GUILTY Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 *Arrest* #17

[Scooby-Doo]

the photo of the living room table makes my skin crawl.

Even her once beautiful home, now gives me the creeps

 

[Deleted member 363451]

They are only human, and they get angry as well.

It wouldn't have been published while the trial was still in progress

There will be a lot that comes out now

I got angry when I saw her casually walking through the hospital like she didn't have a care in the world, while her in-laws and Heather were dying in the other room. Not forgetting poor Ian...

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Even her once beautiful home, now gives me the creeps

There was no warmth in that home. The furnishings were sparse and cold.

 

[MaxDecimus13]

The question of Simon's suspicions and whether or not he should have acted on them is a tricky one. Personally, I think it's hard on him.

It's one thing being suspicious and other truly believing it. It's clear he'd said something to Don, but again there is so much we don't know about their relationship. Maybe Don simply dismissed it as bitterness born out by a split that was turning less amicable by the day.

It wasn't until him and Gail suffered a sudden horrendous bout of illness maybe that the penny dropped.

I find it borderline absurd that many of these things were not allowed to be included in the trial. One of EPs main defences was about why she would do this out of the blue, but the very fact that the family had suspicions on her to the point that Don took some of his own vomit to the hospital speaks volumes about how this wasn't out of the blue.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

I would be investigating whether any other people that came into close proximity of this woman suffered any unexplained food poisoning symptoms. For example co-workers she didn’t take a liking to.

 

[Old Soul]

[bbm]

Good old DM, inventing the news again.

Those messages calling her mother a cold robot have been published ages ago, for instance here back on November 21, 2023:

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/erin-patterson-shared-details-of-her-horrible-upbringing-in-revealing-2019-text-messages/news-story/64c964a2a37d52dd5193f5828beb94c2

There was one thing I hadn’t read before, Erin lying to her friend that her mum “drunk herself into a coma” as her cause of death rather than dying from cancer.

 

[katydid23]

She blew up their lives completely without a second thought. She had plenty of time plotting and planning this. She had time to consider the impact her actions would have on them. What losing most of their close relatives would have on them. And she did it anyway, because her spiteful need for revenge for perceived betrayal mattered more than her kids being safe and happy, surrounded by loved ones.

I'm sure she thought that she was all they needed.

MOO

The defense even showed a touching video of Don and his grandson together, talking about science and their shared love of it. One could really see the love they had for each other.

So it is horrendous and horrifying that she planned the brutal death of those loving grandparents, right there at her dining room table. And her kids came home and sat with their grandparents that fateful day---Erin knew it was the last time her kids would see them healthy and alive. She planned it that way.

 

[LadyL]

Yep, and I do have to wonder why he didn't twig to the poisoning earlier.

I can only figure that he was quite used to accepting cooked meals from EP, and she must have laced only the occasional one. Otherwise surely he would have soon realized that he only became so ill after eating one of her meals.

twig = to suddenly realize something (I had to look it up )

 

[LadyL]

the photo of the living room table makes my skin crawl.

where is the photo?

 

[MrJ]

where is the photo?

Jury finds Erin Patterson guilty of three counts of murder — as it happened

The jury in Erin Patterson's triple-murder trial has found her guilty of murdering three relatives by deliberately lacing a beef Wellington lunch with death cap mushrooms. Follow the verdict as it happened.

www.abc.net.au

 

[LadyL]

There was one thing I hadn’t read before, Erin lying to her friend that her mum “drunk herself into a coma” as her cause of death rather than dying from cancer.

I don't see that in the quoted article?

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/erin-patterson-shared-details-of-her-horrible-upbringing-in-revealing-2019-text-messages/news-story/64c964a2a37d52dd5193f5828beb94c2

 

[Old Soul]

I don't see that in the quoted article?

It’s not in the pasted original post, or the link you quoted, but if you click on the original DM link it’s in the article.

Heather Scutter became ill with cancer, eventually dying in 2019, although in her texts, Patterson claimed she died from excessive alcohol.

