Erin Patterson trial: ‘Two faces’ of accused mushroom killer shown in messages, Crown prosecution claims

Erin Patterson has evaded a court grilling by prosecution lawyers during her fifth day on the stand at her triple murder trial, refusing to give a straight answer about her interest in death cap mushrooms.

Ms Patterson, 50, returned to the witness box for her fifth day of evidence at her Supreme Court trial in the Victorian town of Morwell.

She stands accused of the murder of Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and the attempted murder of Heather’s husband Ian after allegedly poisoning them during a lunch on July 29, 2023.

Erin Patterson’s ‘love’ and mushroom secret

Death cap mushrooms were in the beef Wellington served up at Erin Patterson’s house on that Saturday.

Within hours, everyone became unwell.

On the Sunday and Monday, Ms Patterson claims she asked about Don and Gail’s health while speaking with her ex-partner, something he claims she didn’t do. “I found it intriguing she didn’t ask,” he previously told the court.

The accused was told her guests may have death cap mushroom poisoning on the Monday, however, decided to keep her mushroom foraging, mushroom dehydrating secret from police, doctors, medical staff and health authorities.

Ms Patterson told police in an interview she “loved” Don and Gail.

“Surely if you had loved them .. You would have immediately notified the medical authorities that there was a possibility that the foraged mushrooms had ended up in the meal,” Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC asked.

“Well, I didn’t,” Ms Patterson replied.

She agreed that on the Wednesday, once she had left hospital, she continued to keep her secret and travelled to a tip to dispose of the dehydrator.

‘Two faces’ Erin Patterson: The Crown’s accusation

One of Ms Patterson’s police interview transcripts, from after her fatal lunch, was read to her in the courtroom. “They’re good, decent people that have never done anything wrong by me, ever,” Ms Patterson said talking about Don and Gail Patterson.

The Crown took the opportunity to grill Ms Patterson, something that led to her breaking down in tears. “I suggest that you didn’t love them. Correct or incorrect?” Dr Rogers asked. “That’s not true,” Ms Patterson responded.

“You had two faces. A public face of appearing to have a good relationship with Don and Gail, as shown to Simon (and others),” Dr Rogers said. “Incorrect,” Ms Patterson tearfully replied.

“Your private face was the one you showed in your Facebook messenger group,” Dr Rogers suggested. “Incorrect,” Ms Patterson again, voice cracking throughout.

Ms Patterson was asked to read a series of messages she wrote on platforms including Signal and Facebook, all sent months before her fatal lunch, complaining about a financial disagreement with her ex-partner Simon Patterson.

In one message sent to a group chat with Don and Gail in December 2022, Ms Patterson said: “Simon needs accountability for the difficulty he is causing me.” She went on to detail a lack of agreement on school fees and child support, also mentioning that her in-laws did not want to play mediator.

On Facebook, Ms Patterson’s messages were somewhat different. “This family, I swear to f..king god,” Ms Patterson wrote, complaining that her in-laws were not supporting her in the financial disagreement she was having with her ex-partner.

“At least I know they are a lost cause. F..k em’,” she continued. In another message, she added: “Her (Gail’s) son is a deadbeat.”

Ms Patterson says she “shouldn’t have sent” those messages on Facebook, claiming she was just “venting” and was “frustrated”.

The death cap mushroom map

On a device owned by Ms Patterson, specialists found the search term “death cap mushrooms”. They found a digital footprint showing Ms Patterson’s computer visited an online community forum website called iNaturalist, a site which hosted a map of death cap mushroom sightings and locations.

Ms Patterson agreed it looked like “somebody” accessed iNaturalist and the map, but didn’t “remember” doing that. “I don’t remember doing it. It’s possible it was me,” she said.

The accused does “remember” searching to see if death cap mushrooms grew in Gippsland at some point. “It might have been this search,” she told the court.

The mother-of-three was asked if her children used her computer to search for death cap mushrooms maps, including one record which showed a Melbourne, Victoria map, on iNaturalist, with Dr Rogers naming the children one-by-one. “I don’t know,” Ms Patterson replied three times.

“I suggest you had an interest in death cap mushrooms on May 28, 2022, agree or disagree?” Dr Rogers asked.

“Depends what you mean by by ‘interest’,” Ms Patterson replied.

Dr Rogers replied: “It’s a very straightforward question”.

Court was adjourned early for Friday, with Ms Patterson set to return to the witness box on Tuesday due to a public holiday in Victoria on Monday.

The trial continues.