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

[SouthAussie]

I do believe it was intentional but she thought they d all just get sick
She didn’t believe the food was deadly
And she still can’t bring herself to say it !!

If she hadn't got rid of her phone, that might be more believable. She certainly knew to get rid of her current phone, and to do a remote factory reset (3 times) on what she said was her current phone, while that phone was in police custody.

She spent the time to learn how to do a remote factory reset.

I am just hoping that her Google account (if she had one) still shows her Google searches, and that the police have been able to get that information from Google.
Or that the police had already downloaded all data from her phone before she was able to do 3 remote factory resets.

Do the police know, for sure, that she visited the site that told of the local sightings of Death Cap mushrooms, or is that a supposition because she visited two of those sites right after the information was posted?



Just like on a computer, if your Chrome on Android or iPhone is synced with your Google account, you can retrieve your Chrome history. To do this, sign in to your account, and your Chrome search history will return.

How to Recover Chrome Deleted History on PC, and Android/iOS Phone?

Recover your deleted Chrome history like a pro! Follow our expert tips and regain access to your important web data.

recoverit.wondershare.com

 

[Mirabel091]

What’s funny about this case is how much of the evidence *could* have a plausible explanation, if each piece is taken alone.

She could have just picked the wrong mushrooms in error
She could have just been lucky to get a lot less sick
She could have just panicked about the dehydrator and made the false statement
SM’s father could have been mistaken about her claiming to have cancer
She could just be phobic of hospitals
She could have only had 4 matching plates
The mushroom brownie thing could just be an unrelated coincidence
The forum death cap locations could just be locally known mushroom foraging spots

Taken in isolation, each one of these can be made to sound somewhat plausible. Enough to even create some reasonable doubt, probably.

But when you put them all together, the scales really tip. Believing that all of these things are true together means believing the accused is one of the world’s most unfortunate people, suffering a perfect storm of terrible coincidences and incredibly unlikely events.

I can see why she had a crack at pleading not guilty, I suppose, but I really don’t think there’s any chance she’ll be getting off.

That's about where I'm at with it. Early on (points 1, 2, 3), it seemed possible she might not have planned it and some of us were considering the alternatives. But as more and more comes out, it gets harder and harder to explain away and I'm not sure she's worth the effort.

 

[Megnut]

He wanted the marriage to work, more than she did, iny opinion.

Marriage was a stage on which she acted out her assorted disorders. Everyone minor characters in her self drama.

It had to be exhausting, trying to make sense of her.

JMO

 

[Eloise]

Okay, thank y'all for the clarification. That's kind of what I was thinking----this was analysed and standardised to compute his monthly child support bill.

So it's kind of unfair for the defense to try and 'shame' Simon for the paltry payment, if in fact it was the legally correct amount he owes. IMO

Yep. I would say, based on what we've seen of him so far, that it's that low because he's an actively involved parent already, not a deadbeat dad. If his care percentage is high he's already doing what a good coparent would do and already paying for a lot. Erin is wealthy enough too, which also matters. The only way the $40 is bad is if he's lying about his income, which doesn't seem to fit with what we've seen of his character or his career.

 

[SouthAussie]

Yep. I would say, based on what we've seen of him so far, that it's that low because he's an actively involved parent already, not a deadbeat dad. If his care percentage is high he's already doing what a good coparent would do and already paying for a lot. Erin is wealthy enough too, which also matters. The only way the $40 is bad is if he's lying about his income, which doesn't seem to fit with what we've seen of his character or his career.

I read in one of the recent articles (I think in The Age) that Simon had always paid the children's school fees out of a substantial chunk of money that his own grandmother gave all of her grandchildren each year.

imo

ETA: I actually read that in the SMH .... Mushroom cook’s husband Simon gives evidence on marriage struggles, plate colour, cancer claims: Trial day two, as it happened

 

[Tricia]

Death Investigator and host of the podcast Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan, joins Websleuths.com for Ask Me Anything on Wednesday, May 7th at 8 PM Eastern.
Websleuths members, post your questions at the link below, and then join us live on Wednesday as Joseph Scott Morgan answers your questions on Websleuths.
Post questions at this link Joseph Scott Morgan, Death Investigator, Ask Me Anything May 7th @8:00 PM Eastern
Josepth Scott Morgan host of Body Bags

 

[MsMarple]

'How sad she felt': Erin Patterson confided in online friends, court hears — as it happened

Erin Patterson's Facebook friends took to the witness box in her murder trial over a lunch served to her in-laws containing death cap mushrooms. Look back at how the hearing unfolded in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MsMarple]

Erin Patterson told online friends she was ‘hiding powdered mushrooms in everything’, court hears: Trial day five, as it happened

Erin Patterson’s estranged husband Simon will continue providing evidence in her murder trial. Follow our live blog.

www.theage.com.au

 

[MsMarple]

WATCH: Recap of the first week of the mushroom murder trial​

By Judd Boaz​

If you missed the first week of proceedings in the Erin Patterson murder trial, the ABC's Iskhandar Razak will bring you up to speed with this recap.

