Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #7 *Arrest*

[Detechtive]

Did the cross examination of SP alter your perception of Erin's character today? Or did it change your position on whether you think she did this deliberately or accidentally?

 

[Kemug]

Certainly looks that way.

One strange lady.

 

[Detechtive]

Would 9 seconds even be possible?!

It's enough time to throw your phone in the sanitary disposal unit. It isn't enough time to flush anything with certainty, or to go to the bathroom, or even wash your hands or splash your face with water, IMO.

 

[MrsAddick]

I aim going back through the earliest threads because there was information about a change in her relationship with her in-laws, allegedly.

Apparently she resented that they were siding with Simon concerning the co-parenting issues. And some people thought she may have felt betrayed by them because of the recent tensions between them all.

I am trying to find those posts now.

Here are some old articles from the start of the case:

Daughter-in-law refuses to say what she cooked for doomed guests

The woman who hosted a poisonous lunch where four people fell ill - three of whom have since died - has been forced to flee her home.

www.dailymail.co.uk

VERY INTERESTING PICTURE BELOW

+11
View gallery
Real estate photos show mushrooms growing at the base of a tree at Ms Patterson's Leongatha property

Thanks for delving back into the archives! I think you’re onto something with this feeling of betrayal.

Imagine having no real family/close friends of your own so you invest your entire life into your husbands world (including converting faith, looking to Don like a father-figure), potentially masking your true self in many contexts) to become a true part of their loving family.

…only to discover that their love was conditional upon Simon. Marriage goes south, everyone wholeheartedly takes his side and you are alone again. No one ever really loved you. Would you feel betrayed, hurt, angry?

Ok, gotta walk away from this laptop and do some actual work today!! Haha

 

[SouthAussie]

It's enough time to throw your phone in the sanitary disposal unit. It isn't enough time to flush anything with certainty, or to go to the bathroom, or even wash your hands or splash your face with water, IMO.

I was wondering why she went home from the hospital and "laid on the floor for 45mins" then returned to the hospital. Maybe she got rid of her phone in that time frame.

 

[katydid23]

It was revealed on Tuesday that Simon 'almost died' in June 2022 after suffering from a mystery stomach illness that is still yet to be explained by his doctors.

'I collapsed at home then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation,' he wrote.

'My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice as I was not expected to live.

'I was in intensive care for 21 days, after which I was in the general ward for a week, and now I'm at a rehab place.'

Simon said treatments had 'fixed the serious gut problems' but he was left weak after spending such a long time in intensive care and was undergoing rehab so he could resume coaching with the Poowong Basketball Association.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Erin was in anyway responsible for his illness or the three deaths.

MSN


I know they dropped these charges. It is interesting that the jury was told about the charges though, on th first morning of the trial. They were told the charges were dropped, but it may have still raised questions in their minds. IMO

 

[katydid23]

Did the cross examination of SP alter your perception of Erin's character today? Or did it change your position on whether you think she did this deliberately or accidentally?

One thing I noticed---the defense seems to want to make EP look reasonable and Simon look petty and cheap. And that is probably true.

He looked like a jerk admitting he was only paying 40 bucks a month child support, and then stopped paying the kid's tuition.

And she looked like a saint, giving Simon's siblings huge interest free real estate loans.

But I have to wonder---does any of that mean she is innocent? Because it makes me think that she had good reason to be very angry at her ex and his family. IMO

 

[SouthAussie]

One thing I noticed---the defense seems to want to make EP look reasonable and Simon look petty and cheap. And that is probably true.

He looked like a jerk admitting he was only paying 40 bucks a month child support, and then stopped paying the kid's tuition.

And she looked like a saint, giving Simon's siblings huge interest free real estate loans.

But I have to wonder---does any of that mean she is innocent? Because it makes me think that she had good reason to be very angry at her ex and his family. IMO

Yes, I think the defence is going to go for the sympathy angle as much as it can.

I said earlier, and I still think so (so far) .... the situation actually reminds me a bit of Kaitlyn Conley. Allegedly tried to make her boyfriend sick/dead with poison, then was convicted for killing his mother - Mary Yoder - with poison.
His mother who was very good to Kaitlyn, and they seemed to have a real friendship.
Just to hurt the boyfriend because he wasn't playing the break up/get-back-together game any more.

imo

 

[JBowie]

One thing I noticed---the defense seems to want to make EP look reasonable and Simon look petty and cheap. And that is probably true.

He is coming across to me as being, if not very naive, then easily controlled. Maybe both.

If I felt that someone had tried to poison me (3 times!) then I'd be going after them with the law to the maximum extent.

His attitude towards her is odd, IMO.

 

[Karin1974]

The evidence is certainly compelling. Deleting her phone looks suspicious, but perhaps far less so than whatever was on there!

Weirdly, the best support for her innocence so far for me is how ill-prepared she was for the fallout that followed. I’ve never planned a murder, but I imagine most killers have pre-planned their cover story, and taken steps to carefully conceal their acts.

