Inside the Australian Mushroom Poisoning: A Journalist’s Take on the Criminal Case and Crisis Management
Dive into the gripping details of the Australian mushroom poisoning criminal case that has captivated audiences worldwide.
Discover how the unfolding media circus and Patterson’s unpredictable responses shed light on the complexities of high-profile criminal cases. Award-winning journalist John Ferguson’s early involvement adds depth to this fascinating story. Tune in for a look at one of Australia’s most shocking investigations.
The shocking Australian mushroom poisoning case has become one of the most followed criminal stories worldwide, with murder suspect Erin Patterson's bizarre media interactions revealing her unpredictable character and questionable emotional responses.
• Award-winning journalist John Ferguson first approached Erin at her home, receiving a defensive response about media ethics
• Erin's viral emotional outbursts included sobbing without tears, theatrical gestures, and repeatedly stating she "could not fathom" what happened
• Comparisons drawn between Erin's behaviour and other family murderers like Chris Watts who also performed poorly on camera
• Police warned about the intense media scrutiny, reminding everyone that three beloved community members lost their lives
• Leaked police statement contained Erin's claims about buying mushrooms from supermarkets and an Asian grocery store
• Erin's bizarre behaviour included locking journalists inside her property and continuing to engage with media despite legal advice
• Legal teams monitored proceedings carefully to prevent any risk of mistrial due to potential jury contamination
Contact Lisa on the socials in the show notes, and look out for more episodes coming soon. Thanks for listening today. Before we please head to [www.mushroommurdertrial.com] for more details. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to this podcast on your preferred platform so you never miss an episode.Please also review it.
And if you were feeling like rewarding me for the thousands of hours I’ve spent on this work, I have a buy me a coffee membership which allows you to pay $5 as a thanks and I get a coffee. This goes towards the editing, studio hire, liability \insurance, equipment, sound and voiceovers. Plus there’s exclusive membership material on the site, just for you.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's all of it's been talked about in living rooms
across the world.
Yeah, the Australian mushroompoisoning fatalities made
headlines far beyond the sleepyAussie town in which they
happened, and the small amountof information that's been
shared with the public provedenough to turn us all into those
armchair detectives.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial Podcast,
an account of a mass killingthat has shocked the world.
I'm Lisa, a journalist who onceknew Erin Patterson from a
Facebook true crime group.
Today I will bring you the epictale known to me as Erin
Patterson versus the media.
It's the story of the chaosfrom after the deadly lunch to
(00:43):
before her arrest.
From after the deadly lunch tobefore her arrest, it's August 7
, 2023, when Erin answers aknock at her door.
The 48-year-old, who lives in asemi-rural part of South
Gippsland, knows impromptuvisits here are rare.
She's exhausted today andcompletely overwrought.
The stakes couldn't be higherbecause she was a suspect in a
(01:06):
fatal food poisoning and herchildren had been removed from
her care.
Since then, she'd been battlingcommunity services for days to
have her son and daughterreturned to her custody.
Today she tentatively opens herdoor and finds the man behind
one of the country's most talkedabout stories.
(01:27):
John Ferguson, an award-winningreporter for the Australian, is
the journalist who firstuncovered the tragic Beef,
wellington and Mushroom story.
He is familiar with high-stakesstories and came to Leon Gatha
to meet the woman now known asthe Mushroom Lady.
The reception was far fromwelcoming.
John told me later that Erinhad become defensive.
(01:50):
She said she was now a wickedwitch and launched into a tirade
about media ethics.
This is ironic because Erinused a witch on a broomstick as
her profile pic on social media,including Facebook.
Indeed, every now and then,when I logged onto TikTok, it
suggested I follow her.
So because TikTok is a stalkerand likes to find absolutely
(02:15):
everyone you know, it realisedthat Erin and I were linked on
Facebook, but from 2019 to 2020,I was in a true crime group
with the Mushroom Cook.
Now I'm doing an entire episodeon this, so it will be coming up
in later episodes.
I knew her as someone who wassmart, eccentric, funny and
(02:38):
longing for connection until shewasn't, but, to be honest, I
used to quite like her in thebefore.
She was funny until she wasn't,but, to be honest, I used to
quite like her in the before shewas funny until she wasn't.
John Ferguson's reception tellsyou a lot about this mother of
two, but, erin, you ain't seennothing yet, because in a few
hours she will be surrounded bymore reporters as well as news
(03:01):
cameras.
Erin, returning home fromshopping, was recorded, storming
around her car, sobbing with noapparent tears and theatrically
telling her side of the tragedyscenes that became some of the
defining images of the case.
This is from the Australian'sYouTube channel.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
It's a tragedy, what's happened.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Can you tell us about the meal that you cooked?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
I'm kind of devastated by what's happened,
by the loss of Donnie Donnie'sstill in hospital the loss of
Ian and Heather and Gail, whowere some of the best people
that I've ever met.
