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

[Lisa4]

The very first time she was asked when she had only just heard there was suspicion of deathcaps, she said one word "Woolworths".

The next time she was asked a few hours later by her BIL, she said "Woolworths and a Chinese grocer from Oakleigh".

"Anxiety panic" or guilt-filled panic, I think she was trying to muddy the waters and throw some suspicion around there.

It does seem to me that at this point she absolutely was trying to infer it was the mushrooms bought from an anonymous, untraceable grocer shop. Make it all go away.

Must've been like a nightmare game of whack-a-mole when she discovered that Public Health weren't going to let that mystery grocer shop go away!

I think this is why she used the strange wording about leaving the remaining wellington in the oven "to deal with later". She had deal with it because it was deadly.

 

[Detechtive]

'I'm ashamed I wrote that': Erin's 'regret' over expletive messages about family​

Dr Rogers takes Erin to Facebook messages sent to friends in which Erin makes disparaging remarks about her in-laws for not supporting her in the dispute with Simon.
In one message, Erin wrote: “I’m sick of this I want nothing to do with them. I thought his parents would want him to do the right thing but it seems their concern about not wanting to feel uncomfortable and not wanting to get involved in their son’s personal matters are overriding that so f–k em.”
“That’s what you thought about Gail and Don correct?” Dr Rogers asks.
“I was venting, and I was frustrated, but I regret writing it, and I’m ashamed that I wrote that,” she replies.
Asked again if she was angry about Don and Gail’s response, Erin repeats she wasn’t.
“I wasn’t angry, but I was frustrated and hurt,” she says.
She also denies those messages expressed her true feelings about Don and Gail, or that those feelings persisted until July.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

The "I panicked" comment really stands out for me. She used this to describe what happened when the police were speaking with her. If she had innocently misidentified the mushrooms she'd foraged, why panic and lie to the police? Why not say you're terrified to think that you might have mistakenly foraged poison mushrooms and fed them to your guests? I'd be mortified and remorseful, but panic at that point is strange to me. MOO

Exactly.

 

[MrJ]

1m ago
Erin says she did not tell Simon about her medical issues in lunch invite

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers then moves to a conversation Erin had with Simon on July 16, 2023, after a church service about the beef Wellington lunch.

"His evidence is that you ... had some important medical news that you wanted advice on how to break [it] to the kids," Dr Rogers says.

Erin says that's not correct.

Simon went on to say that Erin told him she'd invited everyone to lunch "to discuss that topic".

"No, that's not what I said to him," Erin says.

"Did you ask him if he would be able to come on the 29th of July, 2023?" Dr Rogers asks.

"I did invite him to lunch, yes," Erin replies.

"He also said you were keen for the lunch not to be with the kids," Dr Rogers says. "Did you say that to Simon or not?"

"I did not," Erin replies.

Dr Rogers puts to Erin that she thought Simon would be "more likely" to attend the lunch if he knew his parents and Heather and Ian were attending. Erin disagrees.

 

[katydid23]

I am not sure yet, it has nothing to do with her sex. I haven’t ’brushed aside facts’, Iam just not sure the prosecution’s case is as strong as I expected. Much can be explained, more than I expected.

Just because something can be 'explained' that doesn't mean the given explanations are truthful.

Guilty people often have plenty of believable sounding explanations for the suspicious circumstances which brought them to trial.

When you take ALL of their explanations and string them together, in context, they often look less realistic, and more like manufactured excuses to cover their actions.

I look at this woman and have to ask myself, what did she do in response when reacting to an innocent accident?

If her 'explanations' are true, then she was a selfish, inconsiderate liar that didn't do anything to try and save her supposed loved ones. And she even put her children in danger, by giving them the leftovers after she already knew the lunch guests were hospitalised. And her reasoning is self centred designed and to cover herself from being blamed for an accident?

I think the prosecution has a very strong case. The only problem is that she is a very skilled but habitual liar. She is very good at it, very slippery, very experienced at it. I hope it catches up to hr.

 

[Detechtive]

Erin says her and Simon's relationship was 'strained', but not 'negative'​

Dr Rogers takes Erin to the evidence of Matthew and Tanya Patterson, who are Simon’s brother and sister-in-law, and said Erin was attending fewer family events in the years leading up to the lunch.
“So up until the first half of 2023, I don’t believe there was a change in my participation,” Erin says.
“I think there was a change in the family events through some of that time, because there was a lot of Covid lockdowns in ’21 which affected how many gatherings there were. But other than that, if there was a gathering and I was invited, I went.”
Dr Rogers says Erin’s son gave evidence that his mother’s relationship with Simon was “negative”.
She disagrees, saying they were “strained” but not negative.

