Woman accused of killing 3 with toxic mushroom-laced meal heads to trial

An Australian woman accused of cooking and serving her ex-husband’s family a deadly meal featuring poisonous mushrooms is facing trial this week.

Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with three murders — both of her parents-in-law and an aunt — and one attempted murder of an uncle.

The case made international headlines, much to do with the sensational nature of the lunchtime meal the suspect allegedly cooked for her ex-husband’s relatives: a fatal beef Wellington. Australian police believe Erin served her guests the dish made with wild Amanita phalloides, also called death cap mushrooms, in July 2023.

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. He spent seven weeks recovering in hospital after eating the food.

Erin’s ex-husband, Simon Patterson, was also invited to the lunch but declined. Authorities said the symptoms exhibited by all four of Erin’s lunch guests were consistent with being poisoned by death cap mushrooms.

Erin was named a suspect in the case when police found it suspicious that she wasn’t harmed after eating the meal. She has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.

On Tuesday, Justice Christopher Beale told jurors that prosecutors had dropped separate charges against Erin alleging she had also attempted to murder her estranged husband, reports the BBC.

Two weeks before the alleged poisoning, Erin had invited her husband and the four other guests to lunch during a church service at Korumburra Baptist Church, where Ian was the pastor.

“She said the purpose of the lunch was to discuss some medical issues that she had and to get advice about how to break it to the kids,” prosecutor Nanette Rogers told the jury this week, according to PBS.

“The accused said that it was important that the children were not present for the lunch,” Rogers stated.

The following day, after consuming the food in question, Heather began to question the meal.

“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’ve puzzled about it since lunch,” Heather reportedly told Simon, according to the prosecution.

Simon, the lawyer said, suggested to his aunt that his ex-wife might have run out of plates.

Rogers told the jury that Erin made up a story about having received an ovarian cancer diagnosis to cover up why her children weren’t present for the meal.

“After the lunch, the accused announced that she had cancer and asked for advice on whether to tell the children or to keep it from them,” Rogers said.

“They had a discussion about it being best to be honest with the children. They prayed as a group for the accused’s health and wisdom in relation to telling the children,” Rogers added.

Erin’s defence lawyer, Colin Mandy, told the jury that the poisoning was accidental and that his client never had cancer.

“The defence case is what happened was a tragedy. A terrible accident,” Mandy told the court.

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Rogers, according to the BBC, said the prosecution will present evidence that shows Erin had travelled to a location near her home where death cap mushroom sightings had been logged on a naturalist website. She also said jurors can expect evidence that Erin lied about the source of the mushrooms and that she disposed of a food dehydrator that was allegedly used to prepare the poisonous meal. 

Erin’s trial is expected to last six weeks. If she is 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.

What are death cap mushrooms?

Death cap mushrooms are highly lethal when ingested.

The mushrooms can be found in many part of the world, though in Canada they are an invasive species.

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 in Vancouver Island and 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.

— With files from Global News