June 5, 2025 • 12 mins
This bonus episode is a narration the transcript from Erin Trudi Patterson's cross-examination yesterday in the Supreme Court of Victoria, where she faces charges for the alleged mushroom poisoning deaths of three people and attempted murder of another.
• Erin Patterson, aged 50, has pleaded not guilty to all charges
• Prosecutor Dr. Nanette Rogers questioned Ms Patterson about alleged death cap mushrooms
• Ms Patterson, of Leongatha, denies the mushrooms in evidence photos are death caps
• Evidence presented includes photos of Ms Patterson's kitchen scales with mushrooms and her dehydrator
• Ms Patterson admitted to lying to police about dehydrating food because she was "afraid of being held responsible"
• Prosecution alleged Ms Patterson intended to poison guests at lunch, including her estranged husband
• Ms Patterson denied intentionally poisoning anyone
• Trial is expected to continue for approximately two more weeks
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial Podcast.
My name is Lisa.
Today I'm going to read throughto you in this bonus episode
the transcript, part of thetranscript from yesterday Erin
Trudy Patterson'scross-examination in the Supreme
Court of Victoria.
Now Ms Patterson has pleadednot guilty to all three charges
(00:25):
of murder and one of attemptedmurder, and in this part of the
transcript she's beencross-examined by Dr Nanette
Rogers, who is one of theprosecutors.
Now, just quickly, are youthere for my newsletter yet,
mushroommurdertrialcom?
It's free and informative.
Now, the other thing is it maygo for another two weeks, this
(00:49):
trial.
So you know, keep your hat on,because we still have a lot to
go, and I now feel like TomHanks in Castaway, if any of you
are old enough to remember thatmovie.
So let's move on.
Enough about that.
At 12.27pm the jury entered thecourt.
(01:10):
Erin Trudy Patterson recalledDr Rogers.
I'm still on the topic ofExhibit 18 in Images 1 and 2
from Dr May's evidence and Iwant to suggest a couple of
things to you Now, as Iunderstand your evidence before
the break.
You deny that these are deathcap mushrooms.
(01:30):
That's your evidence, erin.
That's correct.
I don't think they are.
You don't think they areCorrect.
I suggest you saw ChristineMcKenzie's post that she posted
on iNaturalist on the 18th ofApril 2023 about death cat
mushrooms at lock.
You agree or disagree?
(01:51):
I disagree.
I suggest that you then went tolock on the 28th of April 2023.
Do you agree or disagree?
I don't know if I did go tolock that day or not.
I'm going to suggest that youwent to lock on that day to find
death cap mushrooms.
Agree or disagree?
Disagree?
And that these mushrooms inimage one of exhibit 18 are the
(02:16):
death cap mushrooms that youfound at lock on the 28th of
April 2023.
Agree or disagree?
Disagree?
I suggest that you wereweighing these mushrooms, these
death cap mushrooms, so that youcould calculate the weight
required for the administrationof a fatal dose for one person
Agree or disagree?
(02:36):
Disagree, says Erin and theweight required for five fatal
doses for five people.
Agree or disagree?
Erin, disagree.
Can we go back to exhibit 55,please?
Image six You've got that onthe screen.
Yes, I do.
You took this photo, almostcertainly.
Yes, with your mobile phone.
(02:57):
I don't know what device.
Is that your kitchen bench?
Correct?
It looks to be.
Yes, they look to be shelves inthe background, correct?
Correct, it's your dehydrator,correct and if you could just be
slightly thank you with these.
(03:17):
Sometimes, because people arespeaking with these transcripts,
things sort of sound clunky orout of order, but I am reading
the actual transcript.
It was last modified on thisdevice of the 30th of April 2023
.
I can see that.
You see that?
Yeah, image eight.
You took this photo Probably.
Why do you say probably?
(03:38):
Because I don't have a specificmemory of taking this photo,
but it was likely me.
Are you suggesting that it wasone of your children who took
this photograph?
Erin, I'm not suggestinganything.
It's your kitchen bench.
It is.
The plastic tray is from yourdehydrator.
It is.
These are your electronic scalesyes, found in the pantry that I
(04:01):
referred to earlier.
Correct and last, this imagewas last modified on the 4th of
May 2023 on this device.
Correct?
That's what it says.
Yes, can you go, please, toimage 12?
