Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #9 *Arrest*

[whiskia]

Just wondering whether she will say she actually did buy dried mushrooms and stored them in a container in her pantry and that she also had foraged and dried (the death cap) mushrooms (which she could claim she thought were safe) and put them in a similar container and that in the rush to make the lunch she must have mixed them up and only realised afterwards what might have happened and panicked and ditched the dehydrator. This may sway jurors as far as intent....

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Much respect to you and your Dad, Scoobs! What an interesting career your Dad had! You must be terribly proud of him. Such a gift to be able to draw! Thanks Scoob for sharing.

Cheers. I always had the best school project drawings done by dad. Lol

He could draw anything

All artists are amazing. What they can remember in detail, facial expressions, etc, and then draw it

A true talent

 

[SouthAussie]

Just wondering whether she will say she actually did buy dried mushrooms and stored them in a container in her pantry and that she also had foraged and dried (the death cap) mushrooms (which she could claim she thought were safe) and put them in a similar container and that in the rush to make the lunch she must have mixed them up and only realised afterwards what might have happened and panicked and ditched the dehydrator. This may sway jurors as far as intent....

Maybe she will claim that.

But nothing will overcome the fact that it took her until when (?) ... many months later ... to admit she foraged the mushrooms. When she might have been able to save the lives of the people she 'loved', the people who were 'family' to her, if only she had told the doctors, or the health department, or Ms Cripps, or someone, about her "mix up".

imo

 

[whiskia]

Maybe she will claim that.

But nothing will overcome the fact that it took her until when (?) ... many months later ... to admit she foraged the mushrooms. When she might have been able to save the lives of the people she 'loved', the people who were 'family' to her, if only she had told the doctors, or the health department, or Ms Cripps, or someone, about her "mix up".

imo

maybe she will claim it was too late when she realised and she thought she had to save herself from jail for her childrens' sakes...? and only when the evidence was mounting up was it best to come clean...?

 

[SouthAussie]

maybe she will claim it was too late when she realised and she thought she had to save herself from jail for her childrens' sakes...? and only when the evidence was mounting up was it best to come clean...?

If, as you say, she dumped the dehydrator on August 2nd because she suddenly realised she had mixed up her dried mushroom containers and used the foraged mushrooms .... it was two more days before Gail and Heather died on Aug 4th, and three more days before Don died on Aug 5th..

And I don't think anyone goes to jail for a non-malicious accidental poisoning. Not restaurant owners, not cooks, not individuals. She should have been smart enough to know that, or at the very least Google it to find out, if she was fearful of going to jail.

 

[whiskia]

If, as you say, she dumped the dehydrator on August 2nd because she suddenly realised she had mixed up her dried mushroom containers and used the foraged mushrooms .... it was two more days before Gail and Heather died on Aug 4th, and three more days before Don died on Aug 5th..

did they suspect death caps already at that stage though and it was too late for treatment to work??

 

[SouthAussie]

did they suspect death caps already at that stage though and it was too late for treatment to work??

Would she have known if it was too late for treatment to work? If, in fact, it was too late.

(I don't know if the medical staff knew it was Death Caps for sure by Aug 2nd, or not.)

 

[whiskia]

Would she have known if it was too late for treatment to work? If, in fact, it was too late.

(I don't know if the medical staff knew it was Death Caps for sure by Aug 2nd, or not.)

I think she knew exactly what she was doing and was well versed in timelines and potential excuses to induce doubt wrt intent
JMO

 

[SouthAussie]

I think she knew exactly what she was doing and was well versed in timelines and potential excuses to induce doubt wrt intent
JMO

If so, she could have admitted to foraging far earlier. If she was well-versed in when it was too late for treatment to work.

Regardless, the treatment worked for Ian. Eventually.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A child protection worker yesterday said Patterson told her she'd eaten half of her serve of the beef Wellington, and complained of feeling unwell and experiencing loose bowel movements.

Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC today cross-examined Dr Gerostamoulos, the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine's chief toxicologist.

He asked whether some individuals could be "less severely affected than others" after consuming death cap mushrooms because of the amount they had ingested.
"Yes that's possible," Dr Gerostamoulos said.

"The age of the individual might be a factor?" Dr Mandy continued.

"That can be a factor," he replied.

Dr Gerostamoulos also agreed that the weight of the person may be a factor, as could the individual's tolerance to the toxin.

Murder trial told how death cap mushrooms become lethal

Multiple factors can affect whether toxins inside death cap mushrooms kill those who consume them, Erin Pat...

www.9news.com.au

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[Baby baby Jane]

So technically …. There were no death cap “mushrooms” in the meal.

Was there death cap tincture (death caps soaked in vinegar, wine or water) in the marinade, or in the duxelle. Or death cap powder in the marinade or duxelles.

Did they find her cauldron? Her eye of newt?

 

[Eloise]

My father was a sketch artist at a lot of big trials, as well as a leading Australian artist. But at times, they were also banned during certain trial periods.

I am not sure if that's just for now here. But I think once it 'hots' up a bit there will be more.

