Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #14 *Arrest*

[JBowie]

I truly feel sorry for Colin Mandy. Not because of Erin's supposed guilt, but because he would have been subject to her controlling and arrogant nature

It's the nature of the job. Like plumbers, barristers deal with crap all day and they charge accordingly.

 

[MaxDecimus13]

She purchased the Dehydrator on May 28, 2023.
She disposed of it on August 2, 2023.

God, dehydrators don't last like they used to!

 

[Kemug]

In this case, you mean? Or in general?

Well, I meant in relation to your post about "stalking and harrassing", but either, or, or both. Just if you think it's possible.

 

[Old Soul]

Remember how she was taking notes during Dr Rogers' closing? You can be sure she'd prepared a list of things that Mr Mandy could talk about.

One has to wonder, at some point early on, did he just stand back and say "That's a marvellous idea Erin, I'm sure you'll do a terrific job taking the stand at your own murder trial".

She’s probably knocking out a quick law degree while on remand

 

[Baby baby Jane]

IMO he's doing that because, as I've opined here before, people naturally ask themselves "Why did he/she do <whatever>?", especially when they are put into a position to have to make a judgement on that action.

IMO Mandy is trying to address that natural tendency by telling the jurors that there was no reason.

Something that leads to the no motive motive …. Is that there is not much presented in regards to Erin’s character, other than:

1. Doting mother
2. Unhappy partner / ex-partner to SP
3. Real estate portfolio
5. Built dream house which is complete
6. Bulimia / low self esteem

Is there anything else that defines her and how she spends her days? There just seems to be something “missing” …

Not dissing Introverts, nor home makers, idle or financially comfortable.
Just there’s not much information for understanding who EP is.

 

[JBowie]

there’s not much information for understanding who EP is.

Member @Detective has hinted as to why that is the case.

 

[Old Soul]

She purchased the Dehydrator on May 28, 2023.
She disposed of it on August 2, 2023.

Yep, the dehydrator was disposed of before any of the guests had died.
Seems like someone knew just how lethal death caps were.

 

[Megnut]

Her Facebook avatar suggests a different occupation.

Love potion #9, eye of newt... boil and bubble...

 

[Megnut]

IMO he's doing that because, as I've opined here before, people naturally ask themselves "Why did he/she do <whatever>?", especially when they are put into a position to have to make a judgement on that action.

IMO Mandy is trying to address that natural tendency by telling the jurors that there was no reason.

And by highlighting the motive issue, IMO he actually provided one --

JMO

 

[Warshawski]

Erin is not a foodie. She’s the type to make her kids chicken nuggets and chips for dinner, and coco pops for breakfast.

Foraging for and eating exotic mushrooms for their flavours isn’t something I can imagine Erin doing. IMO

Wow, no wonder her son said the steak they had for dinner was the best meat he’d ever eaten !
Hope they don’t grow up with unhealthy eating habits.

 

[Moll]

And by highlighting the motive issue, IMO he actually provided one --

JMO

Did he?
I'm assuming the judge will reiterate that motive is not required for conviction. I can recall other cases (e.g. the 2017 trial in England for the murder of Helen Bailey by Ian Stewart, later also convicted of the earlier murder of his wife) where the defence produced all sorts of unlikely arguments in closing, to the dismay of Websleuthers: in fact Mr Mandy was restrained by comparison. But the judge's summing up clarified everything for the jury.

 

[Kemug]

Love potion #9, eye of newt... boil and bubble...

"Double double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble" - comes from Shakespeare's Macbeth. Erin is certainly trouble.

 

[MaxDecimus13]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>

Talking of said podcast, I distinctly got the feeling today that they were still very pro-Erin. Rachael seemed almost gleeful at times.

There was a question at the end that really made me wonder whether the prosecution have made a serious error by not using scientists to demonstrate that throwing up wouldn't have helped.

A listener basically asked the question but in a way to suggest that maybe her being sick was why she didn't get poisoned the same. She did query how long it took, but all the podcasters was say was that the prosecution never demonstrated it.

It only takes 1 juror to be thinking the same.

