Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #13 *Arrest*

[MrJ]

What great timing haha

Key Event
Just now
We quickly touch on dehydrated mushrooms before a break is called

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers suggests that Ms Patterson "blitzed" up dehydrated death cap mushrooms to a powder before putting them into the beef Wellingtons to "hide them" in a similar way she'd been doing with powdered mushrooms in her children's meals.

"Disagree," Ms Patterson says.

At this point, the hearing breaks for lunch.

 

[MsMarple]

2m ago12.47 AEST
Erin Patterson denies driving to Loch to find death cap mushrooms

Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC begins questioning Patterson about evidence by telecommunications expert Dr Matthew Sorell.

Rogers says Sorell’s evidence was that on 28 April 2023 Patterson’s mobile records “indicate a possible visit to the Loch township.”

The court previously heard evidence that a post about a death cap mushroom sighting in Loch was posted on the citizen science website iNaturalist on 18 April 2023.

Patterson denies that she visited Loch after seeing this post by retired pharmacist Christine McKenzie.

Rogers puts to Patterson: “I suggest you read Christine Mckenzie’s post that she posted on iNaturalist on 18 April.”

“Disagree,” says Patterson.

Patterson disagrees that drove to Loch specifically for the purpose of finding death cap mushrooms.

She denies that within hours of finding death caps she drove to an appliances store in Leongatha to purchase a dehydrator.

Pattersons says she did buy a dehydrator on this date. She denies the purpose of the purchase was to dehydrate death cap mushrooms.

 

[Detechtive]

I'm not sure if it's a strategy to jump between topics to overwhelm the accused, but I dislike it. I wish they followed one theme to conclusion of a 'gotcha' before moving on. It's confusing, IMO.

 

[Detechtive]

2m ago12.47 AEST
Erin Patterson denies driving to Loch to find death cap mushrooms

Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC begins questioning Patterson about evidence by telecommunications expert Dr Matthew Sorell.

Rogers says Sorell’s evidence was that on 28 April 2023 Patterson’s mobile records “indicate a possible visit to the Loch township.”

The court previously heard evidence that a post about a death cap mushroom sighting in Loch was posted on the citizen science website iNaturalist on 18 April 2023.

Patterson denies that she visited Loch after seeing this post by retired pharmacist Christine McKenzie.

Rogers puts to Patterson: “I suggest you read Christine Mckenzie’s post that she posted on iNaturalist on 18 April.”

“Disagree,” says Patterson.

Patterson disagrees that drove to Loch specifically for the purpose of finding death cap mushrooms.

She denies that within hours of finding death caps she drove to an appliances store in Leongatha to purchase a dehydrator.

Pattersons says she did buy a dehydrator on this date. She denies the purpose of the purchase was to dehydrate death cap mushrooms.

Again, only admitting to evidence where she cannot deny it. The purchase has been proven, can't deny it. Denies everything else. Exhausting.

 

[Jess D]

3m ago12.34 AEST
Erin Patterson says she ‘didn’t know or suspect’ beef wellington had made Don and Gail Patterson sick when she gave leftovers to children

Rogers says Atkinson gave evidence that Patterson said her children consumed leftovers on Sunday night for dinner.

Atkinson recalled Patterson saying she had removed the pastry and mushrooms, Rogers says.

Patterson agrees.

Rogers says Patterson told child protection worker Katrina Cripps her children only ate the meat from the beef wellington because they did not like mushrooms.

Patterson agrees she said this.

Rogers says Patterson told over a dozen people including her kids, child protection workers and medical staff that she had fed her kids the same meal.

Patterson says she was “pretty clear it was the meal minus the mushrooms and pastry,”

Rogers says on Sunday 30 July 2023, Patterson found out Don and Gail were unwell. Patterson agrees.

“So why did you proceed to feed the same meal to your children when you knew or suspected the meal you had served had made them ill?” Rogers says.

“I didn’t know or suspect that,” Patterson says.

Erin couldn't say that she'd fed her kids topside steak that she had left over, which she hadn't used in the meal, or added the death caps to, as that would prove that she had prior knowledge.

 

[Jess D]

Erin says she put mushrooms from Asian grocer in food dehydrator​

The prosecutor then takes the accused to evidence previously given by health official Sally Ann Atkinson, who was leading the public health investigation into the death cap poisoning, amid fears toxic mushrooms were in the Victorian supply chain.


