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

[HoneyBunOne]

What about that friend who told the Daily Mail that Erin and Simon were regular foragers? Then again, we are talking about the Daily Mail and I suppose if it had been clarified that friend may have been called as a witness.

Was this a friend of Erin's? An online friend, because it appears she didn't have real life ones? That friend is probably telling the truth, as was told to her. Doesn't make it the actual, factual truth though. It's the truth as Erin wanted to present to an online person who she had likely never met, and would never have met Simon either to be able to corroborate the story.

 

[Jake18]

This is the part that is very unclear- the defence went to great lengths to show EP is very generous with her money. Even Simon testified that she has never shown any signs of being overly concerned with money. And yet, their relationship started to deteriorate after he changed his status on his tax form? EP then states she was 'frustrated' by this as it affected her ability to claim a family payment. And EP was totally enraged by the amount he was paying in child support, and also by him not paying school fees. This all led to derogatory comments about the entire family, essentially wanting nothing to do with them.

I would argue this points to the 'two faces' of EP. Money does seem to be a factor here... at least outwardly? IMO

True. The financial changes definitely irked her.

But - I think the main thing that triggered Erin was Simon actually stating “separated” after years of a dysfunctional relationship with multiple separations, reunifications. He was done with it all and she didn’t like that.

Moreover, not only was Simon pulling away, his parents were supporting him by having him over for dinner every night and not getting involved in their squabbles. They were moving forward without her and she hated that she couldn’t control them, IMO.

I think Dr Nanette Rogers referring to Simon as Erin’s ex-husband was purposeful, Erin hated that Simon has moved on

 

[Brooklyn127]

Copying from the last thread to reply.
L_B said: "This is where the maths of the meat doesn't add up...it's so confusing. TBH I think she had extra steak(s) and just gave them that."
This is the only thing that makes sense, given the evidence. What a great insight!

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Justice isn't cheap..! The cost alone in this trial would be mouth-watering

Silk, junior, and two instructors could earn six figures after a couple of weeks of the trial alone, and it’s been six weeks.

Erin has put one investment property on the market

 

[lazymaiden07]

True. The financial changes definitely irked her.

But - I think the main thing that triggered Erin was Simon actually stating “separated” after years of a dysfunctional relationship with multiple separations, reunifications. He was done with it all and she didn’t like that.

Moreover, not only was Simon pulling away, his parents were supporting him by having him over for dinner every night and not getting involved in their squabbles. They were moving forward without her and she hated that she couldn’t control them, IMO.

I think Dr Nanette Rogers referring to Simon as Erin’s ex-husband was purposeful, Erin hated that Simon has moved on

'I think Dr Nanette Rogers referring to Simon as Erin’s ex-husband was purposeful, Erin hated that Simon has moved on'- Great pickup, this is definitely deliberate on the part of Dr Rogers.

I think you're spot on here- this is bigger than the money issues, this is about control. Control over Simon, his family, the narrative that Simon is a 'deadbeat dad'. It was so easy to have those Facebook friends- they only ever heard how she was the victim, and EP could again control the narrative.

It seems incredibly complex- I really do think she hated Simon, resented him, loathed everything about him- his inability to keep his own home tidy, the amount of time he devoted to bible classes. I recall reading that he also didn't help much around the home when they were married. But why not then be free of him? Why not let him go and forge her own life? She certainly had the means to do so. Would love to see an evaluation of EP by a forensic psychiatrist/psychologist.
All MOO.

 

[Detechtive]

M

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

Jun 7, 2025

I think the prosecution is suggesting she co-opted more and more relatives to come to the lunch as a larger lure for Simon to attend. Hence why she branched out to also include Ian and Heather. IMO allegedly

This was when I first doubted her guilt. 2 years ago, I presumed she'd wanted to murder Simon and it would look more like an accident if there were others there.

Then I realised that once she knew he wasn't going to attend, she could have easily made an excuse not to serve the meals. She could have claimed the meat had gone bad, or she'd messed up etc and ordered in a...

• MaxDecimus13

• 
• 

@MaxDecimus13
I still believe wholly that she thought Simon would show up that day, until the late afternoon of the lunch. This is also what the prosecution seems to believe.

That the invitation for everyone was to pressure him to be there. The heavy "health" topic was also designed to force him there, IMO.
Then we have her guilt trip the night before in text, which I think she fully thought would succeed.

Failing all that, she asked him to pick up their children from the movies. When he got to her house hours after the lunch, he saw his families cars parked in the driveway. Usually, I would imagine, someone in that situation would go inside too. But he didn't. She was probably planning on giving him the Beef Wellington then.

Simon seemed very much against being around Erin, and looks like it was for good reason. This in my opinion is the entire motive for all of her lies in the lead-up to the lunch. She could no longer force Simons hand and force him to be around her. Even her manipulations no longer worked, so she had to manipulate his family to manipulate him.

My opinion only.

