New paywalled article. (paraphrased)
An officer said that proving intent to kill is what will make this a long investigation.
The Herald Sun understands that Simon almost dying from a gut illness last year was a major consideration in the police interest in the three deaths.
A former homicide investigator said that police will be forensically picking through EP's statement to discredit or validate everything.
The police will be looking through social media, internet searches, and location - looking for planning and potential motive.
Police have not changed their position that the children were at the house, not at the movies.
Intent to harm will be key element of probe into Leongatha mushroom meal deaths
I wonder if EP says “half truth”, which could be later explained? “At the movies” could be “sitting in the basement, at home movie theater, watching the movies”. So if no one doubts, they are at the local cinema. But if checked seriously, “home, watching the movies”.
Likewise, she might have bought something in the Asian store, but not mushrooms at all. In our local Asian chain store, one can buy food, household items, cleaning products, makeup, even glassware. For all I know, she could have bought a wasp killer.
The beauty of buying some “Chinese herbal remedy” is that you have no clue what’s there. Years ago, before I visited dad, I’d go to a local Chinatown store and buy something for dad’s neighbor. Some Chinese remedy against alopecia, and he claimed that was the only one that ever worked. In hindsight, I’d think, it was finasteride, since it worked. But, in a different bottle, with Chinese hieroglyphs, it looked mysterious.
So Erin could have well bought something in her grocery store, but not mushrooms. In a package with Chinese letters, who can tell what it says, and she can later claim, it was a mistake. If I were LE, I’d check what types of rat poison local Asian grocery stores might sell, for example. Or herbicides, or something along the same line. Because I wonder if this is what she bought, and told half-truth.
