An Australian woman accused of murdering three lunch guests with toxic mushrooms should not be deemed guilty solely because she lied after the meal, her defense attorney stated.
Erin Patterson, who is 50 years old, faces charges of murdering her estranged husband’s parents and aunt in July 2023 by contaminating their beef Wellington lunch with death cap mushrooms.
She is also charged with attempting to murder a fourth guest—her husband’s uncle—who survived the lunch following an extended hospital stay.
Throughout a seven-week trial, Ms. Patterson has consistently proclaimed her innocence.
During the investigation into the deaths, Ms. Patterson told police that she did not possess a food dehydrator, which was allegedly used to prepare the toxic mushrooms.
Surveillance footage captured her disposing of a dehydrator at a nearby waste facility, and forensic analysis detected trace amounts of death cap mushrooms on the device.
“No one can say how they would react in a comparable situation,” Mr. Mandy remarked during the trial.
Colin Mandy stated that his client had cultivated an interest in mushrooms throughout the pandemic.
“She is not being tried for dishonesty.”
Additionally, Ms. Patterson had visited a website detailing the locations of death cap mushrooms near her residence a year prior to the lunch.
Mr. Mandy emphasized that Ms. Patterson’s familiarity with death cap mushrooms was typical, as she had taken up mushroom foraging during the lockdown in 2020, educating herself on which varieties were safe for consumption.
It was only logical, he argued, that Ms. Patterson would have become “aware of death cap mushrooms” during that time.
According to Mr. Mandy, Ms. Patterson “loved” mushrooms because they were both healthy and flavorful.
In his closing arguments, Mr. Mandy scrutinized the prosecution’s case, challenging the assertion that Ms. Patterson served the contaminated meal on matching gray plates designated for her guests while she opted for an orange dish.
He contended that Ms. Patterson did not own plates fitting that description.
Mr. Mandy also cited expert testimony indicating that individuals can have varying reactions to the toxins in death cap mushrooms.
Ms. Patterson had consumed only half of her meal, induced vomiting afterward, and was younger and heavier than her guests.
These conditions could clarify why Ms. Patterson ingested the tainted food but did not suffer as severely as the others.
Ms. Patterson had initially invited her estranged husband Simon to join the family lunch at her remote home in the farming village of Leongatha in Victoria state.
However, he declined the invitation the evening before the meal, expressing discomfort at attending, as the court was informed earlier.
The couple had been long estranged but remained legally married.
Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail, along with his aunt, Heather Wilkinson, were present for the lunch.
All three succumbed within days, while Heather Wilkinson’s husband, Ian, fell gravely ill but ultimately recovered.