Gail, who was some of the bestpeople that I'd ever met, Gail
was like the muff that I didn'thave because my mum passed away
(03:54):
four years ago and Gail's neverbeen anything but good and kind
to me and Anne and Heather weresome of the best people I've
ever met.
They never did anything wrong tome and I'm so devastated about
what's happened and the loss tothe community and to the
families and to my own childrenwho've lost their grandmother.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Can you tell us a bit more about the lunch?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
What I can tell you is that I just can't fathom what
has happened.
I just can't fathom what hashappened that Ian and Emma have
lost their lives and Gail haslost her life and Dawn is still
in hospital and I pray.
I pray that he pulls through,because my children love him.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
And you must be pretty shaken up by this as well
.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I'm devastated.
I love them and I can't believethat this has happened, and I'm
so sorry that they have losttheir lives.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Under the relentless stress of the police and the
media spotlight, she wasdetermined to grasp control in
her own mercurial way.
The situation then escalatesinto a shite, as we say.
Erin, looking up to the sky asthough she hoped it would
swallow her up, wipes awayinvisible tears and then checks
(05:20):
her fingers for those pretendtears.
These unforgettable viralmoments offered the world
glimpses into Erin'sunpredictable character.
As the media set up camp acrossthe road from her home, erin
continues with her sporadic andincreasingly bizarre
interventions.
Her dishevelled appearance,quaint choice of words I cannot
(05:44):
fathom.
I cannot fathom Now.
As someone who used to be amedia trainer, that's not a
natural thing to say.
I think she'd been practisingin her head what she would say
if she was approached by media.
But I think the panic, the lackof experience, just ended up
being a disaster.
Erin is screwing up hercover-up.
(06:06):
Chris Watts is another familymurderer whose TV interviews put
a flashing guilty sign abovehis head.
On camera he was giggling,licking his lips and talking
about his victims in the pasttense.
Here's a portion of one of hisinterviews.
He thought he'd get away withkilling his family because he
(06:46):
didn't care about them.
Therefore, he thought no onewould notice if they went
missing, but what seems to be oflow intelligence, whereas Aaron
is likely at genius level.
Not that I'm a psychologist.
What they both got wrong wasthe massive impact their murders
would have on their familiesand local communities.
Their victims meant nothing tothem, but they were cherished.
(07:10):
With that love comes the police, scrutiny and the media, which
loves telling stories of mystery, light and shade.
I don't blame the media forErin's outbursts.
She was just giving them herbest version of Shakespeare's
Lady Macbeth Out down spot Out,down spot.
(07:31):
Out, I say the media was findingErin's emotional outbursts
captivating.
Indeed, some of YouTube'sbiggest news channels were soon
following the story.
Her theatrics were born for anonline world.
To say that interest was highis an absurd understatement.
(07:52):
After the arrest, victorianhomicide boss Detective
Inspector Dean Thomas was urgingeveryone to calm down.
This is what he said and it wasused in a previous episode of
this podcast.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
Over the last three months, this investigation has
been subject to incrediblyintense levels of public
scrutiny and curiosity.
I cannot think of anotherinvestigation that has generated
this level of media and publicinterest, not only here in
Victoria, but also nationallyand internationally.
I think it's particularlyimportant that we keep in mind
that, at the heart of this,three people have lost their
(08:28):
lives.
These are three people who, byall accounts, were much beloved
in their communities and aregreatly missed by their loved
ones.
These deaths also continue tohave a significant impact on the
media, on the immediatefamilies of those involved, and
I ask that people areparticularly mindful of this
over the coming days.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
And I ask that people are particularly mindful of
this over the coming days.
Meanwhile, back in time toAugust 2023, erin is retreating
inside her Gibson Street home,the same house where she
fantasised, planned and executedher homicides, or attempted to.
Can you see her farewelling herin-laws, gathering up their
deadly plates and washing themas though everything was normal?
(09:09):
Despite Erin's attempt tocontrol the media, her efforts
continue to backfire and aremaking things worse.
Her words were riddled withcontradictions and denials,
including the infamous remarkwhere she mistakenly declared
one of the victims survivor, ianWilkinson, dead.
The mum of two didn't look likea multimillionaire, as the
(09:32):
media were describing her.
But who does when you're athome?
As the days went on, erin'sinteractions with reporters drew
more scrutiny as her worldspiralled out of control.
Despite her attempts to controlthe media narrative.
The efforts made everythingworse.
Now I've got to tell everyonehere lawyers always say to you
(09:55):
do not speak to the media inthis kind of situation.
But the point that Erin's atnow, something needs to happen
and lawyers are risk adverse andthey can't control the media.
But she's certainly making itdifficult for herself.
But she was told not to speakto the media even though she has
(10:16):
, so it's a hard one to thinkabout.