 

[mamamama9873]

This is the part that is very unclear- the defence went to great lengths to show EP is very generous with her money. Even Simon testified that she has never shown any signs of being overly concerned with money. And yet, their relationship started to deteriorate after he changed his status on his tax form? EP then states she was 'frustrated' by this as it affected her ability to claim a family payment. And EP was totally enraged by the amount he was paying in child support, and also by him not paying school fees. This all led to derogatory comments about the entire family, essentially wanting nothing to do with them.

I would argue this points to the 'two faces' of EP. Money does seem to be a factor here... at least outwardly? IMO

IMO the actual money is not why it enraged her, but rather that to Erin this decrease in financial support symbolised a decrease in emotional support and recognition from Simon. She felt he was pulling away from her and that she was losing control.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Justice isn't cheap..! The cost alone in this trial would be mouth-watering

Silk, junior, and two instructors could earn six figures after a couple of weeks of the trial alone, and it’s been six weeks.

Erin has put one investment property on the market

BBM
I think you mean eye watering. You're too busy thinking of those tasty death cap morsels.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

BBM
I think you mean eye watering. You're too busy thinking of those tasty death cap morsels.

She needed an SC, because there's no mushroom for error

 

[Two SCents]

True. The financial changes definitely irked her.

But - I think the main thing that triggered Erin was Simon actually stating “separated” after years of a dysfunctional relationship with multiple separations, reunifications. He was done with it all and she didn’t like that.

Moreover, not only was Simon pulling away, his parents were supporting him by having him over for dinner every night and not getting involved in their squabbles. They were moving forward without her and she hated that she couldn’t control them, IMO.

I think Dr Nanette Rogers referring to Simon as Erin’s ex-husband was purposeful, Erin hated that Simon has moved on

Yes! It wasn't the actual money she was upset about. It was that he appeared to be edging away and now didn't care enough about her. She was losing him and by extension his family the only real family she had.

 

[Jess D]

Was this a friend of Erin's? An online friend, because it appears she didn't have real life ones? That friend is probably telling the truth, as was told to her. Doesn't make it the actual, factual truth though. It's the truth as Erin wanted to present to an online person who she had likely never met, and would never have met Simon either to be able to corroborate the story.

The article says that it's a family friend.

Deadly mushroom chef ‘very good at foraging’ for wild fungi

The cook behind the poisonous lunch that killed three of her relatives was an experienced fungi forager, a friend of the family says, as the mum-of-two hit back at being ‘painted as an evil witch’.

www.perthnow.com.au

 

[Jess D]

Yes, I agree. I no longer think it was primarily about the money, even though as you say, it was an annoyance to her. The main thing IMO, was the loss of control over Simon and then the thought of losing his family on top of that...

 

[Jess D]

'I think Dr Nanette Rogers referring to Simon as Erin’s ex-husband was purposeful, Erin hated that Simon has moved on'- Great pickup, this is definitely deliberate on the part of Dr Rogers.

I think you're spot on here- this is bigger than the money issues, this is about control. Control over Simon, his family, the narrative that Simon is a 'deadbeat dad'. It was so easy to have those Facebook friends- they only ever heard how she was the victim, and EP could again control the narrative.

It seems incredibly complex- I really do think she hated Simon, resented him, loathed everything about him- his inability to keep his own home tidy, the amount of time he devoted to bible classes. I recall reading that he also didn't help much around the home when they were married. But why not then be free of him? Why not let him go and forge her own life? She certainly had the means to do so. Would love to see an evaluation of EP by a forensic psychiatrist/psychologist.
All MOO.

Erin herself employed a housekeeper, without telling Simon. Pot, kettle, back and all that...

 

[Jess D]

Copying from the last thread to reply.
L_B said: "This is where the maths of the meat doesn't add up...it's so confusing. TBH I think she had extra steak(s) and just gave them that."
This is the only thing that makes sense, given the evidence. What a great insight!

She bought more steak, filo pastry and mushrooms than she needed for the lunch. I think she did a trial run with the BW's earlier in the week,,,

 

[MrJ]

Hi, I'm a time-traveller from Tuesday night, reporting on the cross-examination today. When asked by Dr Nanette Rogers whether her name was Erin, EP responded by saying 'Disagree.'

 

[JBowie]

The article says that it's a family friend.

Deadly mushroom chef ‘very good at foraging’ for wild fungi

The cook behind the poisonous lunch that killed three of her relatives was an experienced fungi forager, a friend of the family says, as the mum-of-two hit back at being ‘painted as an evil witch’.

www.perthnow.com.au

The friend said Erin Patterson was “very good at foraging” and knew how to identify the wild mushroom varieties near her home in Leongatha in Victoria’s Gippsland region.

“The Patterson family (including Erin and ex-husband Simon) would pick mushrooms each year when they were in season,” the friend told the Daily Mail.

“It’s very common for people to go mushroom picking around that area.”

[bbm]

Well, there it is. Simon could be re-called to the stand to testify on this matter, if pertinent.

 

[*juniper*]

My first ever post to Websleuths after lurking for many years!

Regarding the plates: In my experience, once a formal lunch has been served and consumed, it is normal to clear those plates and cutlery before serving dessert on fresh plates.

When Erin’s son stated he cleared plates and described the colour as white, they may have been the plates that cake and fruit were served and eaten from - not necessarily the plates containing the main meal.

