Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #8 *Arrest*

[JBowie]

Maybe she wants to be in jail. I can’t see any other reason why she would proceed with this trial that is doing her absolutely no favours.

IMO it's not in her nature to admit to anything that points to her being a murderer. She'd rather go down with the ship than do that, IMO.

Does she want to see Simon and his family suffer more by going through a trial? Is she trying to add insult to injury?

I din't think that would even cross her mind. IMO she's a narcissist with psychopathic tendencies.

A person with both narcissistic and psychopathic tendencies would exhibit a blend of traits from both disorders, including grandiosity, manipulative behavior, a lack of empathy, and a disregard for the rights of others. These individuals may be highly charming and manipulative to gain control over others, while also lacking remorse or guilt when hurting them. [bbm]

 

[JBowie]

I am curious about the accusation made during the Prosecution Opening ----IIRC, they claimed that EP logged onto a website that kept track of Death Cap sightings and warnings. And after she saw a warning of them being seen in one particular area, she allegedly traveled to that area 2 days later, and also bought her dehydrator just before she traveled there? I think that was the gist of it...

Here is the reported timeline of those events:

April 18

A user on iNaturalist, a website for tracking plants and fungi, finds death cap mushrooms in the Loch area and posts about them online.

April 28

The prosecution says Erin's mobile phone data suggests she travels to Loch before returning to Korumburra.

Two and a half hours later, Erin allegedly purchases a Sunbeam food lab electronic dehydrator from a Leongatha store.

The timeline prosecutors allege in the mushroom murder trial

The six-week murder trial of Erin Patterson is underway in the regional Victorian town of Morwell. Here's what we know so far about the case, based on material put to the jury.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Megnut]

Depraved. Indifference.

 

[arrogantcat]

I wonder if this is the page where they believe the accused saw reports of local death caps?

I found this and this posted on 18th April 2023 in the area near Melbourne, but not sure if these correspond to the locations provided by the prosecution.

There are several others in the days before and after this date too, and you can even search by map.

 

[CityKid]

Absolutely. If it was intentional it was murder, if it was accidental it was manslaughter. imo

Due to the simple fact that she deliberately withheld lifesaving information.

imo

And IMO it's worse than just deliberately withholding lifesaving information; she lied about the source of the mushrooms. Monstrous. MOO

 

[Spectrix]

I wonder if this is the page where they believe the accused saw reports of local death caps?

I found this and this posted on 18th April 2023 in the area near Melbourne, but not sure if these correspond to the locations provided by the prosecution.

I find it frustrating trying to find accurate information in this case. Without any live stream or transcript of the witness testimonials, we rely on reporting in MSM which is vague and sometimes contradictory.

It was reported that the Death Caps were posted on iNaturalist on the 18th April around the area of Loch. It's been reported that she visited that area the next day / in the following days / ten days later. Who knows which?

I can't see any Death Caps posted in on iNaturalist in the area of Loch, and the ones you linked to are an hours drive northeast of Loch. Perhaps the details are incorrect, but more likely the listing was removed by the poster for their own sake. .

I imagine that we'll get much more solid info about this particulars once the detectives on the case give evidence.

 

[tillytatler]

The couple told Hyde that they had taken anti-nausea medication, which had been effective for Gail but not for Don.

This may have been what saved his life. Remember, if your body is trying urgently to expel something, there's probably a reason - avoid taking things that will prevent that expulsion!

 

[Spectrix]

This may have been what saved his life. Remember, if your body is trying urgently to expel something, there's probably a reason - avoid taking things that will prevent that expulsion!

Gail and Don both died unfortunately. I believe Don was the one who finished off half of his wife's serve.

Ian Wilkinson survived, against all odds. He is incredibly lucky to be alive.

 

[iamshadow21]

Here is the reported timeline of those events:

April 18

A user on iNaturalist, a website for tracking plants and fungi, finds death cap mushrooms in the Loch area and posts about them online.

April 28

The prosecution says Erin's mobile phone data suggests she travels to Loch before returning to Korumburra.

Two and a half hours later, Erin allegedly purchases a Sunbeam food lab electronic dehydrator from a Leongatha store.

The timeline prosecutors allege in the mushroom murder trial

The six-week murder trial of Erin Patterson is underway in the regional Victorian town of Morwell. Here's what we know so far about the case, based on material put to the jury.

www.abc.net.au

She bought such an expensive one, too.

You can get a cheap dehydrator for around forty bucks. I think that's what mine cost.

MOO

 

[MsMarple]

Hospital refrains from administering antidote​

​

By Judd Boaz​

As advised by toxicologists, Don was put onto a range of treatments including N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a liver-protecting drug used in cases of paracetemol overdose.

However, Dr Morgan says the hospital did not immediately administer silibinin, an antidote to death cap mushrooms.

"At that time we had no evidence that anyone else was unwell, or that anyone else was experiencing the metabolic acidosis," she tells the court.

Due to her symptoms and normal readings on VBG tests, Gail was not given as intensive medical care as Don, with doctors believing her illness to be food poisoning.