This is your house inside yourhouse.
Yes, is it the photo we justlooked at?
Is it?
Let me check, I'm sorry.
(04:22):
I'm sorry, you're right.
Image 9.
You took this photo, probablywith your mobile phone.
I don't know what I used totake it.
It's your kitchen bench.
It looks to be.
Yes, these are your electronicscales.
Yes, the weight on there isrecorded at 490.5 grams.
(04:42):
Correct, and last modified onthe 4th of May 2023, correct.
Now I want to please take you toExhibit 78.
This is a still of when youwere at Leangatha Hospital on
the 31st of July 2023.
Okay, that's you depicted inthis still, correct, correct,
(05:05):
and that is your pink phone casedepicted at the bottom of the
still, correct, correct?
Can I go back to exhibit 55,please, image 13.
This is a partial image of adehydrator tray on kitchen
scales.
Agreed, yes, and you took thephoto, probably with your mobile
phone, I don't know what I used.
(05:27):
They're your kitchen scales,yes, your kitchen bench, yes,
and the tray appears to besitting on those kitchen scales,
correct?
It does, and the weight appearsto be 158.9 grams.
It does, although it could be aseven, I'm not sure.
The pink object on the left ofthe shot is your pink phone case
(05:49):
, I suggest.
I don't know what it is.
I suggest it's the same pinkphone as shown in Exhibit 78
from the still of you atLeangatha Hospital I showed you
a moment ago.
It could be, I don't know.
Do you agree that all of thesephotos that I've shown you were
taken on or after the 28th ofApril 2023?
(06:11):
I would.
I would agree with that, exceptI don't remember if a
photograph of the very bigmushrooms with the dark gills
have a dehydrator in thebackground or not, but if, okay,
if we set aside that particularimage, yep, the other photos
that I've shown this, dr Rogers,you were taken on or 28th of
(06:37):
April 2023, you agree, I wouldagree with that because it's the
date you purchased thedehydrator, correct?
Yes, I suggest that you viewedthese photos on your Samsung
tablet using the Google Photosapp, correct or incorrect?
I don't know if I did that Inwhat way.
You don't know.
I don't know if I viewed thosephotos on my Google Photos app
(07:00):
on the tablet.
I suggest you did.
Okay, I don't know if I did it.
I suggest that you did and Ithink that you've already agreed
with this.
You told a lie to police on the5th of August 2023 when you told
them that you'd neverdehydrated food.
That was a lie.
And you told this lie becauseyou knew you had been
(07:21):
dehydrating mushrooms correct.
Yes, to preserve them to beused later.
Correct.
Correct.
Including mushrooms which youknew to behead death cap
mushrooms, correct.
No, that is not correct and youlied about dehydrating food and
mushrooms because you knew ifyou told the police the truth
(07:41):
then that would implicate you inthe poison lunch.
Agree or disagree?
I agree that I lied because Iwas afraid I would be held
responsible.
I'll ask the question again.
You knew that if you told thetruth then that would implicate
you in the poison lunch.
Agree or disagree?
Mr Mandy?
Your Honour, oh, mr Mandy, bythe way, is Colin Mandy SC.
(08:04):
He is Erin's barrister.
Your Honour, I've got an issuewith the word implicate.
I think the witness's answerresponded to the proposition
within the question.
His Honour.
Yes, mr Mandy, implicate needsto be more carefully delineated.
His Honour, can you use anotherword or phrase?
(08:26):
Dr Rogers, what about this?
You knew if you told police thetruth then you would be
immediately suspected by policeof being involved in a poisoning
event.
That's probably true.
Yes, I suggest that you'd beendehydrating death cat mushrooms
on or after the date of thepurchase of the dehydrator to
(08:48):
put into the Beef Wellingtonsyou served your four guests at
the lunch.
Agree or disagree?
Can you ask that again, please?
But before you do, I'm sorry tointerrupt, but the microphone
immediately in front of Bill, itcovers your face and it makes
it hard for me to fully.
I lip read a little bit.
Yeah, thank you.
(09:08):
Is that better?
It is better, thank you.
All right, I'll ask thequestion again.
I suggest that you've beendehydrating death cap mushrooms
on or after the date of thepurchase of the dehydrator for
the purpose of putting into thebeef wellingtons that you served
up to your four guests at thelunch.
