Mushroom, Alleged Murder, and Messages: The Digital Trail

The Mushroom Murder Trial podcast examines new evidence in the case against Erin Patterson, who stands accused, but denies, three murders and one attempted murder after allegedly serving deadly death cap mushrooms to her former in-laws.

• Three women from an online true crime group testify about their interactions with Patterson, including messages about dehydrating mushrooms
• Court hears Patterson allegedly wrote "I've been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything" in messages before the fatal lunch
• Patterson purchased a food dehydrator in early 2023 and shared photos of mushrooms being processed
• Simon Patterson, Erin's estranged husband, denies asking if she used the dehydrator to "poison them"
• Messages reveal family tensions over parenting, child support claims, and tax declarations
• According to friends, Patterson complained her husband was "coercive" and "abusive" while portraying herself as a devoted mother
• Defence maintains the poisoning was accidental, calling it "a tragedy, a terrible accident"

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello and welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial
podcast, your source forcoverage of what's shaping up as
one of Australia's mostinteresting criminal trials.
My name is Lisa, I am apodcaster and a true crime
reporter and I've followed thisstory since 2023.
Today we are going to betalking about the Erin Patterson

(00:23):
trial text, reveal claims aboutparenting tax and family
tensions.
But before we do that, pleasesubscribe to our newsletter at
mushroommurdertrialcom.
It's full of updates andinformation for you about the
trial.
You'll also receive the secondedition when you sign up today.

(00:46):
During his third day of givingevidence, simon Patterson, erin
Patterson's husband, facedfurther scrutiny in the Supreme
Court trial of his estrangedwife, who stands accused of
three murders and one attemptedmurder.
Miss Erin Trudy Patterson, aged50, from Leongatha, is pleading

(01:06):
not guilty to three charges ofmurder and one of attempted
murder.
She is accused but deniesdeliberately serving a meal
containing deadly death capmushrooms to her former in-laws
and their relatives during alunch at her home in Leangatha
on July 29, 2023.

(01:29):
Don and Gail Patterson, agedboth 70, and Gail's sister, 66,
later died.
Heather's husband, ianWilkinson, became critically ill
but survived.
Three women Ms Patterson,befriended via a true crime
group, gave evidence in theSupreme Court of Victoria about

(01:49):
their interactions online withthe teaching student.
Quote according to Ms JennyHafe, a social work lecturer
from Tasmania quote.
Originally we met through aFacebook group that was about
Kelly Lane.
That stemmed from the ABCdocumentary.
She said that was a pretty biggroup.

(02:12):
Eventually that fell apart.
I was also then in a group withabout 20 people in that group.
Then there were about five ofus in a group chat together.
I think we had just becomecloser friends and just wanted
to have our group.
That was just ours.
It was the beginning of COVID.
So there was a lot of talkabout COVID, everyday life,

(02:35):
family, friends, events,whatever was going on in our
lives.
In one message shown to thecourt from the time before the
lunch.
In one message shown to thecourt from the time before the
lunch, ms Patterson allegedlywrote I've been hiding powdered
mushrooms in everything, mixedit with chocolate brownies.
Yesterday the kids had no idea.

(03:03):
Ms Patterson also allegedlyposted photos of the Sunbeam
Food Lab electronic dehydratorto this chat group with her
friends.
One photo shown to the jurydemonstrated mushrooms on the
dehydrator's shelves.
Another showed chopped upbutton mushrooms.
She seemed to really likemushrooms, jenny Hay told the
court.
According to Ms Hay.

(03:24):
Erin Patterson bought the fooddehydrator in early 2023.
Quote.
I remember her making mushroomsoups and blitzing them so the
kids would eat them.
She seemed to use it a lot.
A short time later, msPatterson sent another message
which was shown to the jury.
Quote so, fun fact, thedehydrator reduces the mushroom

(03:48):
mass by 90%.
Do you think, woolies, asupermarket would mind if I
bought the dehydrator into theirvegetable section and dry
things before buying them?
Ms Hayes said her friend neverdiscussed foraging mushrooms but
there were many discussionsinside the group about preparing

(04:09):
and making food.
She said Ms Patterson messagedthe group towards the end of
July 2023 seeking recipe advicefor a beef wellington.
Quote.
She was at a supermarket inbrackets.
She said close black brackets,something about meat, because

(04:29):
she was making a beef wellington, miss hay said.
She added she spoke to misspatterson on the phone sometime
after the lunch and she said shebought the mushrooms from an
asian grocer.
Ms Hay, who had cooked beefWellington before and described
it in court as one of herfavourite dishes, said she gave

(04:50):
advice to Patterson about how tomake sure it wasn't soggy.
Another person who knew Erin wasDaniela Barclay and another
Christine Hunt, and theytestified that Miss Patterson
complained on several occasionsabout her estranged husband,
simon.

