Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #15 *Arrest*

[drsleuth]

12:58

Evidence of surviving lunch guest picked apart​

Mr Mandy has suggested the evidence of surviving guest pastor Ian Wilkinson (pictured right) and that of Patterson about what was discussed at the lunch was 'was not far apart'.
Patterson told the jury she led her guests to believe she needed medical treatment.
But Patterson also admitted lying to her guests, telling the jury she was 'embarrassed' about her weight issues.
Mr Mandy said Patterson said she had tried to communicate she was undergoing 'investigations' about ovarian cancer.
The jury was reminded Mr Wilkinson gave evidence that Patterson told them she had some sort of cancer.
Mr Wilkinson said they discussed a diagnostic test which showed a spot on the scan that indicated cancer.
'Patterson wanted advice on how to tell the children,' Mr Wilkinson previously told the jury.
However, Mr Mandy said Mr Wilkinson had earlier told police Patterson said she 'suspected' she had cancer and they didn't discuss any type of treatment.
Mr Mandy went through Mr Wilkinson's evidence again with the jury.
'She named a type of cancer,' Mr Mandy said Mr Wilkinson had said.
Mr Mandy said Patterson told the truth at the trial about what she had said and done at the lunch.


13:02

Prosecution theory slammed as 'illogical'​

Mr Mandy has asked what would be the point of talking about cancer after Patterson's guests had eaten the food served at the lunch.
He reminded the jury the conversation happened after Patterson and her guests had all eaten lunch.
'If this was a ruse there was no need to have the conversation, because the deed … the consumption of food had already happened,' Mr Mandy said.
'On the Crown case her objective had already been achieved.'
Mr Mandy said the lie about cancer had 'absolutely nothing to do' with allegedly killing them.
'There’s no point telling them the story after they'd eaten the food,' Mr Mandy said.
Mr Mandy said the prosecution's notion Patterson believed the lunch guests would take her cancer claim story to the grave was an 'illogical and irrational theory'.
Mr Mandy said the only conclusion the jury could draw was Patterson lied about having cancer.

Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates

Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial here.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Cliff Hardy]

"The defence then moves to April and May of 2023.

He says his client had a problem with self-image and her weight, and was known to have purchased dieting books."

Not relevant IMO.

He should have bought a violin player in to help set the mood he is trying to paint.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

It looks like kid drawing to me (mostly the youngest, I would say). Spelling errors, Minecraft themes, etc.

Why do kids ever want to draw on walls? Like I said, I know she was getting that house ready for sale at the time, and had a painter come in to repaint the walls - the person who sold this image to the media. IMO

Either way, I find it really disturbing that this was in the media - the kids shouldn't be involved in this, they've been through enough IMO.

Her kids did it for sure, but why would they do drawings and write comments about their grandparents being dead? It makes me think that they had overheard Erin talking negatively about them...

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Clinics don't offer bariatric consultations, ever. Only bariatric surgeons do! Surely you wouldn't forget making an appointment with a surgeon.

Why is it even relevant?

 

[Woolly]

2m ago

Dehydrator purchase makes no sense for planned murder, defence says​

Surviving lunch guest 'honestly mistaken', defence tells Erin Patterson jury — as it happened

Erin Patterson's defence lawyer is continuing his closing address to the jury after eight weeks of evidence in the triple-murder trial.

www.abc.net.au

By Judd Boaz​

Mr Mandy then addresses Erin Patterson's purchase of a dehydrator.

"If the plan is to, for one meal, you don't need to buy a dehydrator," he says. "You can dehydrate things in the oven … one off, why do you need a dehydrator? Fan forced, low temperature."

Perhaps she didn’t want to contaminate her regular oven by drying death caps in it? It doesn’t seem odd at all that you might want a separate (more easily disposed of) appliance for preparing poisons…

 

[Deleted member 363451]

'It's a fact, it's evidence, it's not made up,' he [Mandy] said.
He said Patterson would 'pick all kinds of mushrooms'.
He said when Patterson found a mushroom she didn't know, she would try it and if it was okay 'eat more of it'.

Wait what? Who walks around picking random mushrooms they can’t identify and then eating them? If that were true, she would have poisoned herself long before making any beef Wellingtons.

(Also, if someone says, “it’s a fact, it’s evidence, it’s not made up” I’m definitely inclined to think it’s totally made up.)

Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates

Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial here.

www.dailymail.co.uk

What a nonsense argument from Colin Manday.

 

[Bats]

As a defence barrister doing his job, I think Colin Mandy seems to be doing some exceptional work so far in his closing.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

I often randomly research for lethal toxins out of idle curiosity, the same toxins that so happen to kill a bunch of people I made lunch for, doesn't everyone? Come on Mr Mandy!

IMO only.

He reminded the jury it was not the prosecution case that the search had anything to do with preparing or planning the lunch.
Mr Mandy said it was a “very brief interaction” with the website to find out or “make sure” that death caps do not grow in South Gippsland.

And he expects the jury to believe that after she established that Death Caps do indeed grow in South Gippsland and she identified what they looked like online, she then went to the very locations where Death Caps had been seen and then proceeded to pick them and put them in the lunch she prepared for her relatives?

Pull the other one mate!

 

[Deleted member 363451]

As a defence barrister doing his job, I think Colin Mandy seems to be doing an exceptional job so far in closing.