Pretty sure that a strained relationship is negative. Her semantics are exhausting. IMO

 

[Little Jack]

With friends like these, etc.

Key Event
1m ago
Erin calls the testimony of witness Christine Hunt incorrect

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Erin then disagrees with more evidence previously given by her Facebook friend Christine Hunt.

She disagrees that she told Ms Hunt that Simon was "coercive" or that she was never happy with his commitment to things.

Erin seems mystified by some of Ms Hunt's claims raised by the prosecution, saying she wasn't sure where it stemmed from.

Yesterday, Erin told the court she was not close with Ms Hunt.

She's then taken to evidence from another Facebook friend, Danielle Barkley, who recalled Erin telling her that Simon "wasn't a very nice person".

Erin can't recall that but does recall messages expressing concern about Simon's cleanliness.

"Yeah it is true because I had to spend two weeks cleaning his house at one point," she says.

She also confirms she told Ms Barkley that she wasn't happy with the way Simon lived.

When did she spend two weeks cleaning his house? When he was recovering from a mysterious organ damaging gut illness perhaps?

I wish they'd asked...

 

[ch_13]

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

It seems like Erin and Simon were communicating just fine. Erin just didn't like what Simon was telling her.

I think it's pretty clear that Erin wanted her in-laws to intercede on her behalf and make Simon pay up. This "communicate better" line seems like something that was come up with afterwards to justify her texts.

 

[browneyes]

actually, editing my caption for this one. Mightn't be an alleged motive but strain was most likely a factor.

Key Event
1m ago
Erin describes 'strained' relationship between Simon and herself

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Dr Rogers then refers to evidence from in-laws Matthew and Tanya Patterson, who had said that Erin was attending fewer Patterson family events in the years before the lunch.

"Up until the first half of 2023, I don't believe there was a change in my participation," she says.

She adds "I think there was a change in the family events through some of that time because there were a lot of COVID lockdowns in '21".

She disagrees however about Matthew Patterson's evidence that she attended fewer events in the years leading up to the lunch, saying he had the "timeline" wrong.

When asked about her relationship with Simon, which her son had described as becoming "negative", Erin describes it as "strained".

Everyone is wrong but Erin.

 

[MrJ]

Key Event
1m ago

Erin concedes she mentioned medical issues to Simon​

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz​

Dr Rogers suggests that Erin fabricated the health issue to ensure there was a reason for her children not to be present.

"Because you wanted to ensure that there was no way they could eat the meal you were planning to service to your lunch guests," Dr Rogers says.

"No that's not true," Erin responds.

Dr Rogers then draws attention to a message sent from Erin to Simon, which was read out earlier in the trial:

That's really disappointing. I've spent many hours this week preparing lunch for 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 can 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.

After some protracted questioning, Erin concedes she did invite Simon to the lunch after mentioning medical issues to him on July 16.

But she says she wasn't seeking advice and the discussion wasn't the purpose of the lunch.

"So your evidence is that in passing, you mentioned to Simon that you wanted to discuss the topic with the broader group?" Dr Rogers asks.

"I said to him that there was some medical stuff, or medical issues, I wanted to talk about ... all I can tell you is it was not why I was inviting him, it was not why I was inviting anybody," Erin says.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

With friends like these, etc.

Key Event
1m ago
Erin calls the testimony of witness Christine Hunt incorrect

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Erin then disagrees with more evidence previously given by her Facebook friend Christine Hunt.

She disagrees that she told Ms Hunt that Simon was "coercive" or that she was never happy with his commitment to things.

Erin seems mystified by some of Ms Hunt's claims raised by the prosecution, saying she wasn't sure where it stemmed from.

Yesterday, Erin told the court she was not close with Ms Hunt.

She's then taken to evidence from another Facebook friend, Danielle Barkley, who recalled Erin telling her that Simon "wasn't a very nice person".

Erin can't recall that but does recall messages expressing concern about Simon's cleanliness.

"Yeah it is true because I had to spend two weeks cleaning his house at one point," she says.

