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

[L_B]

I just looked back on the testimony of Dr Truong because that is the first that I have heard that.


On August 2, 2023, she took the food to her work laboratory and “conducted exactly the same investigation” at her office as she had at home. Dr Truong said there were “no signs” of death cap mushrooms in the food sample.

On both inspections, however she found field mushrooms.

“The name is agaricus bisporus. This is the typical mushrooms that you find in a supermarket,” she said. “That is the only mushroom that I found in this food item.”

Dr Truong’s colleague, mycologist Tom May, on Wednesday told the court death cap mushrooms can look like non-toxic mushrooms such as “young puffballs”.

“In general, young puffballs are regarded as edible,” he said.

‘NO SIGN’ OF DEATH CAPS IN LUNCH LEFTOVERS

‘NO SIGN’ OF DEATH CAPS IN LUNCH LEFTOVERS

todayspaper.theaustralian.com.au

Hmmmm, so defense are saying there is the button mushrooms, the mystery asian mushrooms plus the deathcaps. But these professionals are saying they only found one type (at least visually).

 

[Monstradamus]

It's relevant because she used that 'SCHEDULED' bariatric surgery as her excuse for lying to the in-laws about her needing chemotherapy soon. And that she needed help with the kids during the surgery, etc.

And that could have made some people sympathetic about her reason for lying about the cancer.

So when we found out that there was NO surgery scheduled and never was any scheduled, that is important because it shows she was just MANIPULATING her audience when she told that excuse for the cancer lie.

The she pivoted and said she meant liposuction not bariatric surgery----but that makes no sense because she wouldn't need childcare help for a Lipo treatment.

But that liposuction explanation was another lie because she never had a scheduled liposuction either.

Just like a Sara Lee dish. Layer, upon layer, upon layer. She lies to cover her lies. So much more difficult to remember a lie than the truth. Disgraceful

 

[Jake18]

I don't think she successfully 'stood up' to anybody. She did speak up and reacted confidently---but was caught in multiple bald-faced lies.

She bickered over petty details while then conceding big important lies. Having to admit she lied repeatedly about her cover up, and her fake cancer treatments, etc. And she stubbornly lied about foraging, even as her lunch guests were near death.

I really wouldn't call her time in the box a wild success. IMO


Agree to disagree.

I’ve been thinking about the Pistorius trial - which is how I came to this site in the first place - and how Pistorius worked so hard to try to show remorse.

Erin, in contrast, during her testimony wasn’t, was she? Oppositional answers, pedantic word games, huffing and puffing while being cross-examined.

I’m perplexed by this. Nobody likes a smart-alec. I’m wary of saying that defendants need to be likeable, and appreciate how demeaning that may come across, especially for women. But - I wonder why she isn’t trying to present herself to the jury as warmer and more caring?

 

[Deleted member 363451]

"He says if Patterson wanted to mislead her guests she would have mentioned the medical issue before the lunch"

SHE DID discuss her medical issues before the lunch. She lied to Gail about that biopsy of her elbow lump and made it sound like more issues were to be talked about soon...

Colin isn't on the ball...

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Notice how the prosecution closing was laid out and grouped all the points together, to lay it out all nicely to the jury and for their case to "make sense".

The defense closing is going back and forth on the various topics, to confuse the jurors right?

I noticed the same thing. Dr Rogers was much more organised in her summary.

 

[Monstradamus]

So why did it take her months to use the Death Cap mushrooms (by which time they would have stunk) and not tasted one herself beforehand to see how full of nutrition & flavour they were?

Of course had she tasted one after she ‘foraged’ for them 3 other people would still be alive today and not suffered excruciating painful & unpleasant deaths.

Waiting for the right moment, perhaps? Foraged them, bought a dehydrator same day, possibly powdered them and popped them in a Tupperware container in the Pantry. As you do.
MOO

 

[Deleted member 363451]

RSBM
It sounds like Mr Mandy thinks Erin is a liar, and has questionable morals. IMO

Yes, he should have said allegedly being a liar or morally incorrect.

 

[BerylTutu]

Key Event
1m ago

More on the plates used at lunch​

​

By Judd Boaz​

Mr Mandy goes to the police interview of Ms Patterson's son, who also claimed to see white plates.

Her son described the plates as 15cm in diameter, with a 5cm edge on them.

Mr Mandy tells the jury to ignore the size suggested by Ms Patterson's son, as that would make them very small.

He instead tells the jury to focus on the colour of the plates.

Similarly, Ms Patterson's daughter reported seeing white plates to police.

Mr Mandy says the prosecution is asking the jury to ignore the testimony of the accused, Simon, their two children and their son's friend and to only take Ian Wilkinson at his word.

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

As previously posted recently, this part of the evidence really bothers me! Those “white” plates that the son mentioned clearing from the table would have been cake plates IMO. Of course they were smaller! There is just no way that she would have served that meal with gravy in the BW and potato and beans and then served cake on the same plates.
It bothers me so much that nobody ever thought to ask deeper questions about this or investigate that angle further.
Also…couldn’t she have gotten rid of some plates in the week it took police to search the house?
Lastly, the defence has had issue several times with the colour of the “tan/orangey” plate but I believe the fact was, there was a different coloured plate to the 4 others. It’s become a sticking point which makes it sound confusing but it didn’t need to be and I hope the jury sees through that.
IMO of course.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Are they now denying that she foraged and collected enough death caps to kill the lunch guests?


"Mr Mandy asked why his client would be looking for more death caps if she got all she needed in April....
According to them, she's got all that she needs… and there's no need, in our submission, for her to get any more on May 22."

This ^^^ is a weird statement that they are wanting to 'prove.'