(05:11):
Miss Hunt said Miss Pattersonpainted her husband a devout
Christian as quote coercive andquote abusive.
Miss Hunt said Miss Pattersonin her belief was an atheist
Quote.
She was saying to us publiclyin that group that she didn't

(05:31):
necessarily believe in God, shesaid.
Ms Barkley said that MsPatterson's life revolved around
her children.
I thought she was a wonderfulmother, she said.
Earlier in the day MsPatterson's lawyer, colin Mandy
SC, also questioned Mr Pattersonabout a conversation he had

(05:52):
with the accused at MonashMedical Centre where she
allegedly told him she'd done ablind taste test involving their
daughter and muffins made withmushrooms from a dehydrator,
according to Mr Mandy.
Simon then asked Erin, is thatwhat you use to poison them?
Referring to the kitchen device.

(06:14):
This exchange reportedly tookplace two days after the fatal
lunch.
Mr Patterson firmly denied thatclaim.
I did not say that to Erin, shesaid no clarification was
offered in the court regardingwho exactly Mandy was referring
to as quote them.
Mr Patterson was in the witnessstand for the third day and

(06:39):
Crown Prosecutor Nanette Rogersfocused on a series of messages
sent by his estranged wife.
He told the court that hismother affected by a recent
encephalitis diagnosis hadagreed not to read certain
messages from Erin in order tomanage her anxiety.
One particular messagedescribed by Simon as quote

(07:04):
inflammatory was sent a fewmonths after the court had
earlier reviewed messages fromDecember 2022.
Recalling the context, mrPatterson said his son had been
extremely tired during a visitwith him.
In response, he asked MsPatterson to help ensure their

(07:25):
child went to bed earlier.
She allegedly replied in theirgroup chat on the messaging app
called Signal, which includedboth of Simon's parents.
In relation to his father'sreply, he said I tell you what
if mum had read that?
I don't know what we would havedone to her, he said.

(07:47):
When asked to clarify what hemeant by inflammatory, he
explained it was having a crackat me and accusing me of some
things in response to what I'dmessaged her about.
That's not the bit I objectedto.
It was the fact that she sentit, especially knowing my mum's
condition and what that can doto mum.

(08:09):
I'm still upset about that.
Later, mr Mandy completed hiscross-examination of Mr
Patterson.
He pointed out that themessages presented were the only
ones concerning school feepayments.
Note this was a second set ofmessages referred to by Mr
Patterson, the court was readmore encrypted signal messages

(08:33):
exchanged in the family groupchat involving Erin, simon, his
father and his mother, gail.
The messages followed Don'ssuggestion that he catch up with
the family before Erin tooktheir two children on a trip to
New Zealand.
In a message sent at 8pm onDecember 5, erin referred to

(08:54):
Simon's 2022 tax return, whichindicated he was separated, and
linked it to child support andgovernment benefits.
Quote.
I'm sorry but I can't stopthinking about the comment that
Don made on the phone that Simoncan reverse the whole single
thing in his tax return.

(09:14):
She wrote.
That is mind boggling in itsimplication.
Erin claims she might miss outon $15,000 annually from the
family tax benefit due toSimon's declaration.
We were basically lying to thegovernment, telling them that we
were a family with sharedfinances so they wouldn't make

(09:35):
him pay child support.
She said I would have beenentitled to about $30,000 a year
in child support from Simon,but I didn't claim it because I
foolishly trusted him to do theright thing by me and the kids.
The court heard she alsoaccused Simon of wanting to be a
quote bare minimum parent.

(09:55):
Roughly an hour after thismessage, don replied saying he
was sorry if he misrepresentedSimon's intentions.
The following day Erin continuedthe discussion, saying she
respected the family's desirenot to intervene but would keep
sharing messages on what sheviewed as important matters.
Quote I would hope that you, ashis parents, would be concerned

(10:20):
that he was making thedecisions that are in the best
interests of the children andnot operating from a place of
being angry.
To that end, she wrote.
Mr Mandy asked Simon if heagreed.
The messages showed Erin wasseeking his parents' support and
that they were hesitant.
Simon confirmed this.
The jury also heard aboutErin's previous community

(10:43):
involvement in Corrumburra, withSimon acknowledging she had
assisted his parents in thedevelopment association and took
over the running of the BoroughFlyer, the town newsletter.
Simon regularly contributedphotographs for the publication
as well.
Last week Prosecutor NanetteRogers SC told the court that

(11:04):
Erin allegedly invited theguests under the pretext of
discussing a cancer diagnosisand claimed she used this story
to explain the absence of herchildren at the gathering.
But Mr Mandy, for the defence,told the court that Erin does
not deny the present of deadlymushrooms but insists it was
unintentional.

(11:24):
The defence case is that ErinPatterson did not deliberately
serve poisoned food to herguests.
The defence case is that ithappened.
It was a tragedy, a terribleaccident.
Justice Christopher Beale ispresiding over this trial in the
La Trobe Magistrates Court inMorwell.
It's expected to run betweenfive to eight weeks, and that's

(11:49):
all I have for you today.
Until next time.
I'm Lisa.
This is the Mushroom MurderTrial Podcast.
For more information, visit mywebsite and make sure you
subscribe to my newsletter,mushroommurdertrialcom Plus.
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(12:10):
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(12:35):
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So thank you.
I hope you have a wonderful dayand I'll speak to you soon.
Bye, music.