'How sad she felt': Erin Patterson confided in online friends, court hears — as it happened

Erin Patterson's Facebook friends took to the witness box in her murder trial over a lunch served to her in-laws containing death cap mushrooms. Look back at how the hearing unfolded in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

Video at link.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The Guardian Live Updates

Erin Patterson described estranged husband as ‘coercive’ and in-laws as ‘demanding’, trial hears – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

 

[MsMarple]

‘True crime’ associate says Patterson was a ‘super sleuth’

The mother is accused of killing three people with poisonous death cap mushrooms.

7news.com.au

 

[MsMarple]

Waiting…

 

[MsMarple]

Jury enters court for day five​

The jury has entered the court room for day five of the trial.

Mandy is continuing his cross-examination of Simon.

Erin Patterson trial live: estranged husband Simon to resume evidence in mushroom murder trial

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updates

www.theguardian.com

 

[MsMarple]

Just about every seat in the courtroom is full again. There are lots of reporters, and some of the Patterson family have come to watch, along with a few members of the public.

Erin Patterson is in the court dock, dressed in a sage green jumper. Simon Patterson has also returned to the witness dock, dressed in his regular court attire of a suit and tie.

The jury has been kept out of the room for a little bit this morning, but have now taken their seats. In an encouraging sign, all 15 have returned after the weekend break.

'How sad she felt': Erin Patterson confided in online friends, court hears — as it happened

Erin Patterson's Facebook friends took to the witness box in her murder trial over a lunch served to her in-laws containing death cap mushrooms. Look back at how the hearing unfolded in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MsMarple]

I’m publishing from abc.net unless otherwise noted.

The defence begins by focusing on Simon Patterson's memory in the days after the lunch, with his parents and aunt and uncle still battling illness in the hospital.

Colin Mandy SC asks whether it would be fair to say that Mr Patterson's memory would be better in the days around the incident in 2023 than now.

He asks a series of open-ended questions to Mr Patterson.

"Your memory would have been better at the time than it is now about these events?" Mr Mandy said.

"It would be understandable now to not be able to recall the number of phone calls.

"It's possible you got the timing of things wrong … the order of things wrong?"

 

[MsMarple]

What’s Mandy driving at?

 

[MsMarple]

On Friday, Simon Patterson told the court that Erin Patterson did not ask how his parents were faring following the poisoned lunch.

Mr Mandy presses Mr Patterson on this point, asking if it was possible he simply forgot that she had asked while both were in hospital:

Colin Mandy SC: What I’m suggesting to you Mr Patterson is that she asked that question: How are they going?

Simon Patterson: No, I can’t recall her asking that.

Colin Mandy SC: It’s possible she asked that question and you can’t recall.

Simon Patterson: I’d say possible but unlikely because it stood out to me … it’s a feeling I remember, which is, ‘that’s odd’.

 

[MsMarple]

‘True crime’ associate says Patterson was a ‘super sleuth’

The mother is accused of killing three people with poisonous death cap mushrooms.

7news.com.au

The court heard Simon was taking phone calls to relatives in the hospital while visiting Patterson and their children, which Mandy suggested were in earshot of Patterson, which may have prompted her to ask about his parents’ health.


Mandy: “I put to you that she asked how they are going.”

Simon: “No, I can’t recall her asking that.”

Mandy: “I put it to you that she may have said something.”

Simon: “I say no, because it stood out to me. It is a feeling I remember - (I thought) ‘that’s odd’.”

 

[MsMarple]

From abc.net:

The Patterson's connection with the Korumburra Community Development Association is raised by the defence.

Don Patterson served as treasurer, while his wife Gail served as secretary and Erin produced the Burra Flyer, a community newspaper.

Mr Mandy says all three resigned due to Gail becoming ill with encephalitis.
——

Group chat messages re-examined by defence​

By Judd Boaz​

Last week, we heard that Erin had messaged a group chat that included Simon, Don and Gail about her issues with child support payments.

Simon last week told the court they were "inflammatory messages" and that she was being "extremely aggressive".

Mr Mandy had disputed Mr Patterson's use of the term "aggressive".

"That's not the right way of categorising it, is it? She was upset, she was hurt," Mr Mandy says.

"Perhaps you could put up the messages that she messaged the group [chat] that I mentioned and we could see," Mr Patterson says.

Today, Mr Mandy has prepared these messages to show to the court.

A few moments are needed to sort out the technical issues of presenting the messages.

 

[MsMarple]

Messages from December 5, 2022, sent to a group Signal chat detail Erin Patterson's concerns around Simon Patterson changing his marital status to separated.

The court hears that in the messages, Ms Patterson says that due to this decision, she had missed out on tens of thousands of dollars worth of child support payments.

In the chat, which includes her in-laws, calls out Mr Patterson for shirking his financial responsibilities.

"I foolishly trusted that he would do right by me and the kids when it came to the crunch," she writes.

In the messages, Don Patterson attempts to mediate the financial issues.

Ms Patterson says she will continue to voice her concerns in the group chat, and says that she believes Don and Gail should be aware of the actions of their son Simon regarding their grandchildren.

She raises the payment of school fees, saying Simon must either pay for half the fees at the children's school or she may initiate legal action.
——

Simon Patterson says defence has wrong messages​

By Judd Boaz​

When asked about the conversation, Simon Patterson says these are not the messages he objected to when talking about "aggressive" messages last week in court.

Mr Mandy starts to continue his reading of the messages, but is stopped by Justice Beale, who asks if it is necessary given that these are not the messages Mr Patterson was referring to.