A woman who passed away from suspected mushroom poisoning reportedly described a dish she had eaten as “delicious” just before her death, according to new evidence presented at Erin Patterson’s trial this week.
Patterson, who is 50 years old, faces charges of murdering her former in-laws and aunt-in-law by allegedly serving them poisonous mushrooms in a Beef Wellington dish at her home in Leongatha, Australia, during a lunch in July 2023.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Don and Gail Patterson, both in their 70s, and their 66-year-old relative, Heather Wilkinson. While the Wilkinsons became seriously ill, Ian Wilkinson, 68, survived after being hospitalized.
Simon Patterson, Erin’s ex-husband, had not attended the lunch, as reported.
In recent court testimony, Dr. Christopher Webster, who treated the Wilkinsons, indicated that he suspected food poisoning and asked about the Beef Wellington served the previous day. He recounted that Heather found the meal delicious. He described the couple upon arrival at the hospital as conscious and able to communicate, despite their illness.
Heather, Don, and Gail all died within days of the suspected poisoning, while Ian required several weeks to recover in the hospital. He noted that Patterson served her guests on gray plates but used an orange plate for herself, and Heather remarked on the different colors of the dishes while hospitalized.
Other testimonies during the trial suggested that Patterson had previously mentioned on social media her practice of “hiding powdered mushrooms” in her children’s meals. Members of the same online group testified that Patterson had sought advice on how to prepare Beef Wellington.
Patterson’s defense team claims the deaths were a tragic accident, and the trial is currently ongoing.