She could have foraged, dehydrated and disposed of the dehydrator months in advance. She could so easily have claimed a foraging mistake.

Her scattergun lies and sloppy disposal of the dehydrator *do* really resemble acts of panic, which might work in her favour somewhat.

That and the general timeline seems to suggest that, if guilty, this all was a somewhat impulsive act.

IMO - I don’t believe it was an impulsive act at all. I just don’t think she’s anywhere near as smart as people think she is. MOO

 

[jepop]

So she got an inheritance of $2m from her grandmother, and then another one from her mother later? And she wanted him to pay child support, medical bills and also school fees while she presumably kept all of the marital assets?

Why would she be annoyed about him saying he is separated on his tax return 7 years after they were separated?

Don't forget that this case is under the sub judice rule. Has the stuff about inheritance been raised in trial testimony yet? Apologies and disregard if it has been. I'm not clear re what we should be speculating in here to at this point. Jmo

 

[JBowie]

The court in Morwell, regional Victoria, heard that between the couple's marriage in 2007 and separation in 2015, there were a number of periods of separation and reconciliation - including Erin Patterson leaving her husband and their baby son in the middle of a road trip across Australia in 2009. [bbm]

Mr Patterson had to drive from Townsville to Perth - a distance of about 5,000 km (3,100 miles) - alone with the child, he told the court.

The couple met in 2002, while both working at Monash City Council, where Mr Patterson was a civil engineer.

Mushroom trial: 'very rare' for accused to hold gatherings, says husband

Three people died in hospital after being poisoned with death cap mushrooms.

www.bbc.com

 

[JBowie]

Don't forget that this case is under the sub judice rule. Has the stuff about inheritance been raised in trial testimony yet? Apologies and disregard if it has been. I'm not clear re what we should be speculating in here to at this point. Jmo

Yes it has. Example:

Wearing a navy suit, white shirt and purple tie, he told the court that Ms Patterson received a "substantial inheritance" from her grandmother which Mr Patterson estimated at A$2m ($1.3m; £964,000) - though it was not paid in a lump sum and was "dribbled out" by the executors of the estate.

Mushroom trial: 'very rare' for accused to hold gatherings, says husband

Three people died in hospital after being poisoned with death cap mushrooms.

www.bbc.com

 

[Detechtive]

Don't forget that this case is under the sub judice rule. Has the stuff about inheritance been raised in trial testimony yet? Apologies and disregard if it has been. I'm not clear re what we should be speculating in here to at this point. Jmo

Oh, I am not sure. I believe her mothers inheritance was published prior to the trial, but we did hear today that her grandmother also left her a large $2m inheritance.

 

[Detechtive]

Thanks for delving back into the archives! I think you’re onto something with this feeling of betrayal.

Imagine having no real family/close friends of your own so you invest your entire life into your husbands world (including converting faith, looking to Don like a father-figure), potentially masking your true self in many contexts) to become a true part of their loving family.

…only to discover that their love was conditional upon Simon. Marriage goes south, everyone wholeheartedly takes his side and you are alone again. No one ever really loved you. Would you feel betrayed, hurt, angry?

Ok, gotta walk away from this laptop and do some actual work today!! Haha

Please don't stop. I love your theories. I think you're bang on!

 

[JBowie]

The more I read about EP, the more I feel that she's on the narcissism scale.

 

[Detechtive]

I was wondering why she went home from the hospital and "laid on the floor for 45mins" then returned to the hospital. Maybe she got rid of her phone in that time frame.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think that's the time between when she self-discharged from the hospital on the Sunday after the fatal lunch, and when police were called to attend her home by the treating doctor? She was back at the hospital within about 50 minutes I believe?

From what I recall, again, could be wrong (these facts are coming too thick and fast - like no case I have ever seen! Overwhelming, to say the least!) there was a period of time she was at home at Leongatha where she may have needed to dispose of food, factory reset things, or come up with reasoning as to why she was there and what she was doing?

It sounds like a very strange way to say you were not doing something untoward, to me.

My opinion only!

 

[Kemug]

You can't build up resistance to that kind of poison.

But would she have known that?

 

[Detechtive]

But would she have known that?

I heard in SP's testimony today that Erin studied science courses. I would find it hard to believe that someone who was a bit of a science academic wouldn't be aware of it. But I don't know, of course. We are only told what we are told. My opinion only.

 

[Detechtive]

Yes, I think the defence is going to go for the sympathy angle as much as it can.

I said earlier, and I still think so (so far) .... the situation actually reminds me a bit of Kaitlyn Conley. Allegedly tried to make her boyfriend sick/dead with poison, then was convicted for killing his mother - Mary Yoder - with poison.
His mother who was very good to Kaitlyn, and they seemed to have a real friendship.
Just to hurt the boyfriend because he wasn't playing the break up/get-back-together game any more.

imo

Oh wow, thank you! I have never heard of this case. Off to read....