I’m not sure this possibility has ever been raised in police interview or other questioning? IMO

Yes, I agree that Erin would have cleared the dirty dinner plates after the guests finished their main and before serving dessert.

After lunch the dirty plates and cutlery would have gone straight into some type of storage container, perhaps with a clip-on lid and a garbage bag inside, to secure the contaminated items as safely as possible. This container was ready & waiting in the pantry – this could be why Erin was reluctant to show her guests the pantry. Then she could seal and hide the box under the counter until later when she had a chance to move to her car and dispose of the contents.

Grey dinner plates – could have been sourced from IKEA Springvale when she was staying at her Mount Waverley house? But there are other places where you can buy reasonably priced grey plates.

The white dessert plates – my guess is the Kmart ‘Anko’ side plate, $1.00 each, with a 17.5 cm diameter; these are close to the 15 cm described by her son. Kmart has a store in Leongatha. Online reviews show that these plates are popular for desserts and were available in 2023. https://www.kmart.com.au/product/wh...G-HmV151TRBw26IEDGLOQXNdkU2C2K0HABpqSvv_8TFIn (Full disclosure - I have some of these plates and can recommend.)

Also, I believe a 15cm or 17.5 cm plate would be too small to hold a meal of an individual BW, beans and mashed potato.

JMO

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

This is the part that is very unclear- the defence went to great lengths to show EP is very generous with her money. Even Simon testified that she has never shown any signs of being overly concerned with money. And yet, their relationship started to deteriorate after he changed his status on his tax form? EP then states she was 'frustrated' by this as it affected her ability to claim a family payment. And EP was totally enraged by the amount he was paying in child support, and also by him not paying school fees. This all led to derogatory comments about the entire family, essentially wanting nothing to do with them.

I would argue this points to the 'two faces' of EP. Money does seem to be a factor here... at least outwardly? IMO

JMO but it wasn't about the money per se - EP being wealthy, it was about what the money itself but what it represented.

The loans to SP's family members maybe represented long term connection and enmeshment.
The joint status of tax filings maybe represented that she and SP were 'together' even though they weren't.
Funds coming from SP to EP maybe represented an ongoing commitment to her and the children.

I think it's coming clear through all this that EP is an intellectually / academically highly intelligent and capable person but emotionally she's an unchecked badly behaved toddler when she feels slighted. She also clearly lacks emotional regulation and good social skills for intimacy. Her lies are stupid and nonsensical, her actions are rageful and unchecked vengeance. I don't think she even realises there's such a thing as the truth. She's got it all going on. A lot of that would be in compliance with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I wonder if the prosecution will order psychiatric evaluation? So many cases we see here on WS the perpetrators are blatantly extreme narcissists to the point where'd they'd likely be diagnosed.

JMO MOO

 

[Jess D]

The friend said Erin Patterson was “very good at foraging” and knew how to identify the wild mushroom varieties near her home in Leongatha in Victoria’s Gippsland region.

“The Patterson family (including Erin and ex-husband Simon) would pick mushrooms each year when they were in season,” the friend told the Daily Mail.

“It’s very common for people to go mushroom picking around that area.”

[bbm]

Well, there it is. Simon could be re-called to the stand to testify on this matter, if pertinent.

Also, I'm sure that in early reporting re Simon and Erin taking over the community newspaper from Simon's parents, it was mentioned that Erin and Simon wrote an article about foraging mushrooms in the local area. Anyone?

 

[JBowie]

Also, I'm sure that in early reporting re Simon and Erin taking over the community newspaper from Simon's parents, it was mentioned that Erin and Simon wrote an article about foraging mushrooms in the local area. Anyone?

Are you maybe thinking of this?

Now a coincidental detail published in an edition of The Burra Flyer under Ms Patterson’s editorship has come to light.

The 2019 September-November edition of the newsletter included details of a local workshop teaching people in the community how to grow their own mushrooms.

In the Korumburra workshop people would be taught “how to grow gourmet mushrooms at home using easy to source materials and low-tech methods”.

“The class includes making your own oyster mushroom grow bag to take home, teaching notes and a delicious afternoon tea,” the notice in the newsletter read.

A mushroom growing workshop was advertised in The Burra Flyer. Picture: The Burra Flyer


Ms Patterson edited The Burra Flyer newsletter from 2018 to 2020 after taking it over from Gail and Don.

During her time editing the newsletter, the mum-of-two often included photos taken by her now estranged ex Simon, with multiple pictures showing their two children enjoying various activities around the local area.

Simon’s photographs were also a common feature in the newsletter when it was run by his parents, with the June-August 2016 issue standing out from the others.

The front page photo showed a group of poisonous red toadstools on a nature strip, which was taken by Simon.

These vibrantly coloured fungi, also called Amanita muscaria, are known to pop up across southern Australia and thrive in wet conditions.

Amanita muscaria belong to the same genus as death cap mushroom and are toxic to both humans and animals.

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/coincidental-detail-in-local-newsletter-edited-by-erin-patterson-years-before-mushroom-deaths/news-story/0c6467f0054f2ab3faa442d8dd28bd3d