So their contention is their client 'got all the death caps she needed by April?"

OK, if you say so.

Did Colin forget that he was representing the defence?

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

The smaller white plates the children had seen were dessert plates, imo. The children arrived home during dessert (orange cake and fruit) so it makes sense that the deadly BW plates had already been cleared away.

I did mention before I wonder if Police scoured all her photos to see if they could spot those grey plates? Were some on disposed of Phone A? You do wonder what was hiding on that phone.

I assume they also checked for purchases of dinner plates? I wouldn’t think EP would use some old mismatched set for such an important & special meal especially if they might only be used once!

 

[Detechtive]

I did mention before I wonder if Police scoured all her photos to see if they could spot those grey plates? Were some on disposed of Phone A? You do wonder what was hiding on that phone.

I assume they also checked for purchases of dinner plates? I wouldn’t think EP would use some old mismatched set for such an important & special meal especially if they might only be used once!

Police didn't locate all of her photos because she erased them from her devices.

Erin was a fan of op-shopping. She was very frugal. I could imagine some thrift shopping prior to the lunch, IMO.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Police didn't locate all of her photos because she erased them from her devices.

Erin was a fan of op-shopping. She was very frugal. I could imagine some thrift shopping prior to the lunch, IMO.

Picking your own mushrooms is probably a sign of that to!!

 

[Ellery84]

Sorry wasn’t sure how to post Woolly’s reply from yesterday.

Has anyone else read or listened to the book Pagan Spring and the meal that apparently included a Death Cap poisoning?

I understand EP used a witch as her Facebook profile picture which I find interesting.

Oh wow.

 

[katydid23]

Key Event
9m ago

Defence describes factors explaining Erin Patterson's more mild illness​

​

By Judd Boaz​

Mr Mandy says that according to the literature available, the degree of someone's illness after eating death cap mushrooms depends on:

1. 1.How much poison was in their portion
2. 2.How much they consumed
3. 3.How much was absorbed by the body
4. 4.Weight
5. 5.Age
6. 6.A person's toxic response

Mr Mandy then provides reasons for why Erin Patterson may not have gotten as ill. He notes:

1. 1.The dried death cap mushrooms may have been unevenly spread in the mushroom paste

There were no whole pieces of DC mushrooms---they were in a powdered form. So they would have been spread evenly as they would infiltrate everything.

1. 2. Erin only ate half of her portion

And Gail only ate half of hers.

1. 3.Erin vomited after the lunch, reducing the amount in her body

We have seen articles disputing that vomiting would be very helpful. I think the P discussed that briefly.

Her vomiting in the late afternoon would have little impact because the deadly toxins in the powder would QUICKLY enter her blood stream and digestive tract before she purged.

1. 4.Erin was over 100kgs at the time and had more body weight

That^^^ does not matter. The deadly toxins go immediately into the blood stream. It does not matter how much extra weight she had---that will not stop the poison from invading her organs and shutting things down.

1. 5.Erin was younger than the rest of her lunch guests

Again, that makes little difference. When deadly toxins enter your blood stream and begin to shut down your organs, age does not protect you.

 

[Monstradamus]

Police didn't locate all of her photos because she erased them from her devices.

Erin was a fan of op-shopping. She was very frugal. I could imagine some thrift shopping prior to the lunch, IMO.

For 4 throwaway grey plates, and 1 orange one?

 

[katydid23]

So why did it take her months to use the Death Cap mushrooms (by which time they would have stunk) and not tasted one herself beforehand to see how full of nutrition & flavour they were?

Of course had she tasted one after she ‘foraged’ for them 3 other people would still be alive today and not suffered excruciating painful & unpleasant deaths.

YES---That's always seemed odd that she picked some nice fresh wild mushrooms, a lot of them.

But before she dried them out she didn't taste them herself as a nice treat.

She says she LOVES mushrooms. And foraged ones are known to be the tastiest ones. So she didn't make some nice fresh mushrooms for herself before dehydrating the batch?

 

[katydid23]

The smaller white plates the children had seen were dessert plates, imo. The children arrived home during dessert (orange cake and fruit) so it makes sense that the deadly BW plates had already been cleared away.

I agree and I think the jury might come to the same conclusion. The boys arrived after the lunch service was cleared.

 

[Kemug]

"These people are eternally polite to each other,” Mandy says.

RSBM
Yes, I'm sure Erin was ever so charming and polite as she served them her poisoned dish, and watched them begin to die. MOO

 

[lazymaiden07]

He dismisses the prosecution's argument that the behaviour proves Ms Patterson lived a "duplicitous life", and says it shows his client was honest and frank with the people she was closest with'

He says Ms Patterson merely lied to hide her habits of binge-eating.

Honest and frank, and yet 'merely lied'? So which one is it then?

He tells the jury that the focus on the messages is an attempt to "undermine" the evidence of Ms Patterson's strong relationship with her in-laws.

Such a 'strong' relationship that Gail stopped reading Erin's messages due to the increased stress and anxiety they caused.

Mandy is at such painsssss to talk about how well Erin and Simon were getting along...why then was Erin accusing him of being abusive and coercive? But please Col', do tell us just how swell the relationship was.

What is so frustrating about this is that Don and Gail are the only ones who can truly attest to the relationship they had with Erin, and of course, they can't. Mandy needs to can the family values garbage and stick with the facts.

MOO

 

[Kemug]

""It was not so much the lump on her elbow that was important, but the love, the support, the attention she was getting," he says."

So lying to Gail about an appointment for the elbow....

And as I posted way back, if she hadn't been too rich and lazy to get a job, she wouldn't have had enough time to plot murders, and dream up imaginary illnesses. MOO