 

[CityKid]

They can't be seen any other way and the jury have been told about the resets a couple of times now and the significance can't be lost on them.

When the defence get their turn, all Mandy can really do now is take up as much time as he possibly can, hoping the impact of the damming evidence is lost or at least watered down with the passage of time.

BBM. IMO a factory reset is not something most people do on a regular basis. It's more often a troubleshooting thing rather than a basic part of maintenance. I think the fact that EP performed multiple factory resets on multiple phones, including one that was in the possession of the police, will really not sit well with the jury.

 

[katydid23]

He asks the jury what "scientific" reasons there might be for why Ms Patterson was less sick than her other lunch guests and criticises the prosecution for not leading more evidence on this matter. abc.net.au

I am trying to recall if anything came up on here around this point. I did do a quick dive into it at one point but I was unable to find anything. It's all unprecedented.

If she had served a Cobb Salad with death caps sliced up and mixed into the salads, some people might have died while others escaped death, just out of sheer luck.

But once she powdered those death caps and mixed them in with the mushroom paste, in side of each guest's individual BW, every one else was going to get a heavy dosage of toxins.

Except her because her individual pastry was free of powdered death caps. By design.

 

[Warshawski]

This is one of the great inconsistencies with her account. I'm not sure she was ever asked about if she tasted it again.

Innocent or guilty, I'm pretty sure we can call bull on this account. If innocent, I think she used foraged mushrooms from the very beginning and has has built a house of cards in trying to make herself less to blame.

If guilty, it seems very likely she added them as a powder. After all, they didn't find any actual DC mushrooms in the duxelle.

Prosecutor Rogers: You would have tasted the duxelles after adding the additional rehydrated mushrooms, to ensure they were now tasty enough ?

Patterson: You might have, but I didn’t .

Just My Thoughts on how such an exchange might have gone. MOO

 

[Spectrix]

Yep, the dehydrator was disposed of before any of the guests had died.
Seems like someone knew just how lethal death caps were.

I'm reminded that Erin has been pushing the Asian grocer mushroom idea all throughout the trial, and claims that she didn't realise that her own foraged mushrooms might have somehow been introduced into the meal.

My rhetorical question for Erin -
Explain again why you disposed of the dehydrator almost immediately?

 

[Baby baby Jane]

Talking of said podcast, I distinctly got the feeling today that they were still very pro-Erin. Rachael seemed almost gleeful at times.

There was a question at the end that really made me wonder whether the prosecution have made a serious error by not using scientists to demonstrate that throwing up wouldn't have helped.

A listener basically asked the question but in a way to suggest that maybe her being sick was why she didn't get poisoned the same. She did query how long it took, but all the podcasters was say was that the prosecution never demonstrated it.

It only takes 1 juror to be thinking the same.

Protection might have avoided this kind of witness because—- there isn’t human research on DC where a scientist could say: …
Dose of X amount after 1 hour would have ABC effect on body
After 2 hours
Vomiting would leave this amount in body..

There are no lab tests poisoning people, and DC poisoning rare and often the person dead so can’t give good evidence.

Info available:
People weights, ages & health, mushroom potency, amount eaten …. All just based on interviews with no facts.

As there is no “factual scientific tested” data. Defense would easily get a witness to admit that there is not firm science about vomiting and defense would be stronger.

 

[L_B]

Yep, the dehydrator was disposed of before any of the guests had died.
Seems like someone knew just how lethal death caps were.

So say she was innocent, and dumping the dehydrator was from pure panic.... let's not forget there was death cap residue found inside it! So by the defense argument she didn't do anything on purpose - was Erin aware she had dehydrated death caps, or she thought all along her foraged mushrooms were "ok" ones?

 

[Kemug]

I'm reminded that Erin has been pushing the Asian grocer mushroom idea all throughout the trial, and claims that she didn't realise that her own foraged mushrooms might have somehow been introduced into the meal.

My rhetorical question for Erin -
Explain again why you disposed of the dehydrator almost immediately?

"Well it was dirty, it had bits of some sort of mushrooms stuck to it."