Erin Patterson trial recap: Accused triple murderer gives evidence on fatal mushroom lunch

Justice Beale took the pause after Ms Patterson’s latest piece of evidence to adjourn court for the day.

Ms Paterson will return to the witness box on Wednesday.

Ahead of the fatal lunch that Ms Patterson accepts included death cap mushrooms, the accused told the court that she had purchased some “pungent” mushrooms from an Asian grocer in Melbourne that she had intended to use in another meal.

“I was going to use them the day I bought them, but they were very pungent,” she said.

She told the court she decided not to use them that day, instead putting them in a container that she placed in the cupboard of her Leongatha home.

Ms Patterson went on to confirm that those “pungent” mushrooms ended up in the cupboard alongside other dehydrated mushrooms ahead of the fatal lunch.

She said she would add mushrooms that she had dehydrated into containers she “already had going” with other dehydrated mushrooms.

Miss Patterson described a time she had picked wild “slippery jack” mushrooms and “honey mushrooms”,

The accused triple murderer said she was “very confident” in her ability to identify those types.

She added that she ate those pickings and that they were “very nice”.

Ms Patterson told the court how she used the dehydrator on mushrooms as they were not always in season, but planned to use the appliance on other items too.

Ms Patterson said images that she posted on Facebook of mushrooms on the dehydrator shelf were likely “Woolies mushrooms”.

She went on to explain that she dehydrated a large quantity of mushrooms, some picked from a local botanical garden.

“That was a little experiment,” she said about one batch from the local botanical garden that she dehydrated whole, adding they were still “mushy” inside afterwards.

She said she was “experimenting” to work out how to fully remove moisture from them at different times and temperatures.

Erin Patterson has returned to the witness box to discuss the fatal lunch that left three people dead.

Ms Patterson was asked if she accepted that “death cap mushrooms” were in the lunch.

“Yes, I do,” she said.

Asked where the mushrooms came from, Ms Patterson said: “The vast majority came from the local Woolworths in Leongatha”.

Ms Patterson said there were also mushrooms from an “Asian grocer” in Melbourne.

The court has returned from lunch, however, Justice Christopher Beale and lead defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC are discussing an objection raised regarding Erin Patterson’s evidence from the prosecution.

The court has been adjourned for lunch after an objection was raised over Ms Patterson’s evidence.

Ms Patterson said that as she better learnt to identify some wild mushrooms, she eventually tried some that were growing on her property.

After trying them herself, Ms Patterson said she “put them in meals we all ate”, speaking about meals for her and her children.

“I chopped them up very small, so they couldn’t pick them out.”

After those comments, the prosecution asked to raise a concern, with the jury sent out of the courtroom.

Erin Patterson told the court she “loved” mushrooms, explaining, “they taste good and they are very healthy”.

She went on to detail that she had used a variety of mushrooms, some purchased from markets, forming a liking for “exotic” mushrooms as they had “more flavour”.

She went on to talk about her interest in wild mushrooms, something that developed further during the first COVID lockdown.

Ms Patterson went on to say that she “picked” mushrooms on one of her properties that she saw her dog eating, explaining she wanted to identify what her pet had consumed.

She said this made her realise it was hard to identify mushrooms.

Erin Patterson has told the court that she informed her Facebook friends that she had bought a food dehydrator and that she “loved mushrooms”.

Ms Patterson confirmed she shared an image of mushrooms she had dehydrated online.

Ms Patterson said she “was experimenting with different ways” to get the “best result” for dehydrating.

Ms Patterson confirmed she had an interest in wild mushrooms, something that started in early 2020.