Woman Accused of Killing Ex-Husband's Parents with Poisonous Mushroom Admits Food Had Death Cap

• Erin Patterson admitted in court that the fatal beef she served contained death cap mushrooms, but insisted she didn’t know they were poisonous at the time
• Patterson confessed to lying to her guests about having cancer to lure them to the meal, saying she was ashamed of planning weight loss surgery and feared judgment
• She misled police by denying she owned a mushroom dehydrator and lied about foraging, fearing she’d be wrongly accused and lose custody of her children
• Prosecutors believe the poisoning was intentional, citing her light consumption of the meal, quick recovery, and deleted phone data as evidence of planning

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

An Australian woman at the centre of a mushroom poisoning incident has admitted that the fatal meal she served contained death cap mushrooms.

Erin Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, with CNN reporting that her defence team maintains the incident was a tragic accident.

However, the prosecution is building a case against her, arguing that Patterson carefully planned the lunch to harm her ex-husband’s kin.

Did Patterson cook with deadly mushrooms?

Patterson, who faces three murder charges and two counts of attempted murder, emotionally testified before the Supreme Court in Victoria, stating she had no idea the mushrooms she added to her beef Wellington dish were poisonous.

The deaths of Don and Gail Patterson, both aged 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, shocked Leongatha after they died days after sharing lunch at Erin’s home in July 2023.

Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband, was the sole survivor of the group and spent weeks hospitalised.

A report by CBS News revealed that Patterson broke down in court as she admitted to lying about her health to her estranged husband's relatives to get them to attend the lunch.

The mum of two confessed that she falsely told the family she had cancer, a lie that she stated that she deeply regrets.

"I didn’t want to tell anyone I was planning weight loss surgery. I felt ashamed and thought pretending I had cancer would explain why I looked unwell. But I shouldn’t have lied," she said tearfully.

Why did Patterson mislead police after the deaths

Patterson also admitted to misleading investigators initially, saying she feared losing her children and being unfairly blamed for the deaths.

This included denying mushroom foraging and lying about owning a dehydrator, a device that could dry mushrooms, including the wild ones she collected during walks.

During cross-examination, Patterson explained she intended to prepare a special meal and had splurged on top-grade ingredients.

She used mushrooms from her pantry, a mix of store-bought and possibly foraged ones.

"I thought they were all store-bought. But now I think there was a possibility there were foraged ones in there too," she said.

She acknowledged that she dehydrated some wild mushrooms weeks earlier and may have unknowingly mixed them into the container used for the dish.

Patterson said the mushrooms looked and smelled unusual, and some came from an Asian grocer in Melbourne, describing their odour as pungent.

Why do prosecutors believe Patterson planned poisoning

Prosecutors argued that Patterson intentionally poisoned the guests, pointing out that she did not eat much of the beef Wellington herself and began vomiting after bingeing on cake, which might have helped her expel the toxins.

She later developed mild diarrhoea and recovered quickly compared to her guests.

Adding to the suspicion, she remotely wiped her mobile phone after police seized it, allegedly to delete photos of mushrooms she had foraged.

She also got rid of the dehydrator and told authorities she never owned one.

Her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, who had been invited to the lunch but chose not to attend, reportedly confronted her at the hospital, asking if she'd poisoned his parents.

The court also heard details about Patterson’s rocky relationship with her in-laws and Simon.

She said her relationship with Don and Gail never changed, even after formally separating from Simon in 2015.

However, messages presented in court revealed moments of frustration and hurt, particularly around family disagreements and child support.

Despite the separation, Patterson kept Simon’s name on the title of her property, hoping it would serve as a gesture to reunite their family.

Nandi woman recounts poisoning by Lebanese boss

In other news, a Nandi woman who once worked in Lebanon has detailed a harrowing ordeal, claiming her employer poisoned her after she discovered another woman tied up and repeatedly drugged.

A confrontation followed, leading to a violent attack involving injections and a demand to "end her suffering" with a knife.

She resisted and stabbed her employer, with CCTV footage reportedly capturing everything.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke