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

[Detechtive]

No, sorry if that was confusing. It’s the same medication used with tylenol (paracetamol) overdose but it’s not specific for death caps, just liver injury.

They gave her fentanyl rather than simple analgesia like tylenol for her headache because tylenol/paracetamol could theoretically have made any liver issues worse and they didn’t know she hadn’t also consumed death caps.

Except her liver was fine

Oh I see your point. Yes but I believe that all painkiller medication is processed by the liver and has a toxic load. Paracetamol is the worst, I believe.

I’ve had my share of fentanyl in hospital for 10/10 extreme pain, they don’t like giving it unless your pain is very bad. They will usually offer other less extreme pain relief options before going to fentanyl. I wouldn’t be surprised if she lied about her pain to get it. Imo

 

[MrJ]

Interesting! Showing empathy now!

Key Event
1m ago
Hospital's lack of information on lunch guests made Erin 'anxious'

By Joseph Dunstan

Leongatha Hospital nurse Kylie Ashton has previously told the court that when Erin Patterson returned to the hospital, she was reluctant to undergo a formal assessment in a patient bay.

"I wasn't willing to come into a bay to be hooked up for IV, not sure about that formal/informal assessment," Ms Patterson tells the court.

Ms Patterson says she was "anxious" because she couldn't get information from Ms Ashton about what was happening to the other lunch guests on Monday.

"I can't remember her talking to me about the others at all," Ms Patterson says.

Dr Rogers recaps that Ms Ashton's evidence was that Ms Patterson would probably need to receive liver-protecting treatment in light of the suspected death cap mushroom poisoning.

"I just remember being told I needed treatment for the mushroom poisoning, something like that," Ms Patterson says.

 

[Shortfusepsb]

What phone did she make the call back to the hospital on? Get her to be specific on that... Then pull the records.

 

[L_B]

Erin’s son didn’t notice her stopping the car and running off into the bush to poo? Is this another lie?

I am not sure who is lying in this case (if she actually did the bush or not), but her version is to give a reason she went into the petrol station toilet for 9 seconds, to throw out the tissues...

 

[Detechtive]

Interesting! Showing empathy now!

Key Event
1m ago
Hospital's lack of information on lunch guests made Erin 'anxious'

By Joseph Dunstan

Leongatha Hospital nurse Kylie Ashton has previously told the court that when Erin Patterson returned to the hospital, she was reluctant to undergo a formal assessment in a patient bay.

"I wasn't willing to come into a bay to be hooked up for IV, not sure about that formal/informal assessment," Ms Patterson tells the court.

Ms Patterson says she was "anxious" because she couldn't get information from Ms Ashton about what was happening to the other lunch guests on Monday.

"I can't remember her talking to me about the others at all," Ms Patterson says.

Dr Rogers recaps that Ms Ashton's evidence was that Ms Patterson would probably need to receive liver-protecting treatment in light of the suspected death cap mushroom poisoning.

"I just remember being told I needed treatment for the mushroom poisoning, something like that," Ms Patterson says.

Oh boy, her prior testimony said she was going to hospital to get a saline / IV drip

 

[katydid23]

I wonder what her defence said to her to prepare

I'm starting to think they just kind of let her do her thing. She may be so disagreeable, obstinate and difficult that they just gave her the best advice they could and just let her roll...

 

[L_B]

"I can't remember her talking to me about the others at all," Ms Patterson says.

didn't this nurse testify she couldn't give information due to patient confidentiality?

 

[MsMarple]

3m ago12.50 AEST
Erin Patterson says she told doctor she bought most ingredients of lunch at Woolworths

The line of questioning turns to Patterson’s arrival at Leongatha hospital on 31 July 2023 - two days after the lunch.

Patterson arrived shortly after 8am, the court hears.

She rejects that Dr Chris Webster asked her where she purchased the mushrooms for the beef wellingtons.

Patterson says she remembers Webster asking if she bought or made the beef wellingtons.

That stuck in my memory because I didn’t know you could buy them pre-made.

Patterson says she told him the majority of ingredients were purchased from Woolworths.

Patterson recalled asking Webster why he thought the lunch attendees had consumed death cap mushrooms.

She says he walked away and is unsure if he heard her.

 

[Detechtive]

I am not sure who is lying in this case (if she actually did the bush or not), but her version is to give a reason she went into the petrol station toilet for 9 seconds, to throw out the tissues...