Ms Atkinson previously told the court that the listing of possible suburbs where dried mushrooms were purchased from an Asian grocer given by Ms Patterson changed during conversations, initially including Mount Waverley, before swapping to Glen Waverley.

Ms Patterson tells the court she believes Ms Atkinson was mistaken about that.

Dr Rogers notes that Ms Atkinson previously told the court that Ms Patterson had told her the dried mushrooms from the Asian grocer "smelled funny" when she bought them in April so she'd put them into a container, before using them months later in the beef Wellington.


She says she did it just the once, sometime after buying them.

She is a fruitloop ! Friggin hell

Dr Rogers notes that Ms Atkinson previously told the court that Ms Patterson had told her the dried mushrooms from the Asian grocer "smelled funny" when she bought them in April so she'd put them into a container, before using them months later in the beef Wellington.

She had to say that the mushrooms from the 'Asian Grocers' smelt funny to imply that they were poisonous, but where as logically you would throw them out if that were the case, she had to pretend that she kept them and used them in her Beef Wellington lunch, so as to suggest that they were responsible for poisoning her lunch guests.

 

[Yh5r]

I'm back!

Key Event
Just now
Asian grocery purchase 'a deliberate lie', prosecution says

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers moves through more parts of Ms Atkinson's evidence about changing details from Ms Patterson about her purchase from an Asian grocer.

The court is shown a map of the suburbs in Monash City Council, which includes all of the suburbs where Ms Patterson says she bought the dried mushrooms.

Dr Rogers then recaps that Ms Patterson had worked for the Monash council and would be familiar with the suburbs and locations involved. But she says she couldn't identify the store where she'd bought the mushrooms.

"The Asian grocer story was a deliberate lie," Dr Rogers suggests.

"Incorrect," Ms Patterson says.

Well played prosecution. This is to show the jury that EP actually worked in this area (and I believe she grew up there as well), it's not a new area she had never been to before. It's ridiculous to say she can't remember which Asian grocer she went to.

 

[Detechtive]

Erin couldn't say that she'd fed her kids topside steak that she had left over, which she hadn't used in the meal, or added the death caps to, as that would prove that she had prior knowledge.

I'm not sure - saying "my kids ate the extra steaks I purchased but didn't cook on the day" isn't an indication of prior knowledge. That sounds very reasonable.

Which is why it's damning that she didn't say that.

Her claims the kids ate the same meal can only be for the purpose of saying "See? it definitely didn't contain deathcaps". It's plausible deniability. IMO

 

[Yh5r]

What a strange way to word your response.

Out of context yes. But this was Erin's answer to Dr Rogers: "Did you love your children?"
So I have to give it to Erin - this is probably how I would have answered too.

 

[lazymaiden07]

Why is she saying "She thinks it is" re Phillip Island, when her kids go to school there? She is familiar with Phillip Island.

And also '"It looks like I did do that, yes," It's never a straight answer. I wonder why the Dr Rogers doesn't pull her up on this...

 

[MrJ]

The prosecution does appear to be a bit sloppy in its questioning but it's still pretty solid overall. And it's definitely getting the results they are after.

 

[Jess D]

8m ago10.55 AEST
Patterson questioned about beef wellington recipe

Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC is cross-examining Patterson. She begins by asking questions about the beef wellingtons she prepared.

Rogers suggests Patterson choose to make the meals with individual eye fillets instead of a single piece of meat because she wanted to serve individual beef wellingtons. She says this allowed Patterson to include death cap mushrooms in the beef wellingtons of her guests but not her own.

Patterson rejects both assertions.

Rogers says in conversations prior to the lunch with her Facebook friends, Patterson did mention adding foraged mushrooms to the beef wellington.


I was not planning to add foraged mushrooms.

2m ago11.01 AEST
Patterson asked about mushrooms bought for beef wellingtons

Rogers shows Patterson the beef wellington recipe she told police she used at the lunch. It is contained in the RecipeTin Eats Dinner cookbook.

Rogers says on two occasions in the week before the meal Patterson bought 1.75kg of sliced mushrooms from Woolworths.

Rogers asks where the other kilogram of mushrooms went, as the recipe only asks for 700g of sliced mushrooms.

“I ate them,” Patterson says.

Rogers says this is a lie. Patterson rejects this.