That's not correct, sorry.
(09:29):
And further, that you intendedto serve one of those beef
wellingtons to Simon Patterson.
Had he turned up at the lunch,simon's her estranged husband,
if he'd come, I would have givenhim a beef wellington too.
Yes, but not one with death catmatch shmirms, intentionally,
if that was your question.
(09:50):
I want to go now to the lie.
You told police that you neverforage for mushrooms, exhibit 63
.
I think, for the transcript ofthe record of interview, page 8,
.
Thank you.
Question 159.
Okay, is that something you haddone in the past?
Foraging mushrooms?
Answer never.
Question 160 or anything elselike that.
(10:13):
Never.
Answer, never.
So that's what you told police.
In the record of interview Idid on August 5.
I suggest that this was adeliberate lie by you.
Sorry was that.
It wasn't a mistaken lie.
It was a lie.
(10:34):
Yes, things about your personallife, correct?
Yeah, we did share personalthings.
Okay.
So now this has jumped to herFacebook friends.
Your children, yes.
How you felt about SimonPatterson yes, you told them you
were an atheist.
No, you felt unhappy aboutSimon and his family wanting
(10:55):
their children to go to areligious school.
No, you told your Facebookfriends about things you cooked
yes, including mushrooms yes.
And that one of your childrendidn't like mushrooms, correct.
And that you'd bought adehydrator Correct.
Do you agree?
You never told any of theseFacebook friends that you had
forage for mushrooms.
(11:16):
I don't know if I did or Ididn't.
I'm suggesting that you did.
You're saying you might have oryou might not have.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Yes, his Honour.
And by forage, what do you mean?
Pick mushrooms, wild mushrooms?
I don't know if I told them ornot.
I don't think it needs anyfurther clarification.
(11:38):
Your Honour, did you discussyour Facebook friends cooking
any wild mushrooms?
I don't know Might you have,because you discuss food with
them.
I might have, I don't know.
It was a group chat for fouryears.
I can't remember everything wetalked about.
A group chat for four years.
I can't remember everything wetalked about.
Okay, that's all for thismorning.
(12:02):
I'm going to be following thetrial all day and I'll update
you in the evening.
Thank you so much for your time.
I appreciate it.
Make sure you get to thenewsletter
mushroommurdertrialcom andfollow this podcast, please on
your preferred platform.
Podcast please on yourpreferred platform.
And this weekend I'm going tobe recording more content
because we do have another twoweeks to go, so I might as well
get as much as I can out for you.
(12:23):
Thank you again, I appreciateyour time and I will speak to
you very, very soon.
Thanks, Bye.
Hello, welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial Podcast.
My name is Lisa.
Today I'm going to read throughto you in this bonus episode
the transcript, part of thetranscript from yesterday Erin
Trudy Patterson'scross-examination in the Supreme
Court of Victoria.
Now Ms Patterson has pleadednot guilty to all three charges
(00:25):
of murder and one of attemptedmurder, and in this part of the
transcript she's beencross-examined by Dr Nanette
Rogers, who is one of theprosecutors.
Now, just quickly, are youthere for my newsletter yet,
mushroommurdertrialcom?
It's free and informative.
Now, the other thing is it maygo for another two weeks, this
(00:49):
trial.
So you know, keep your hat on,because we still have a lot to
go, and I now feel like TomHanks in Castaway, if any of you
are old enough to remember thatmovie.
So let's move on.
Enough about that.
At 12.27pm the jury entered thecourt.
(01:10):
Erin Trudy Patterson recalledDr Rogers.
I'm still on the topic ofExhibit 18 in Images 1 and 2
from Dr May's evidence and Iwant to suggest a couple of
things to you Now, as Iunderstand your evidence before
the break.
You deny that these are deathcap mushrooms.
(01:30):
That's your evidence, erin.
That's correct.
I don't think they are.
You don't think they areCorrect.
I suggest you saw ChristineMcKenzie's post that she posted
on iNaturalist on the 18th ofApril 2023 about death cat
mushrooms at lock.
You agree or disagree?
(01:51):
I disagree.
I suggest that you then went tolock on the 28th of April 2023.
Do you agree or disagree?
I don't know if I did go tolock that day or not.
I'm going to suggest that youwent to lock on that day to find
death cap mushrooms.
Agree or disagree?