It's a valuable purpose in documenting trials where cameras are not permitted

Your dad must have a lot of very interesting stories! I don't know if its the same in Australia but there was an interview with a court artist during the Lucy Letby trials who said that she wasn't ever actually allowed to sketch during court sessions. It all had to be from memory and written notes. I think that would make it so much harder! I've been much more forgiving on court sketch artists since finding that out.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Multiple factors can affect whether toxins inside death cap mushrooms kill those who consume them, Erin Patterson's triple-murder trial has been told

Murder trial told how death cap mushrooms become lethal

Multiple factors can affect whether toxins inside death cap mushrooms kill those who consume them, Erin Patterson's triple-murder trial has been told.

www.sheppnews.com.au

 

[imstilla.grandma]

There is now one less juror who will decide on that issue, after Justice Christopher Beale discharged Juror 84 from the case.

Beale told the jury he received information that the juror had “been discussing the case with family and friends, contrary to my instructions, and I was of the view that it was at least a reasonable possibility that the information I’d received was credible.

“I want to remind you of my directions that you should only discuss the case with your fellow jurors in the privacy of the jury room; not discuss it with anybody else. It is vital to the administration of justice.

“I hasten to add that I have not made a positive finding that juror number 84 discussed the case with family and friends but neither could I dismiss the possibility that he had. As I said … I was of the view that it was at least a reasonable possibility that he had breached my instructions.”

Beale told the jury at the start of the trial that jurors had previously been imprisoned for breaching the judge’s directions.

On Friday, as the jury rose for the weekend before returning for the fourth week of the trial on Monday, he warned them again: “I don’t want to sound like a broken record”.

Mushroom lunch leftovers examined and a juror removed: how week three of the Erin Patterson murder trial unfolded

Australian jury asked to consider if murder accused was pretending to be sick after lunch that killed three in-laws

www.theguardian.com

 

[MsMarple]

JMO hearing testimonies from multiple experts on amanita toxins has been enlightening and necessary but at the same time it must be difficult for the jury, especially with many objections and sidebars. I’m exhausted just from reading summaries!

I’m looking forward to how LE conducted their investigation. Maybe we’ll get a clearer picture of what Erin said in interviews and when. Did she ever disclose to LE that she foraged rather than bought the death caps? We’ve only heard about it through her lawyers.

And hopefully the digital forensics will reveal more. I also wonder if LE conducted a financial accounting.

IMO we’re at the halfway point and what we learn from here out will complete the puzzle, one way or another. JMO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Witnesses told a jury the delicacy – cooked using the RecipeTin Eats cookbook by chef Nagi Maehashi – travelled in blue zip lock bags in a police car from Erin Patterson’s home to the Leongatha hospital.

It was then driven 116 kilometres east of Leongatha in the back of an ambulance with Erin Patterson as she made her way to Monash Medical Centre to be examined.

An urgent taxi transported the leftovers further east to the Royal Botanic Gardens, but mycologist Camille Truong had already left for the day.

Truong didn’t see any death cap mushrooms inside, so she put the lunch leftovers in her fridge at home before taking them back to work and testing again later the next day.

Despite using specialist tools, she told the jury she was unable to visually identify traces of death cap mushrooms using her microscope, finding only common field mushrooms.

Inside the forensic journey to unmask a deadly mushroom meal

Plucked from Erin Patterson’s outdoor bin, the leftover eye fillet coated in mushroom and encased in pastry has been examined across Melbourne in the lead-up to her triple murder trial.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Megnut]

Witnesses told a jury the delicacy – cooked using the RecipeTin Eats cookbook by chef Nagi Maehashi – travelled in blue zip lock bags in a police car from Erin Patterson’s home to the Leongatha hospital.

It was then driven 116 kilometres east of Leongatha in the back of an ambulance with Erin Patterson as she made her way to Monash Medical Centre to be examined.

An urgent taxi transported the leftovers further east to the Royal Botanic Gardens, but mycologist Camille Truong had already left for the day.

Truong didn’t see any death cap mushrooms inside, so she put the lunch leftovers in her fridge at home before taking them back to work and testing again later the next day.

Despite using specialist tools, she told the jury she was unable to visually identify traces of death cap mushrooms using her microscope, finding only common field mushrooms.

Inside the forensic journey to unmask a deadly mushroom meal

Plucked from Erin Patterson’s outdoor bin, the leftover eye fillet coated in mushroom and encased in pastry has been examined across Melbourne in the lead-up to her triple murder trial.

www.theage.com.au

Fridge AT HOME??????

Yikes.

Better, I suppose, than the breakroom fridge.

 

[Baby baby Jane]

Fridge AT HOME??????

Yikes.

Better, I suppose, than the breakroom fridge.

I’m hoping she has a small “lab” at home. Clean room, microscope, supplies and small fridge … for working from home.

And not in a busy family kitchen, next to a sticky high chair and dog bed and using the family fridge.

 

[Spectrix]

I’m looking forward to how LE conducted their investigation. Maybe we’ll get a clearer picture of what Erin said in interviews and when. Did she ever disclose to LE that she foraged rather than bought the death caps? We’ve only heard about it through her lawyers.

Me too.
I gather the police told her they had seized the dehydrator with death cap residue, and she was forced to fess up. Her police interview will probably be played in court, and the press will probably report only a few bits of it, like they do with every witness.