Rogers puts to Patterson:



Patterson:



Rogers says Patterson also never told her guests the beef wellingtons contained foraged mushrooms.

“I didn’t think they did at the time,” Patterson says.

Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson denies foraging death caps two hours before buying dehydrator

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

www.theguardian.com

I'm sure earlier in the proceedings Erin Patterson said that the recipe she used for her Beef Wellingtons called for 1 kg mushrooms?

 

[Yh5r]

That small win would have emboldened her, though. IMO

Maybe but it's not a good look, no one likes a smartass and with this she showed how intelligent she is. Which is in stark contrast to varying from her testimony all the time and not remembering the Asian store or the surgery she booked in for IMO

 

[Yh5r]

What great timing haha

Key Event
Just now
We quickly touch on dehydrated mushrooms before a break is called

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers suggests that Ms Patterson "blitzed" up dehydrated death cap mushrooms to a powder before putting them into the beef Wellingtons to "hide them" in a similar way she'd been doing with powdered mushrooms in her children's meals.

"Disagree," Ms Patterson says.

At this point, the hearing breaks for lunch.

This is such an important detail. Erin previously stated she chopped up the dehydrated mushrooms from her "tupperware container" and added them to the duxelles - how come no visible traces of this were found on examination of the leftovers by the experts? Why would she powder the mushrooms and not tell anyone. Very telling IMO

 

[MsMarple]

6m ago04.06 BST
Sorell said on 22 May 2023 Patterson’s mobile phone records indicated a possible visit to Neilson St in Outtrim, the court hears.

The court has previously heard evidence that mycologist Dr Thomas May posted a sighting of death cap mushrooms on iNaturalist on 21 May 2023.

Patterson denies she travelled to Outtrim on 22 May 2023.

She denies Rogers’ suggestion that she read May’s post on the iNaturalist website.

Do you agree you had no legitimate reason to travel to Outtrim on 22 May?

No, I don’t agree with that.

Patterson says:

I don’t believe I travelled to Outrim as a destination on 22 May.

Patterson says it’s a possibility she passed through Outtrim on this date.

 

[Jess D]

I'm sure earlier in the proceedings Erin Patterson said that the recipe she used for her Beef Wellingtons called for 1 kg mushrooms?

The court heard the beef wellington recipe Erin used called for a 1kg of mushrooms.
“She needed a kilogram, so she thought she’d add the rest of the dried mushrooms,” she said.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/four-factory-resets-done-on-phone-handed-over-by-erin-patterson-court/live-coverage/8e20007ee7d3d8758b85ec4b751bc409

I have a better memory than Erin...

 

[L_B]

Out of context yes. But this was Erin's answer to Dr Rogers: "Did you love your children?"
So I have to give it to Erin - this is probably how I would have answered too.

Quote from one of the news sites says it not in a past tense form:

Dr Rogers: You love your children, correct?
Erin: I still love them.
---

So bad reporting then?

 

[Jess D]

The court heard the beef wellington recipe Erin used called for a 1kg of mushrooms.
“She needed a kilogram, so she thought she’d add the rest of the dried mushrooms,” she said.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/four-factory-resets-done-on-phone-handed-over-by-erin-patterson-court/live-coverage/8e20007ee7d3d8758b85ec4b751bc409

I have a better memory than Erin...

So if she needed 1kg of mushrooms for the meal, why did she eat 1kg prior to the lunch, or is she now saying that she didn't need 1kg mushrooms for the meal? The recipe called for 1kg.

 

[Jess D]

So if she needed 1kg of mushrooms for the meal, why did she eat 1kg prior to the lunch, or is she now saying that she didn't need 1kg mushrooms for the meal? The recipe called for 1kg.

So, she's saying that because she ate the 1kg of the fresh mushrooms that she bought from Woollies on the 23rd July, she was only left with .75kg of fresh mushrooms, so had to use the dried mushrooms to make up the 1kg? She's unreal...

 

[Yh5r]

So if she needed 1kg of mushrooms for the meal, why did she eat 1kg prior to the lunch, or is she now saying that she didn't need 1kg mushrooms for the meal? The recipe called for 1kg.

Because she bought 1.75kg of button mushrooms from Woolworths in the days leading up to the lunch. So that she accounts for all those mushrooms she bought but didn't use in the Beef Wellington meal.