Sole survivor from toxic mushroom-laced meal testifies at murder trial

The only surviving guest from a poisonous mushroom-laced beef Wellington lunch shared details of his relationship with Erin Patterson, who is charged with three murders of the other dinner guests, in the high-profile Australian court case.

Ian Wilkinson, 71, told the courtroom on Tuesday that he and his wife Heather were “very happy to be invited” to a lunch hosted by Patterson on July 29, 2023.

But the lunch left his wife and two others dead, while he became seriously ill.

Patterson, 50, is currently on trial for the murder of both of her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Wilkinson’s wife and the attempted murder of Wilkinson. She has pleaded not guilty and her legal team says she “panicked” after unintentionally serving poison to her family members in a “terrible accident.”

Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died after consuming the meal allegedly made by the accused in her home in the rural town of Leongatha. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived but was badly poisoned.

Wilkinson spent seven weeks in the hospital, which included three weeks in intensive care at the Austin hospital in Melbourne.

The jury heard details about the lunch and was told there is no dispute that the meal of beef Wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans contained death cap mushrooms, which are highly lethal when ingested, and caused the guests serious illnesses.

The judge told the jury the main issue in the case is whether Patterson planned to kill or cause very serious injury with the meal she prepared.

On the sixth day of trial, Wilkinson told the courtroom that Patterson had plated “all of the food” and appeared “reluctant” for her lunch guests to go into her pantry, according to the BBC.

“Each person had an individual serve, it was very much like a pastry,” Wilkinson said. “It was a pastry case and when we cut into it, there was steak and mushrooms.”

He said they all ate from four grey plates and Patterson ate from an “orangey tan” plate.

“Erin picked up the odd plate and carried it to the table. She took it to her place at the table,” he told the court.

Wilkinson also said his wife told him the next day that she “noticed the difference in colours” of the plates.

He said he and his wife “ate the entire meal,” while Don ate his meal and half of the beef Wellington that Gail did not finish.

“There was talk about husbands helping their wives out,” he said.

Wilkinson described how he and his wife became very sick afterwards, experiencing vomiting and diarrhea the same evening as the lunch, but dismissed the symptoms as gastroenteritis.

Patterson’s ex-husband, Simon Patterson, who declined the lunch invite, visited his parents after discovering they had been sick all night. He drove them to a local hospital and then to Leongatha hospital after the wait for an ambulance was too long.

Wilkinson said doctors treated them for food poisoning and “suspicion was falling on the meat.” He said he didn’t hear any mention of the mushrooms at the time.

The next morning, medical staff at the hospital told the couple their situation was “serious.” Wilkinson said he was “abruptly woken up by a group of nurses who literally ran us down the corridor in our beds to the urgent care area.”

He claims that a doctor told them he suspected they had “mushroom poisoning.”

“He was very frank. He said it is a very serious situation. He said there was time-critical treatment available,” Wilkinson added.

When asked about his relationship with Patterson, he described her as an acquaintance and said their relationship had been “friendly” and “amicable” but lacking “depth.”

“She just seemed like a normal person to me,” Wilkinson said of Patterson. “When we met, things were friendly. We never had arguments or disputes. She just seemed like an ordinary person.”

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He said his wife saw Patterson more than he did and spoke to her more often, “but we did not consider that the relationship was close.”

“We were very happy to be invited. It seemed like maybe our relationship was going to improve,” he added.

Wilkinson noted that following lunch, Patterson told her guests she had cancer.

“She said she was very concerned because she believed it was very serious, life-threatening,” he said. “She was anxious about telling the kids. She was asking our advice about that. ‘Should I tell the kids or not tell the kids about this threat to my life?'”

He said Patterson asked them what they thought she should do.

“In that moment, I thought, ‘This is the reason we’ve been invited to the lunch,'” Wilkinson said.

Last week, Justice Christopher Beale told jurors that prosecutors had dropped separate charges against Patterson alleging she had also attempted to murder her estranged husband with the poisonous mushrooms, also known as death cap mushrooms.

Death cap mushrooms are present in many of B.C.’s forests but may also be found in city environments associated with many species of imported trees. According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, the mushrooms have been spotted on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland.

Death cap mushrooms look similar to common puffball mushrooms but should never be eaten. If you suspect you may have consumed a death cap mushroom, you should seek emergency medical care immediately.

Symptoms of being poisoned by a death cap mushroom include low blood pressure, nausea and vomiting.

Patterson’s trial is expected to last six weeks. If she’s found guilty, she faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for the murder charges and a maximum of 25 years behind bars for attempted murder.

— With files from Global News’ Michelle Butterfield