GUILTY Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 *Arrest* #19

[Monstradamus]

I was concerned she might be a bit of a queen bee in jail, but from what the various media reports have led me to believe, it seems its the opposite and she's unpopular. I bet its a lot harder to make people dance to your tune when its in person and not behind a screen. JMO.

Spot on. She was very confident hiding behind her keyboard and screen.

She had lived quite a privileged existence until she went into custody. I imagine it was quite a shock to the system. Maybe not quite so confident now?

 

[Monstradamus]

So true…..


View attachment 609414

Erin Patterson murder trial day 26 as it happened: Mushroom cook says fear of estranged husband’s actions led to phone resets; details dumping food dehydrator at local tip after fatal lunch

Erin Patterson has told a court her estranged husband asked her if she had used a dehydrator to poison his parents, and admitted resetting her phone out of fear police would discover photos she had of foraged mushrooms.

www.theage.com.au

Yes. On 2nd August she reset Phone B at 11.09am, and arrived at the local tip at 11.30am.
She was a busy bee that morning

 

[Baby baby Jane]

Regardless, in answer to MaxDecimus13's point (She would have known that they would be looking for leftovers when they got ill.) my point stands. If she kept the leftovers because they would have been looking for them then throwing out the plates is a red flag.

The Koonwarra tip doesn’t accept food waste. Erin wouldn’t be able to dispose of kitchen trash.

 

[Detechtive]

The Koonwarra tip doesn’t accept food waste. Erin wouldn’t be able to dispose of kitchen trash.

Wow!!

 

[Two SCents]

The Koonwarra tip doesn’t accept food waste. Erin wouldn’t be able to dispose of kitchen trash.

She could have thrown it out anywhere along the way

 

[Detechtive]

What’s with Erin’s rubbish behaviour? I noticed she had multiple trips to the tip previously and also a skip bin outside her house in September 2023. It’s odd. She’s only got 2 kids, a massive house and she hadn’t long moved in. What did she need to get rid of all the time?
Strange IMO

 

[Susjay]

I haven't read the thread for awhile and have just read the last few pages.
I'm so confused.

And yes I have finally come around to thinking that what happened was planned and not an accident.
I've been doing a lot of reading up on what was not allowed to be heard and I am convinced.

Can I come back into the fold now

Don’t think you were ever out of the fold. Everyone is allowed opinions. But understand you might have felt a little lonely.

 

[Baby baby Jane]

She could have thrown it out anywhere along the way

I don’t disagree

perhaps too worried about an animal eating it if chucked out window

 

[Jake18]

She could have thrown it out anywhere along the way

I wonder what went in the service station bin?

I agree that the immediate aftermath after the lunch was getting rid of anything that could have contaminated her children - plates, maybe utensils, maybe the meat.

Then the cover up was with disposing of the dehydrator.

There was missing meat - the 6th Wellington (Simon’s) consisted of just pastry and duxelle. I don’t for a second think she scraped off the mushrooms and gave it to the children. The other remains were of her own portion she didn’t eat.

If it was the meat she messed with somehow how would she do that? With a mushroom marinade? Syringing in dissolved mushroom powder? But it makes sense that if she ditched the toxic meat after the meal she’d be confident that there’d be nothing incriminating in the leftovers when they were asked for, not realising that the toxicology testing is now very accurate.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

The Koonwarra tip doesn’t accept food waste. Erin wouldn’t be able to dispose of kitchen trash.

Somehow I don't envisage EP as being someone concerned with the rules of disposal.

I'm not sure how this tip system works or why she went there as none of it makes sense.

Since she was devious and scheming, there must have been a reason.

IMO she would have wanted those contaminated plates and the whole dinner service, cutlery, anything the visitors had used or touched out of her house for fear of accidental cross contamination. Did she place each plate on a layer of cardboard, pack them up and ditch them? How do we know what she threw away ? Was it photographed, captured by CCTV? Was it reclaimed and scrutinised? Why go to the tip at all and not do something else.

She had no need to get rid of 'cardboard' at all unless perhaps she'd incidentally purchased a large household item that comes in swathes of cardboard such as a flat pack wardrobe or something. At which point the volume of cardboard becomes too unmanageable for a regular household recycling bin.

 

[Two SCents]

I don’t disagree

perhaps too worried about an animal eating it if chucked out window

Yes, it's a moot point anyway as the leftovers were in her bin

 

[katydid23]

IIRC, she claimed that her mother was an alcoholic. I wonder of that was a fact, or if it was EP simply making suppositions based on that find?

That drug can be used for many things besides alcohol withdrawal:

Some common uses of diazepam include:

• Treating anxiety: Diazepam is frequently prescribed for anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social phobia. It can also help manage the physical symptoms associated with anxiety like sweating, restlessness, and difficulty sleeping.
• Managing muscle spasms: Diazepam is effective in relaxing tense muscles and reducing muscle spasms and spasticity associated with neurological disorders like cerebral palsy and stiff-man syndrome.
• Controlling seizures: While not typically used as the sole treatment for seizures, diazepam can be used as an adjunct therapy for seizures and to interrupt episodes of increased seizures (such as cluster or breakthrough seizures). It's crucial to follow a healthcare provider's instructions for dosage and administration, notes Children's Minnesota.
• Addressing alcohol withdrawal symptoms: It can help reduce symptoms like anxiety, muscle spasms, and insomnia during alcohol withdrawal.
• Pre-operative sedation and conscious sedation: Diazepam can be used before medical or dental procedures to induce relaxation, anxiety relief (anxiolysis), or amnesia.

 

[packetgravy]

Yes, it's a moot point anyway as the leftovers were in her bin

I’m so glad you said it.

