A woman who passed away after consuming a beef Wellington infused with death cap mushrooms informed a doctor that it tasted “delicious,” a court has been told, as her Australian host faces triple murder charges.
Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of murdering the parents and aunt of her estranged husband by preparing and serving the toxic beef-and-pastry dish.
She also faces charges for the attempted murder of her husband’s uncle, who survived after an extended hospitalization.
Ms. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He treated the couple, who are the aunt and uncle of Ms. Patterson’s husband, when they were urgently admitted to the hospital due to vomiting and diarrhea.
When they first arrived, they were “conscious” and “alert,” Dr. Christopher Webster testified in court in Morwell, southeast of Melbourne.
“They were clearly unwell but not distressed. They were both able to communicate freely,” he stated.
Suspicion turned to the meat
The day before, they had lunch featuring individually prepared beef Wellingtons at Erin Patterson’s home in the tranquil Victoria state village of Leongatha, the court has heard.
The doctor initially suspected food poisoning from the beef in the Wellington.
“I did inquire with Heather about the taste of the beef Wellington, and she said it was delicious,” he recounted in court.
The following morning, a doctor from another hospital contacted him to inform him that the two other lunch guests—Ms. Patterson’s parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson—were suspected to be poisoned by death cap mushrooms.
Ian and Heather Wilkinson were then transferred for specialized care at another facility.
Within a few days, three of the four lunch guests had died. Ian Wilkinson, a pastor, survived after weeks of medical treatment.
The court heard that Erin Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon, had been invited to the meal but declined, expressing discomfort with the situation.
Erin Patterson went to the hospital two days after the lunch but left five minutes later against medical advice, the doctor stated.
“I was surprised,” he asserted in court.
Ms. Patterson later returned and informed Dr. Webster that her children had also eaten the beef Wellington—but not the mushrooms or pastry.
She was hesitant to notify them about the poisoning, fearing it might frighten them, the doctor said.
“I told her: ‘They can be scared and alive or dead.’
The court also heard from another son of Don and Gail Patterson—Matthew—who said he had contacted the lunch host to inquire about the source of the mushrooms.
Ms. Patterson told him she purchased some of the mushrooms at a “Chinese shop,” but could not recall which one, he said.
Matthew expressed his belief that the accused was a dedicated mother who had a positive relationship with his parents.
The prosecution contends that Ms. Patterson intentionally poisoned her lunch guests while ensuring that neither she nor her children ingested the dangerous mushrooms.
Her defense claims it was “a terrible accident” and that Ms. Patterson consumed the same meal as the others but did not experience the same level of illness.
The trial is projected to last six weeks.