A teen son would be mortified by her going on the side of the road, imo. They wouldn’t forget it

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago03.54 BST
Erin Patterson is asked about discharging herself from Leongtha hospital against medical advice.

She rejects a suggestion by prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC that she did not answer Webster’s calls or voicemails when she discharged herself.

Patterson says she responded twice to Dr Chris Webster’s calls by ringing the hospital.

Rogers says Patterson left Leongatha hospital at 8.10am and returned at 9.48am.

Patterson says she cannot remember the specific time.

 

[LinasK]

I agree. I think she was banking on that 48 hours. Ironically using the mushrooms in the beef wellington was her undoing though I think, firstly because her victims sought medical attention so quickly (within 48 hours) and secondly because the doctors were smart enough to work out mushrooms = possible death caps. If she had just sprinkled the powder in some muffins for example () the doctors may never have suspected death caps. All MOO.

I think you're right. Nobody else would ever think to hide mushrooms in muffins, yet by adding mushrooms to the dish- instead of "it couldn't be the mushrooms, they were the non-toxic kind", it alerts the authorities to the possibility that DC's were also used and hidden in the dish.

 

[Jake18]

How hard is it to find a place that actually does bariatric surgeries? If you are going to swear in court that you had an appointment for one, I mean.

This is why I think she’s not in touch with reality.

 

[Shortfusepsb]

Topic/Event	Memory Quality	Helps or Hurts Her Position	Commentary
Describing plating of beef Wellington	Vague	Hurts	Claims she doesn’t remember plating specifics, despite it being the key event.
Colour of plates used (vs Ian Wilkinson’s evidence)	Defensive / Conflicted	Hurts	Denies grey/orange plate claim; later says “maybe it was the kindergarten plate.”
Level of consumption at the lunch	Evasive / Variable	Hurts	Sometimes “half,” sometimes “don’t recall,” varies across audiences.
Recollection of being seen drinking coffee Monday morning	Firm (denial)	Helps	Denies drinking coffee; insists it was lemon and ginger tea.
Recollection of son's quote about skipping church	Detailed & Contradictory	Helps	Rejects son’s memory; provides full alternative version of the exchange.
Her post-lunch vomiting and diarrhoea	Variable / Selective	Mixed	Describes vomiting in some detail; diarrhoea frequency shifts across retellings.
Trip to Tyabb – toilet stop in bushes	Firm (conflicting)	Hurts	Insists on roadside stop; son says she didn’t need the toilet at all.
Doctor Webster asking about mushrooms	Reframed	Mixed	Acknowledges “Woolworths” but disputes context of the question.
Attempting to return calls to the hospital	Vague	Hurts	Can’t recall exact time; insists she tried twice despite 3 voicemails.
Refusing hospital bay admission	Rationalised	Mixed	Admits reluctance, says it was about IVs and anxiety, not non-compliance.
Recollection of son's witness statement details	Detailed	Helps	Eager to provide alternate version—suggests selective clarity.

 

[MrJ]

Key Event
1m ago

Joseph Dunstan profile image
By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers then walks through other aspects of nurse Kylie Ashton's evidence, including the conversation she had with Erin about being admitted.

The court hears Ms Patterson told her she wasn't prepared to be admitted to hospital and needed to go and look after her animals.

Dr Rogers puts to Ms Patterson that the nurse had told her about other unwell guests and warned her that her life was at risk.

"She did not say that," Ms Patterson says.

She says that there was "no conversation" about her children at this point, refuting another part of the nurse's evidence being relayed to her by Dr Rogers.

Ms Patterson agrees she signed a "discharge against medical advice" form and then left the hospital.

 

[Jake18]

Oh I see your point. Yes but I believe that all painkiller medication is processed by the liver and has a toxic load. Paracetamol is the worst, I believe.

I’ve had my share of fentanyl in hospital for 10/10 extreme pain, they don’t like giving it unless your pain is very bad. They will usually offer other less extreme pain relief options before going to fentanyl. I wouldn’t be surprised if she lied about her pain to get it. Imo

IIRC when she complained of a 7/10 headache in the ambulance the paramedics which analgesia she could have that wouldn’t aggravate a (non existent) liver insult. And intranasal fentanyl was cleared as being ok.

 

[katydid23]

Who's actually believing this on the jury?

1m ago
Car drive to Tyabb

By Joseph Dunstan

The prosecutor's line of questioning then returns to the car trip to Tyabb made by Erin and her children on Sunday for a planned flying lesson for Erin's son.

The court hears Erin's son told police that at no time on the trip did his mother need to go to the toilet.

Last week Ms Patterson told the court her diarrhoea had forced her to stop by the side of the highway and relieve herself in some bushes.

The court briefly focuses on the frustration Erin Patterson expressed to her son's flying instructor when the lesson was cancelled at the last minute after they'd travelled about an hour from Leongatha.

"Pretty sure I did complain, yes ... because I'd had a lot of problems with Tyabb over the months that [my son] was doing his flying lessons," Ms Patterson says.

On the way back, Ms Patterson says they stopped at Koo Wee Rup and her children got out of the car. She says her son bought her a coffee, which she drank a little of. She says she probably threw the rest out.

I'm driving a car on a 3 hour round trip, in my nice cream pants, after having diarrhoea all night, and so I start drinking coffee on the way back, after previously having to stop and go poop by the side of the road. None of this rings true. IMO

 

[Jake18]

I am not sure who is lying in this case (if she actually did the bush or not), but her version is to give a reason she went into the petrol station toilet for 9 seconds, to throw out the tissues...

If that was true (it wasn’t) it means she didn’t even wash her hands

 

[lazymaiden07]

Is this all becoming a bit of a farce? Like a really bad episode of Judge Judy?

IMO, the only tactic I can think of here is 'flooding the zone' (which Trump is said to have very successfully employed). Yes, it's applies to politics but some of it is reminiscent here- 'it works not by creating a consensus around any particular narrative but by muddying the waters so that consensus isn’t achievable' It's aims are to overwhelm, disorient and manipulate. Maybe I'm reaching here....just a thought.

There are so many alleged inconsistencies in EP's evidence, how will the prosecution have time to debunk them all? And how will the jury process and disseminate all this information?

 

[Eloise]

Interesting! Showing empathy now!

Key Event
1m ago
Hospital's lack of information on lunch guests made Erin 'anxious'

By Joseph Dunstan

Leongatha Hospital nurse Kylie Ashton has previously told the court that when Erin Patterson returned to the hospital, she was reluctant to undergo a formal assessment in a patient bay.

"I wasn't willing to come into a bay to be hooked up for IV, not sure about that formal/informal assessment," Ms Patterson tells the court.

Ms Patterson says she was "anxious" because she couldn't get information from Ms Ashton about what was happening to the other lunch guests on Monday.

"I can't remember her talking to me about the others at all," Ms Patterson says.

Dr Rogers recaps that Ms Ashton's evidence was that Ms Patterson would probably need to receive liver-protecting treatment in light of the suspected death cap mushroom poisoning.

"I just remember being told I needed treatment for the mushroom poisoning, something like that," Ms Patterson says.

empathy? or just 'anxious' to find out the results of her alleged actions

Is this all becoming a bit of a farce? Like a really bad episode of Judge Judy?

IMO, the only tactic I can think of here is 'flooding the zone' (which Trump is said to have very successfully employed). Yes, it's applies to politics but some of it is reminiscent here- 'it works not by creating a consensus around any particular narrative but by muddying the waters so that consensus isn’t achievable' It's aims are to overwhelm, disorient and manipulate. Maybe I'm reaching here....just a thought.

There are so many alleged inconsistencies in EP's evidence, how will the prosecution have time to debunk them all? And how will the jury process and disseminate all this information?

i've wondered the same; I just hope things are being made much more clear for the jury than the reporting would make it seem

 

[MrJ]

Key Event
Just now
Erin 'anxious' and 'stressed' at hospital presentation

By Joseph Dunstan

Dr Rogers puts to Erin Patterson that she was "stressed" during that hospital visit because the doctors had suggested death cap mushroom poisoning had occurred.

"I suggest that you were shocked that the doctors were onto death cap ... so quickly," Dr Rogers says.

"I was anxious at the idea that we might have eaten those things," Erin says.

"And you were worried that you were going to get caught. Correct or incorrect?" Dr Rogers asks.

"Incorrect," Erin replies.

"... You weren't prepared to answer questions about why death cap mushrooms were in the meal. Correct or incorrect?" Dr Rogers asks.

"I'm not sure anyone asked me ... so I'm not sure what you're referring to," Erin replies.

The jury then breaks for lunch.

BBM. Who's 'we'? I know she means her guests. But c'monnnn, Erin, you weren't showing any symptoms of DC poisoning. Be for real!