as it happened: ‘You thought the lunch guests would die’: A rare invitation and a ‘lie about cancer’

It was rare for Erin Patterson to host guests; having four people over for a meal was not an ordinary, casual event for the mother of two.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Detechtive]

Crown suggests Erin was testing how to hide mushrooms​

In a series of rapid fire questions, Dr Rogers challenges Erin’s account.
She suggests Erin rushed out of Monash Medical Centre because she wanted to get rid of evidence.
“No,” Erin replies.
She puts it to Erin that she lied to police because she knew the truth would implicate her in the deliberate poisoning of her lunch guests.
“No, it’s not true,” Erin replies.
Dr Rogers returns to the Facebook messages with friends, including one where Erin discussed “hiding powdered mushrooms in everything” including brownies.
“I think I used the Thermomix,” Erin says.
Dr Rogers suggests she was testing to see how she could hide mushrooms in food without them being noticed by her children.
“Yeah, that’s fair,” Erin replies.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-trial-live-accused-details-her-panic-after-lunch-guests-fell-ill/live-coverage/deceb01e56aa9aaef387eee386e98e7c#/entry/32053352

 

[MrJ]

1m ago
Photos taken by Erin Patterson shown to court

By Joseph Dunstan

The court is then shown photos of the dehydrator, which Dr Rogers says were taken on one of Erin's phones, with a last modified date of April 30, 2023.

There is some confusion, with Erin saying she's unsure which phone she was using at the time.

Erin says it was probably a Samsung A23 model phone (Phone A in this trial) that she was using in April 2023.

Dr Rogers says the images were taken by a phone that was in a pink case. Erin says that'd be the one.

More photos are shown of sliced mushrooms sitting on a dehydrator tray which is balanced on electronic scales, sitting on a kitchen bench.

Erin agrees it looks like all the objects in the photo are from her Leongatha home.

Dr Rogers asks how many sets of scales Erin owned at the time, to which Erin replies "at least one".

The weight on the scales is recorded as 255.8 grams, Dr Rogers suggests. Erin says that sounds right.

Dr Rogers appears to take issue with Erin Patterson's responses to questions about photos she is alleged to have taken.

On several instances now, Ms Patterson has said "I assume so" or "presume so" when asked if she took them on a particular device.

Erin says this is only because she has no "specific memory" of taking some of these photos.

 

[drsleuth]

2m ago12.01 AEST
Rogers says there is evidence from Patterson’s Facebook friends that she told them she had been dehydrating mushrooms. Erin says she used the dehydrator for other foods and believes she told her Facebook friends about this.

She says she used the appliance “to dry apples, bananas... quite a lot of different types of fruit”.

Rogers asks if she took photos of fruit she dehydrated.

“I don’t remember. I might have,” Patterson says.

Rogers takes Patterson to a Facebook message, sent in a group chat, where she wrote she had been “hiding powdered mushrooms in everything”.

Patterson says she used a Thermomix to blend the mushrooms.

“I suggest you were testing how you could hide mushrooms in food without someone noticing,” says Rogers.

“I was seeing if I could put mushrooms into my kids’ food,” Patterson says.

Rogers says she was trying to do so without them noticing.

“Yes, that’s fair,” Patterson says.

Asked if she was only using the dehydrator for mushrooms, Patterson says, “I disagree.”

Erin Patterson trial day 27 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

 

[ch_13]

1 minute ago - 11:25 AMMax Corstorphan

Erin says she’s telling truth about lunch despite other lies​

Ms Patterson was then asked a barrage of questions by her defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC.

Ms Paterson said all beef Wellingtons were the same. She said she did not lie about buying mushrooms from an Asian grocer.

The accused claimed she was honest about feeding the leftovers to her children.

The alleged killer said she did not lie about being sick after eating the fatal beef Wellington lunch.

Ms Patterson also said she did not lie about being unaware of the presence of death cap mushrooms in her meal.

Ex ‘would have had beef Wellington too’ if he’d come

LIVE UPDATES: Erin Patterson says she would have served ex-husband Simon Patterson a beef Wellington, too, if he had turned up to the deadly lunch.

thenightly.com.au

The only lies she admits to are the ones where there's physical evidence that contradicts her version of events. Where there's no physical proof, she insists she's being truthful.

 

[JennieM]

1m ago
Photos taken by Erin Patterson shown to court

By Joseph Dunstan

The court is then shown photos of the dehydrator, which Dr Rogers says were taken on one of Erin's phones, with a last modified date of April 30, 2023.

There is some confusion, with Erin saying she's unsure which phone she was using at the time.

Erin says it was probably a Samsung A23 model phone (Phone A in this trial) that she was using in April 2023.

Dr Rogers says the images were taken by a phone that was in a pink case. Erin says that'd be the one.

More photos are shown of sliced mushrooms sitting on a dehydrator tray which is balanced on electronic scales, sitting on a kitchen bench.

Erin agrees it looks like all the objects in the photo are from her Leongatha home.

Dr Rogers asks how many sets of scales Erin owned at the time, to which Erin replies "at least one".

The weight on the scales is recorded as 255.8 grams, Dr Rogers suggests. Erin says that sounds right.

Dr Rogers appears to take issue with Erin Patterson's responses to questions about photos she is alleged to have taken.

On several instances now, Ms Patterson has said "I assume so" or "presume so" when asked if she took them on a particular device.

Erin says this is only because she has no "specific memory" of taking some of these photos.

How many? At least one.

 

[LinasK]

Unbelievable.

1m ago
Erin confirms hiding mushrooms in her children's food

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers takes Erin to a conversation at a hospital in the days after the lunch, when Erin, Simon and the children were discussing a taste test Erin had done.

The court hears in the test, Erin's daughter was blind tasting muffins, and preferred the taste of the muffin with more mushrooms in it.

Erin says she revealed the presence of the mushrooms to her daughter afterwards, saying to her "well, surprise there was mushrooms in it".

She says she also added mushrooms to other foods, to try and make sure they were eating vegetables.

If that were true, and her children weren't babies, why wasn't she trying to hide healthier vegetables like Broccoli in their food??? Why the sole focus on hiding mushrooms? I think the alleged murder plot has been a long time in the making.