Disagree?
And that these mushrooms inimage one of exhibit 18 are the
(02:16):
death cap mushrooms that youfound at lock on the 28th of
April 2023.
Agree or disagree?
Disagree?
I suggest that you wereweighing these mushrooms, these
death cap mushrooms, so that youcould calculate the weight
required for the administrationof a fatal dose for one person
Agree or disagree?
(02:36):
Disagree, says Erin and theweight required for five fatal
doses for five people.
Agree or disagree?
Erin, disagree.
Can we go back to exhibit 55,please?
Image six You've got that onthe screen.
Yes, I do.
You took this photo, almostcertainly.
Yes, with your mobile phone.
(02:57):
I don't know what device.
Is that your kitchen bench?
Correct?
It looks to be.
Yes, they look to be shelves inthe background, correct?
Correct, it's your dehydrator,correct and if you could just be
slightly thank you with these.
(03:17):
Sometimes, because people arespeaking with these transcripts,
things sort of sound clunky orout of order, but I am reading
the actual transcript.
It was last modified on thisdevice of the 30th of April 2023
.
I can see that.
You see that?
Yeah, image eight.
You took this photo Probably.
Why do you say probably?
(03:38):
Because I don't have a specificmemory of taking this photo,
but it was likely me.
Are you suggesting that it wasone of your children who took
this photograph?
Erin, I'm not suggestinganything.
It's your kitchen bench.
It is.
The plastic tray is from yourdehydrator.
It is.
These are your electronic scalesyes, found in the pantry that I
(04:01):
referred to earlier.
Correct and last, this imagewas last modified on the 4th of
May 2023 on this device.
Correct?
That's what it says.
Yes, can you go, please, toimage 12?
This is your house inside yourhouse.
Yes, is it the photo we justlooked at?
Is it?
Let me check, I'm sorry.
(04:22):
I'm sorry, you're right.
Image 9.
You took this photo, probablywith your mobile phone.
I don't know what I used totake it.
It's your kitchen bench.
It looks to be.
Yes, these are your electronicscales.
Yes, the weight on there isrecorded at 490.5 grams.
(04:42):
Correct, and last modified onthe 4th of May 2023, correct.
Now I want to please take you toExhibit 78.
This is a still of when youwere at Leangatha Hospital on
the 31st of July 2023.
Okay, that's you depicted inthis still, correct, correct,
(05:05):
and that is your pink phone casedepicted at the bottom of the
still, correct, correct?
Can I go back to exhibit 55,please, image 13.
This is a partial image of adehydrator tray on kitchen
scales.
Agreed, yes, and you took thephoto, probably with your mobile
phone, I don't know what I used.
(05:27):
They're your kitchen scales,yes, your kitchen bench, yes,
and the tray appears to besitting on those kitchen scales,
correct?
It does, and the weight appearsto be 158.9 grams.
It does, although it could be aseven, I'm not sure.
The pink object on the left ofthe shot is your pink phone case
(05:49):
, I suggest.
I don't know what it is.
I suggest it's the same pinkphone as shown in Exhibit 78
from the still of you atLeangatha Hospital I showed you
a moment ago.
It could be, I don't know.
Do you agree that all of thesephotos that I've shown you were
taken on or after the 28th ofApril 2023?
(06:11):
I would.
I would agree with that, exceptI don't remember if a
photograph of the very bigmushrooms with the dark gills
have a dehydrator in thebackground or not, but if, okay,
if we set aside that particularimage, yep, the other photos
that I've shown this, dr Rogers,you were taken on or 28th of
(06:37):
April 2023, you agree, I wouldagree with that because it's the
date you purchased thedehydrator, correct?
Yes, I suggest that you viewedthese photos on your Samsung
tablet using the Google Photosapp, correct or incorrect?
I don't know if I did that Inwhat way.
You don't know.
I don't know if I viewed thosephotos on my Google Photos app
(07:00):
on the tablet.
I suggest you did.
Okay, I don't know if I did it.
I suggest that you did and Ithink that you've already agreed
with this.
You told a lie to police on the5th of August 2023 when you told
them that you'd neverdehydrated food.
That was a lie.
And you told this lie becauseyou knew you had been
(07:21):
dehydrating mushrooms correct.
Yes, to preserve them to beused later.
Correct.
Correct.