She also confirms she told Ms Barkley that she wasn't happy with the way Simon lived.

Two weeks?

 

[Two SCents]

That isn't true. There were no photos of other foods being dehydrated on the phone. These were questions asked specifically yesterday. Are you following the daily updates?

I don't have the free time to obsess over details the moment they become available

 

[katydid23]

"... but not one with death cap mushroom intentionally"

IMO, the prosecutor should have repeated that bit for the attention of the jury.

Exactly.

"... but not one with death cap mushroom intentionally"

Oh, so there was one with dead cap intentionally?

 

[Detechtive]

'I don't know': Erin can't recall alleged remarks about Simon​

Dr Rogers refers to evidence of Erin’s Facebook friend Christine Hunt, who testified Erin told her she painted Simon as “coercive” and she was never happy with his commitment to things.
Erin disagrees that she told Ms Hunt those things.
Dr Rogers then takes Erin to evidence of another friend Daniela Barkley who claimed Erin described Simon as “not a very nice person”.
“I definitely discussed my relationship with Simon in the private chat group. I don’t remember saying he wasn’t a very nice person,” she says.
Dr Rogers says that was the evidence she gave.
“I don’t know if I did or I didn’t,” she says.
Dr Rogers says there was also evidence that Erin thought Simon wasn’t a clean person.
“That’s true,” she says.
“I had to spend two weeks cleaning his house at one point.”

 

[Megnut]

Pretty sure that a strained relationship is negative. Her semantics are exhausting. IMO

If I had a nickel for every happy go lucky strained family relationship I've heard of
....

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Key Event
1m ago

Erin concedes she mentioned medical issues to Simon​

​

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz​

Dr Rogers suggests that Erin fabricated the health issue to ensure there was a reason for her children not to be present.

"Because you wanted to ensure that there was no way they could eat the meal you were planning to service to your lunch guests," Dr Rogers says.

"No that's not true," Erin responds.

Dr Rogers then draws attention to a message sent from Erin to Simon, which was read out earlier in the trial:


After some protracted questioning, Erin concedes she did invite Simon to the lunch after mentioning medical issues to him on July 16.

But she says she wasn't seeking advice and the discussion wasn't the purpose of the lunch.

"So your evidence is that in passing, you mentioned to Simon that you wanted to discuss the topic with the broader group?" Dr Rogers asks.

"I said to him that there was some medical stuff, or medical issues, I wanted to talk about ... all I can tell you is it was not why I was inviting him, it was not why I was inviting anybody," Erin says.

"I said to him that there was some medical stuff, or medical issues, I wanted to talk about ... all I can tell you is it was not why I was inviting him, it was not why I was inviting anybody," Erin says.

So why were you inviting them Erin?

 

[katydid23]

OMG, no wonder the marital arguments never ended well!

Reminds me of the Monty Python Argument Clinic sketch.

Customer: This isn't an argument.

Mr Barnard: Yes it is.

YES. She is utterly exhausting. Doubles down and denies every single thing then agrees to a very similar thing, Rinse ...Repeat. and on and on.

 

[MrJ]

omg

Key Event
Just now
Dr Rogers reiterates messages which referred to medical issues

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Dr Rogers then returns to the texts between Erin and Simon after Simon told her he wouldn't be attending.

Specifically, a line from Erin saying "I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time", which Erin agrees is a reference to a medical issue.

Dr Rogers puts to Erin that she lied to Simon in the message where she said it was important "I can have the conversations that I need to have".

When asked if it was a reference to medical issues, Erin says yes.

"But you weren't confronting any medical issues, were you?" Dr Rogers asks.

"I think I was," Erin says, stating her gastric-bypass surgery appointment for early September was booked in at a clinic in Melbourne.

 

[Megnut]

Me: Erin, you're contrary.

Erin: no, I'm not.

 

[MrJ]

Key Event
1m ago
Erin denies making extra poisoned beef Wellington for husband

By Joseph Dunstan and Judd Boaz

Ms Patterson agrees she had hoped her messages would lead Simon to attend the meal.

Dr Rogers then suggests that Erin had made an extra poisoned beef Wellington for Simon.

Erin says this is wrong.

Dr Rogers suggests that when he had not attended, Erin had thrown the extra Wellington in the bin.

Erin says she did throw mushroom and pastry in the bin, but denied she had attempted to poison her estranged husband.