The leftovers were there in the bin, she told the police where to find it.

Also, IMO, after discovering Dr Chris Ford is not only Simon’s GP but also a member of the same prayer group, it all makes sense why Simon was able to call him directly. Apparently they once spoke for 55 minutes and I was just in awe of these small town doctors and their dedication.

“Simon Patterson gave evidence in the pre-trial that he told Dr Ford about his suspicions that Erin was trying to poison him, and after Dr Ford suggested he keep a record of any meals prepared by Erin, he started compiling a spreadsheet of events.”

Why Simon's alleged poisoning charges were dropped - South Gippsland Sentinel Times

ON MONDAY, July 7, 2025, Leongatha mother of two, Erin Patterson, was found guilty on four charges, three counts of murder against her in-laws Gail and Don Patterson and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and one of attempted murder against Ian...

www.sgst.com.au

One small query…. a spreadsheet was the first thing to pop into mind?
Isn’t there some kind of law enforcement in Australia? People that wear nice uniforms and drive cars with flashing lights? There to protect the community and fight crime? They use the same bracelets as my girlfriend, where I live we call them police.

 

[packetgravy]

She also told about a kazillion lies about Simon and others, so I would take much of what she told her online friends with a grain of salt.

Diazepam is simply valium. At one time it was called 'mothers little helper'.

Diazepam (Valium)

Diazepam is mainly used to treat people with anxiety. Read more about how it works, what the risks are, and other treatment options available.

www.healthdirect.gov.au

imo

What were the lies she told about Simon?

 

[Jake18]

Somehow I don't envisage EP as being someone concerned with the rules of disposal.

I'm not sure how this tip system works or why she went there as none of it makes sense.

Since she was devious and scheming, there must have been a reason.

IMO she would have wanted those contaminated plates and the whole dinner service, cutlery, anything the visitors had used or touched out of her house for fear of accidental cross contamination. Did she place each plate on a layer of cardboard, pack them up and ditch them? How do we know what she threw away ? Was it photographed, captured by CCTV? Was it reclaimed and scrutinised? Why go to the tip at all and not do something else.

She had no need to get rid of 'cardboard' at all unless perhaps she'd incidentally purchased a large household item that comes in swathes of cardboard such as a flat pack wardrobe or something. At which point the volume of cardboard becomes too unmanageable for a regular household recycling bin.

One of the podcasts said it was a 9 min visit to the dump and she disposed of standard waste and cardboard, in separate areas. There was CCTV but the view of the contents of what she was dumping wasn’t clear.

 

[packetgravy]

Even if Erin believed that the authorities would never suspect poison, she had a very good reason to throw out the plates...

She kept the striped plate, which Heather spoke about before heading to hospital.

Edit- Adding the info in as apparently she spoke about the plates with Simon prior to the ride to hospital, Ian was not present at the time. She then raised the observation again on the way to hospital with Ian present,

R v Patterson (Ruling 5) [2025] VSC 106 - BarNet Jade

The smart way to search, annotate and share Australian legal judgments, decisions and statutes!

jade.io

Witness Statement

1. In his statement dated 16 August 2023,[24] Simon Patterson stated:
   
   

   58. I sat down on the couch to wait for Ian. There wasn't much conversation but unprompted Heather said "Yeah, I noticed that Erin put her food on a different plate to us. Her plate had colours on it. I wondered why that was." I acknowledged that but didn't say much about it. Very shortly after that, Heather asked if Erin was ok and I replied "I'm sure she'll be OK just like she was every other time."
   
   …
   
   60. On the way to Leongatha Hospital Heather said "Is Erin short of crockery? I was wondering why she served herself on a different plate to the rest of us. I've puzzled about it since the lunch." I said "Yeah, she doesn't have heaps of plates so it maybe that she ran out of plates." That was the end of that conversation.

 

[MaxDecimus13]

BBM

No point throwing out the plates then

That's not exactly the same thing. The plates are only an issue because some of the victims noticed a difference.

They would have always wanted leftovers from the food.

As I stated in the same post, surely the absence of any toxins in one of the BW raises questions does it not?

Either: a) it is harder to detect the toxins than we think or b) it is virtually cast iron proof that she had messed with the individual wellingtons.

In both instances, I think it comes down either that she made careless mistakes or that she was trying to outsmart the police.

 

[MaxDecimus13]

Even if Erin believed that the authorities would never suspect poison, she had a very good reason to throw out the plates...She needed to avoid cross-contamination. She wouldn't want to take the slightest chance that her kids could come in contact with even one spore of the fungi.

I believe that's why she made that post-lunch trip to the tip. Not just to dispose of the plates, but also the cookware, Tupperware, utensils and anything else that might have touched the mushrooms.

I think her initial plan was just to say, "I ate the meal and my kids ate it, and we're fine. So the lunch couldn't be the cause." It was only after she heard that the doctors suspected amanita toxin did she start worrying about how she could be linked to the deaths. It was then she switched to plan B and went into the hospital claiming she was ill.

Assuming she is guilty, surely the presumption is that she was trying to pass it off as a tragic mystery accident rather than being a murder suspect.

Through this lens, she simply needed to do enough to not bring suspicion on herself. Providing them with some evidence of the food without any poison able to be detected in it is essential to this plan.

All we know is that she went the dump very shortly after the meal and this like 100 other things is very suspicious. It seems likely that this is where she got rid of the plates but it isn't 100%. As you point out, the could have been getting rid of other essential things like the remaining DC powder and possible contaminants.

 

[packetgravy]

But she did...

Is there a source for this or is it speculation?

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Is there a source for this or is it speculation?