In the early hours of the morning, Dr Morgan contacted Leongatha Hospital and asked them to conduct VBG tests on Ian and Heather Wilkinson.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-06/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-live-blog-tues/10525752

@drsleuth thank you very much for taking up the slack when I had to leave!

Ugh, reading the testimonies is like being there, knowing that Erin could have spoken up at any time to reveal that she had foraged the mushrooms.

I have no sympathy for her, whether she mistakenly picked the lethal mushrooms or whether she intended to murder four innocent people. She withheld critical information that may have saved additional people.

She couldn’t even be bothered to ask how her relatives were doing IMO. That’s why she didn’t know that Don had died and Ian was fighting for his life. No, it was all about herself, telling reporters how flipping “devastated” she was that they were ill. Crying crocodile tears. JMO

 

[Baby baby Jane]

I wonder if she's going to admit that she made separate batches of mushroom duxelles?
This is what puzzles me about her defence.

Typically you'd mix a single batch of duxelles and spoon it onto each Beef Wellington, and there'd be no chance of poisoning some and not the others.

For example …. I made for myself, a lo-cal non-diary batch
And for my guests, a richer full fat dairy recipe

 

[Spectrix]

For example …. I made for myself, a lo-cal non-diary batch
And for my guests, a richer full fat dairy recipe

Huh! EP needs you on the defence. They don't seem to be doing a very good job thus far.

Can you explain away her other indiscretions?

 

[JBowie]

Huh! EP needs you on the defence. They don't seem to be doing a very good job thus far.

Can you explain away her other indiscretions?

I believe that BBJ's comment was sarcastic.

 

[Spectrix]

I believe that BBJ's comment was sarcastic.

Maybe, but also completely plausible.
A good duxelles is full of butter. Who's to say EP wasn't starting on a diet?

 

[Salah11]

I really want to hear from the kids as they will clear some stuff up I am sure.

 

[SouthAussie]

I find it frustrating trying to find accurate information in this case. Without any live stream or transcript of the witness testimonials, we rely on reporting in MSM which is vague and sometimes contradictory.

It was reported that the Death Caps were posted on iNaturalist on the 18th April around the area of Loch. It's been reported that she visited that area the next day / in the following days / ten days later. Who knows which?

I think Erin visited Loch ten days after the Death Cap sighting. (Sighting April 18th, visit April 28th
- she also bought the dehydrator on April 28th after the visit)

She visited Outtrim one day after the Death Cap sighting. (Sighting May 21st, visit May 22nd - she also visited Loch again on this day)

We are yet to verify all of it, but I think the ABC timeline is the best source available at the moment.

The timeline prosecutors allege in the mushroom murder trial

The six-week murder trial of Erin Patterson is underway in the regional Victorian town of Morwell. Here's what we know so far about the case, based on material put to the jury.

www.abc.net.au

 

[SouthAussie]

I wonder if we will hear more about the steps to try to save Gail and Heather today, and things they may have said to medical staff. We seem to have heard a lot about Don and Ian, and there are charges for the murder of two more victims.

The jury may need to hear more about them.

imo

 

[minusfour]

The Defence strategy seems to be to question the prosecutor's narrative on both important, and unimportant facts. Did Simon actually ask about the dehydrator being used to poison his family in the early days? (Who wouldn't try to get rid of a perfectly good dehydrator in panic is someone asked you that?) Were there really four grey plates and one tan one? None such have been found, after all. And, if there wasn't, not only is an important witness shown to be unreliable, but the damning implications of the different plate academic. What does it mean if all five meals were served on matching plates?

I hoping the overwhelming amount of evidence is enough to allow the chance of a "direct hit" by the defence on one or more factoids. I must say, I find the manner of the defence in flat out suggesting that a witness is wrong disconcerting.

 

[SouthAussie]

I must say, I find the manner of the defence in flat out suggesting that a witness is wrong disconcerting.

I have been reading a bit about what the defence are doing. Common defence tactic, apparently.

I noticed that the defence passed up at least one cross examination of a medical witness yesterday - likely because they would have medical notes/recordings about what happened at the time, to prove their testimony.


In the hands of a skilled criminal defense attorney, highlighting the unreliability of witness perception and memories can be a determining factor in a criminal case. These inaccuracies can be used to challenge key witness testimony or shed doubt on a witness’s reliability, often with positive results.

Challenging a witness’s memory and perception can be an important part of a comprehensive defense strategy. To challenge the reliability of a witness’s memory and perception, a skilled criminal defense lawyer will ask detailed questions about the circumstances under which the witness observed the alleged crime.

Challenging Witness Memory and Perception in Criminal Cases — Just Criminal Law, Gillette, Wyoming

Eyewitness testimony can be surprisingly unreliable. Even people who believe they have a good memory can misremember events.

www.justcriminallaw.com

 

[drsleuth]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-murder-trial-live-mushroom-cook-faces-court-for-day-7-of-trial/live-coverage/0cabfb869d16b78826ed092fcfc59102?amp

LIVE

Erin Patterson murder trial LIVE: Mushroom cook faces court for day 7 of trial​

We’ve spent six days in court and heard hours of evidence during the trial of Erin Patterson. Here’s your chance to catch up on all the details before day seven of proceedings kick off in Morwell