Trial of the year in Australia reaches verdict this week: Accused of poisoning guests with mushrooms

Nothing out of the ordinary ever happened in Leongatha, a sleepy town, 84 miles from Melbourne, the nearest big city in south east Australia. Not until the summer of 2023, when the town, with a population of just 5,869 was thrust into the international media spotlight after three locals died, allegedly poisoned during a family meal.

Leongatha had never known a commotion anything like it. On 29 July 2023, Erin Patterson invited several family members - in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and Heather’s husband Ian over to eat lunch at her home. Erin’s estranged husband Simon was also invited over but pulled out at the last minute.

Nefarious ingredient added to Beef Wellington recipe

Erin has spent hours in the kitchen baking Beef Wellington - a kind of meat loaf, filled with beef tenderloin, Parma ham and sautéed onions and wild mushrooms, then wrapped in puff pastry and baked.

The lunch guests were completely unaware that the dish that Patterson brought to the table had been laced with highly toxic death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) - one of the most poisonous varieties in existence.

Hours after eating the meal, all four guests started to feel ill with stomach cramps, fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea - classic symptoms of food poisoning.

Three of Patterson’s lunch guests die of food poisoning

Don and Gail Patterson along with the Wilkinson couple were admitted to hospital. Don, Gail and Heather died of liver and kidney failure between 4 and 5 August. Mr Wilkinson would spent the next three months receiving treatment but fortunately managed to survive.

A police investigation focused on Erin Patterson. The suspect maintained her innocence, claiming that she had developed an interest in collecting, drying and cooking with a variety of wild mushrooms during the Covid pandemic. She claimed to have bought some of the mushrooms from an Asian grocer in Melbourne and foraged the rest, without realizing they included death cap specimens.

Investigators quickly found discrepancies in her story. Firstly, instead of using one tenderloin steak to make the Beef Wellington, she used smaller beef fillets to make individual portions - this allowed her and her children to appear to be sharing the same dish, while giving her control over who ate the poisoned ones.

Suspect tried to dispose of vital evidence

The trial began at the Supreme Court of Victoria at Morwell on April 29. While testifying, Patterson admitted lying to police, and deleting images of mushrooms which she had searched for and photographed on her mobile phones. She also disposed of a food dehydrator at the tip. After it was located and recovered, it showed traces of death cap mushrooms.

She insisted that she did not intend to kill her guests and entered a plea of not guilty.

Detectives allege that Mrs Patterson made three similar attempts to poison her estranged husband in the two years prior to this case.

Defense argues that Patterson had “no motive”

Defense lawyer Colin Mandy SC argues that Patterson had no motive to kill her four elderly lunch guests and that the whole episode was simply an unfortunate accident. “Without a motive, you’re left guessing about the most important element of the offence in this trial and that’s intention,” he said.

Justice Christopher Beale will begin delivering his final instructions to the 12-member jury this Tuesday, June 24. Their decision, which is expected this week, must be unanimous.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.