He's full of something explosive, that's for sure.

 

[MsMarple]

10m ago13.22 AEST
Colin Mandy SC turns to the evidence from Erin Patterson that she bought dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer months before the July 2023 lunch.

He says it is “very probable” Patterson bought dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer in April, pointing to evidence that her account of the packaging was consistent with those sold in those stores.

Mandy says it’s unlikely Patterson would buy a dehydrator if she only required it for the beef wellington lunch.

“You can dehydrate things in the oven,” he says.

Mandy says it is “much more likely” to be for a “long-term project or hobby”.

 

[Woolly]

Surviving lunch guest 'honestly mistaken', defence tells Erin Patterson jury — as it happened

Erin Patterson's defence lawyer is continuing his closing address to the jury after eight weeks of evidence in the triple-murder trial.

www.abc.net.au

By Judd Boaz​

He then contests the prosecution's argument that Ms Patterson tried to hide mushrooms inside the beef Wellington, saying there would be no need to hide mushrooms inside a mushroom paste.

Mr Mandy refers to it as one of "many, many" logical inconsistences in the prosecution case.

While we have discussed the pros and cons of hiding deadly mushrooms in a dish that is meant to contain mushrooms (vs in a pie or some such), surely it’s not illogical to think that one might hide death caps inside a mushroom paste…

I wonder where Mr. Mandy thinks the most logical place would be for them lol

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Perhaps she didn’t want to contaminate her regular oven by drying death caps in it? It doesn’t seem odd at all that you might want a separate (more easily disposed of) appliance for preparing poisons…

Yes, I think you're right about her not wanting to contaminate her regular oven.

 

[ch_13]

Mandy says it’s unlikely Patterson would buy a dehydrator if she only required it for the beef wellington lunch.

“You can dehydrate things in the oven,” he says.

The oven is fine in general, but you need a dehydrator if you really need to get all the moisture out, for example if you want to turn mushrooms into a powder.

 

[Lisa4]

Her kids did it for sure, but why would they do drawings and write comments about their grandparents being dead? It makes me think that they had overheard Erin talking negatively about them...

I'd be guessing it was about their maternal grandmother who was already dead?

I've often noticed young boys who like to draw do go through a stage of rather violent drawings, be it monster wars or gun battles or the like. Cartoons/comic books are full of over the top nonsensical violence.
Really I don't see anything here more than just that.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

He should have bought a violin player in to help set the mood he is trying to paint.

No wonder they are having frequent breaks, it's to wake the jury up..!

 

[Detechtive]

‘Many logical implausibilities’ in prosecution’s case​

ByMarta Pascual Juanola
After dissecting the details of the lunch conversation and timing, defence lawyer Colin Mandy, SC, has turned to the topic of the mushrooms Erin Patterson had purchased from the Asian store. Mandy said the packaging Patterson had described was consistent with what a Monash City Council worker had found during an investigation after the lunch.

The defence barrister then turned to evidence about the dehydrator and said there was no need to buy one for a one-off meal, since one could dehydrate things in the oven at a low temperature, and the purchase spoke instead to a longer-term hobby.

“Why would you need to hide mushrooms in a mushroom paste?” Mandy said. “Why would you need that?”

Mandy said it was one of “many logical implausibilities” in the prosecution’s case.

The court has now paused for lunch, and will return at 2.15pm.

Erin Patterson murder trial day 34 as it happened: Defence barrister Colin Mandy tells jury accused mushroom cook wanted to be close to in-laws; may have reacted differently to consuming to poison

Patterson’s barrister will continue his closing address in Morwell’s courtroom four on Thursday, after the judge warned jurors to expect a long direction from the bench next week.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Scooby-Doo]

The thing that puzzles me is, if you plan to kill Simon and his family.

Why would you proceed if Simon wasn't coming? Why not postpone it so he will be there?

 

[Scooby-Doo]

He should have bought a violin player in to help set the mood he is trying to paint.

 

[katydid23]

Death cap mushroom sightings very rare, defence says​

Mr Mandy emphasises to the jury the rarity of death cap mushrooms in Gippsland.


He says the two sightings were by Dr Tom May and Christine McKenzie, who both served as witnesses in this trial.


Mr Mandy implies it is unlikely that Ms Patterson would have been poised and waiting for the incredibly rare sightings to be made before going to pick them.

But then again, there were death cap traces on her dehydrator and in the meal she served. So it does potentially follow that she might have been planning to use death caps in the future and so when she saw online pictures of recent sightings she went and grabbed them, imo

That's why it's hard to understand why she did what she did, not that there would be any reason for her to have done it. She was moving to Phillip Island, her kids weren't going to see as much of Simon and his family. She could have made a brand new life for herself and now she's totally ruined her life and the life of her children...

True, for a 'normal' emotionally healthy person, one could just move on with their life and learn to co-parent in a civil way.

But what if the person in question had serious mental health issues? Sometimes that prevents them from letting go of old hurts and resentments.

I think that EP might be an "Injustice Collector" ---someone who cannot let go of past incidents and they feel disrespected and betrayed and those petty emotions can take over entirely.

 

[drsleuth]

The thing that puzzles me is, if you plan to kill Simon and his family.

Why would you proceed if Simon wasn't coming? Why not postpone it so he will be there?

Revenge??