'My sister and I would hide in our rooms most of the time,' she posted. 'Mum was a massive drinker.
She drank herself to death. That's how she died. Drank herself into a coma.'

Mushroom killer Erin Patterson's secret texts about family she hated

Secret text messages sent by Erin Patterson before the mass murders reveal how she hated her own 'alcoholic' mother but was overjoyed about the money she inherited.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[JBowie]

This pay-walled article in the SMH by veteran crime reporter John Silvester talks about information that is withheld from juries that can result in acquittals when a very different outcome would be expected if the information (i.e. "the whole truth") was not withheld.

He mentions that Greg Lynn told more than 1,000 lies to police during his interview whereas in court the story from the defence was that he didn't lie once (that is, in the admissible record of interview.)

The 10 hurdles Erin Patterson needed to jump. She hit every one

Despite the marathon legal arguments and the testimony of expert witnesses, the Morwell jury needed to use common sense rather than common law to examine 10 key questions.

www.smh.com.au

 

[katydid23]

The word cult has come up in several previous posts. What were this group’s interests or beliefs? Although it has been stated Erin is highly intelligent, I find it difficult to believe she has the social skills to endear herself to others and have a following of sorts. Can someone fill in the gaps I am obviously missing for it to make more sense please.

Erin was in a True Crime online group===much like WS.

And eventually a smaller offshoot of the original group was formed---and Erin was apparently the 'leader' of this small True Crime chat group.

They were much like our private convo groups here, it seems. Many of us have formed very long time close friendships over the years.

But apparently, Erin's true darkness came through---and she was abusive and cruel to some of the group, and doxed them, harassed them, etc. And many of the others followed orders from Erin out of fear. And some admired her and became 'followers' ---and did her dirty deeds.

Reportedly some lied for her, even to the investigators. Like the friend that initially came out in the press saying that EP was known as a forager and did so with her family for years and has many books on mushrooms, etc.

 

[Tweet57]

Erin was in a True Crime online group===much like WS.

And eventually a smaller offshoot of the original group was formed---and Erin was apparently the 'leader' of this small True Crime chat group.

They were much like our private convo groups here, it seems. Many of us have formed very long time close friendships over the years.

But apparently, Erin's true darkness came through---and she was abusive and cruel to some of the group, and doxed them, harassed them, etc. And many of the others followed orders from Erin out of fear. And some admired her and became 'followers' ---and did her dirty deeds.

Reportedly some lied for her, even to the investigators. Like the friend that initially came out in the press saying that EP was known as a forager and did so with her family for years and has many books on mushrooms, etc.

Thanks Katy. Just an evil, disgusting sicko. Prison is where she needs to be. Makes one wonder what she was capable of next. No sympathy at all for her.

 

[katydid23]

More from DM​

Her friend, Alison Rose Prior, who attended Patterson's murder trial as the killer's sole supporter, is believed to hold power of attorney over her assets and properties.

She will be sentenced at a later date.

Mushroom killer Erin Patterson's secret texts about family she hated

Secret text messages sent by Erin Patterson before the mass murders reveal how she hated her own 'alcoholic' mother but was overjoyed about the money she inherited.

www.dailymail.co.uk

OK, what's the deal with Ali Rose Prior? If she holds Power of Attorney, can she make some decisions while EP is incarcerated? Can she sell any of the assets or put something in her own name?


Potential for abuse: The potential for abuse is one of the biggest drawbacks of a durable power of attorney, which is why it is important to pick a person you trust. The individual you designated could cause financial loss if they misuse their power

A Power of Attorney lets you authorize someone to handle a specific task, like signing documents for you while you are away. For example, your agent can sign sale documents or contracts for the purchase of a house, or to sell your car. Or, your Power of Attorney can authorize your agent to handle on-going tasks.

 

[LadyL]

I agree without toxicology evidence it would have been very hard to prove anything with the hospital presentations. Especially as the last - with paralysis and seizures was dissimilar to the gastro-type ones.