Including mushrooms which youknew to behead death cap
mushrooms, correct.
No, that is not correct and youlied about dehydrating food and
mushrooms because you knew ifyou told the police the truth
(07:41):
then that would implicate you inthe poison lunch.
Agree or disagree?
I agree that I lied because Iwas afraid I would be held
responsible.
I'll ask the question again.
You knew that if you told thetruth then that would implicate
you in the poison lunch.
Agree or disagree?
Mr Mandy?
Your Honour, oh, mr Mandy, bythe way, is Colin Mandy SC.
(08:04):
He is Erin's barrister.
Your Honour, I've got an issuewith the word implicate.
I think the witness's answerresponded to the proposition
within the question.
His Honour.
Yes, mr Mandy, implicate needsto be more carefully delineated.
His Honour, can you use anotherword or phrase?
(08:26):
Dr Rogers, what about this?
You knew if you told police thetruth then you would be
immediately suspected by policeof being involved in a poisoning
event.
That's probably true.
Yes, I suggest that you'd beendehydrating death cat mushrooms
on or after the date of thepurchase of the dehydrator to
(08:48):
put into the Beef Wellingtonsyou served your four guests at
the lunch.
Agree or disagree?
Can you ask that again, please?
But before you do, I'm sorry tointerrupt, but the microphone
immediately in front of Bill, itcovers your face and it makes
it hard for me to fully.
I lip read a little bit.
Yeah, thank you.
(09:08):
Is that better?
It is better, thank you.
All right, I'll ask thequestion again.
I suggest that you've beendehydrating death cap mushrooms
on or after the date of thepurchase of the dehydrator for
the purpose of putting into thebeef wellingtons that you served
up to your four guests at thelunch.
That's not correct, sorry.
(09:29):
And further, that you intendedto serve one of those beef
wellingtons to Simon Patterson.
Had he turned up at the lunch,simon's her estranged husband,
if he'd come, I would have givenhim a beef wellington too.
Yes, but not one with death catmatch shmirms, intentionally,
if that was your question.
(09:50):
I want to go now to the lie.
You told police that you neverforage for mushrooms, exhibit 63
.
I think, for the transcript ofthe record of interview, page 8,
.
Thank you.
Question 159.
Okay, is that something you haddone in the past?
Foraging mushrooms?
Answer never.
Question 160 or anything elselike that.
(10:13):
Never.
Answer, never.
So that's what you told police.
In the record of interview Idid on August 5.
I suggest that this was adeliberate lie by you.
Sorry was that.
It wasn't a mistaken lie.
It was a lie.
(10:34):
Yes, things about your personallife, correct?
Yeah, we did share personalthings.
Okay.
So now this has jumped to herFacebook friends.
Your children, yes.
How you felt about SimonPatterson yes, you told them you
were an atheist.
No, you felt unhappy aboutSimon and his family wanting
(10:55):
their children to go to areligious school.
No, you told your Facebookfriends about things you cooked
yes, including mushrooms yes.
And that one of your childrendidn't like mushrooms, correct.
And that you'd bought adehydrator Correct.
Do you agree?
You never told any of theseFacebook friends that you had
forage for mushrooms.
(11:16):
I don't know if I did or Ididn't.
I'm suggesting that you did.
You're saying you might have oryou might not have.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Yes, his Honour.
And by forage, what do you mean?
Pick mushrooms, wild mushrooms?
I don't know if I told them ornot.
I don't think it needs anyfurther clarification.
(11:38):
Your Honour, did you discussyour Facebook friends cooking
any wild mushrooms?
I don't know Might you have,because you discuss food with
them.
I might have, I don't know.
It was a group chat for fouryears.
I can't remember everything wetalked about.
A group chat for four years.
I can't remember everything wetalked about.
Okay, that's all for thismorning.
(12:02):
I'm going to be following thetrial all day and I'll update
you in the evening.
Thank you so much for your time.
I appreciate it.
Make sure you get to thenewsletter
mushroommurdertrialcom andfollow this podcast, please on
your preferred platform.
Podcast please on yourpreferred platform.
And this weekend I'm going tobe recording more content
because we do have another twoweeks to go, so I might as well
get as much as I can out for you.
(12:23):
Thank you again, I appreciateyour time and I will speak to
you very, very soon.
Thanks, Bye.
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