Even if he’d decided to get the cookies tested, how would that work? Do you just turn up to the police and say you think they contain poison, or maybe go to a private toxicology lab?

And what do you ask them to test for? Is there a sort of plant-toxin series or “poisons found at home that can be baked in food” panel?

I think it’s likely she did poison him, but so hard to prove

I really wanna know what all she gave him.

 

[Susjay]

That's how narcissists view their children.

Yes, and often live vicariously through their children’s achievements. Eg I want you to learn to fly so I can boast you can fly.

 

[mamamama9873]

OK, what's the deal with Ali Rose Prior? If she holds Power of Attorney, can she make some decisions while EP is incarcerated? Can she sell any of the assets or put something in her own name?


Potential for abuse: The potential for abuse is one of the biggest drawbacks of a durable power of attorney, which is why it is important to pick a person you trust. The individual you designated could cause financial loss if they misuse their power

A Power of Attorney lets you authorize someone to handle a specific task, like signing documents for you while you are away. For example, your agent can sign sale documents or contracts for the purchase of a house, or to sell your car. Or, your Power of Attorney can authorize your agent to handle on-going tasks.

Gosh I hope this power isn’t misused and sincerely hope all remaining funds are used to fund counselling and all the children need in absence of their mother, large amounts should go to Erin’s children once they are old enough.
It isn’t even Erin’s money that she worked for, she was lucky enough to inherit it and should keep the generational wealth for her children!

 

[Susjay]

There are details of each of the poisonings of her husband, as well as his discussion about suspected poisoning with his doctor and family. Erin is suspected to have Aspergers, where she is bright, confrontational, argumentative, socially awkward while also being skilled at appearing to take an interest in others. Although he suspected that she poisoned him, he never expected that she would poison his family.

My takeaway for motive is that some of her inheritance was given to his family as interest-free loans. When he listed his marital status as "separated", she lost some tax benefits and got angry. It was about the money.

"It revolves around Erin’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, a mild-mannered civil engineer she’d married 18 years ago but separated from in 2015.

Simon, 50, lost three close family members to the poisonous meal she chose to serve at her home in rural Victoria on Saturday July 29, 2023. They were his elderly parents, Don and Gail, along with Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson. A fourth relative, Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson, spent weeks in hospital but escaped with his life.

Yet Simon can also count himself lucky to have avoided serious harm, since he also happened to be on Erin’s guest list that fateful day. We found this out when Simon spoke from the witness box during the opening week of this epic trial, telling how he pulled out via text message the night before, saying he was ‘too uncomfortable’ to attend.
[...]

It was during this process that Simon made a quite remarkable claim - namely, that in the two years prior to the fateful ‘mushroom lunch,’ Erin had made no fewer than four, and possibly five other attempts to deliberately poison him. Her attempts on his life involved sabotaging a series of dishes including curry, pasta bolognese and beef stew, he alleged, along with such snacks as chocolate cookies and a chicken wrap. On four occasions after eating Erin’s food, Simon said he’d ended up in hospital. Twice, he’d nearly died.
[...]

Hailing from a privileged metropolitan family – her mother, Dr Heather Scutter, was a prominent literary critic – she inherited about £1million from her grandmother around the time of her 30th birthday. Much of this cash was then invested in residential properties in and around Simon’s home-town of Korumburra, not far from Morwell, where they moved in the 2010s. Some of the money was also distributed to his siblings, via interest-free loans.
[...]

Shortly afterwards, in late 2022, Simon told his GP, Dr Chris Ford (‘an old mate from church’) that he feared his wife had been trying to poison him. He also resolved to avoid unnecessary contact with her.

He then listed himself as single on his tax return. This move had significant implications for Erin’s financial affairs, since it stopped her claiming various tax breaks available to married people. She responded by filing for child support, and the couple began arguing over money and who would pay their children’s school fees and medical bills."

Well Otto, thanks for the qualification on all that!