The second time she addressedreporters, Erin was again messy
in appearance.
But looking good is probablynot a priority when you're at
the centre of a deadly foodinvestigation.
Having known Erin, it's myopinion that her children are
the only things she truly caresabout.
The fact that they had beentaken from her just days before
(10:40):
looms large in her mind.
As she spoke to reporters shewas very distressed that her
children had been removed fromher.
Meanwhile, the mushroom cook'schaotic interactions with
reporters drew more scrutiny asher world spiralled out of
control.
When Erin left her Leon Gatherhome on August 8, taking a bulky
(11:01):
suitcase, it was suggested theluggage was for the kids'
clothing there was confusion tooacross Australia.
Surely all of this is anaccident.
It's too bizarre to bedeliberate.
But if Erin had stayed insideor left town after the
Australian first turned up, shemight have avoided such a
spectacle.
(11:22):
But there's no room forsympathy.
As an extreme introvert, erindidn't have anyone close by who
could help her with everydayessentials.
She was leaning heavily uponmembers of our group.
I believe the carportstatements she made were
indicative of her ability tocreate drama wherever she went.
(11:44):
Erin should have shut her door,streamed several of her shows
and held tight.
The second time she addressedreporters, she was in a red
sweater and beige pants.
There's footage of her alsoyelling from her front door
wearing a blue sweater and beigepants.
It's very hard to line all thisup, but I'm doing my best.
(12:07):
It's crazy For someone whowanted to avoid journalists.
She was spending August battlinginterview requests at her
semi-rural home, the one whereshe murdered three people,
according to the age.
She complained she wasn't ableto leave her house to feed her
sheep or go to the supermarket.
From the start, the mainPatterson and Wilkinson families
(12:30):
had a public relationsrepresentative working for them.
This was smart because they hadmedia knocking on their windows
, leaving notes in theirletterbox and ringing their
doorbells.
For days.
Erin's property allowed for herto have much more privacy.
She had to learn not to react,but now it doesn't matter.
(12:51):
What she didn't realise was thejournalists had every right to
ask questions, but she had everyright not to answer them.
This heated exchange coming upwas distributed on screens
worldwide.
In Leon Gatha, the media wasn'tbacking down and Erin
reasonably felt trapped, butevery now and then she throws us
(13:13):
a curveball and we find out whoshe really is.
She'd locked reporters insideher property in a probable
attempt to exert some sense ofcontrol over a situation that
was spiralling.
Following the homicide squad'sdeclaration of her as a suspect,
everything is going off therails when it comes to Erin.
(13:36):
Didn't she want the media toleave, then?
Why lock the reporters in?
That's absolutely creepy.
Erin, again, was completelyself-centred and bothered by the
perceived inconvenience broughtabout by the deaths and the
resultant media coverage.
Here she reminds me of acharacter from Stephen King's
(13:57):
Misery series.
Annie Wilkes is a cunning,brutal and devious woman who,
like Erin, hides her malice.
Both the novel and the filmportray her as paranoid.
Plus, she has an unhealthyobsession with romance novels
Coming up too.
In my episode about the group,we'll find out what type of
(14:20):
non-fiction material ErinPatterson read.
By the way, erin looks a lotlike the actress who played
Annie Wilkes.
It was Kathy Bates.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
You dirty bird.
How could?
You were good, paul, but you'renot good.
You're just another lying olddirty birdie.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Back to August.
Erin comes out her front door,gets into her car and drives to
the gate where she has adiscussion with a TV journalist.
She was asked if she had anysupport within the community.
I've got tons of friends who'veoffered me help, but I've told
them to stay away while thevultures are here.
From what I know, that wasgoing on in Erin's inner sanctum
(15:04):
by August the 10th.
There are a lot of people whoare just taking notes and
listening.
There are a few people whostrongly believe she was
innocent and this was a terrible, terrible mix-up while there
were others who were feelingsuspicious.
Erin then drove through thegate of the rural property and
(15:26):
left off to Melbourne to see alawyer.
Apparently, the news of hervisit to the barrister quickly
spread.
Then someone leaked her policestatement.
There's one way to fix thatDon't engage in mass murder.
Because when her schemecollapsed, the fallout was swift
and intense.
First the police named her as asuspect and there was blowback,
(15:50):
partly due to a statementfilled with lies issued by
someone who had a relationshipto this story and the case and
the investigation.
It read in part I now very muchregret not answering some
questions following the advice,given the nightmare that this
process has become.
(16:11):
Erin stated that she found thepolice interview terrifying and
anxiety provoking.
The mushrooms she used to cookthe beef wellington were bought
from a local supermarket.
She said, as well as otherdried mushrooms she'd bought
from a local supermarket.
She said as well as other driedmushrooms she'd bought from an
Asian grocery store.
She stated she too consumed themushroom meal and was
hospitalised at Melbourne MonashMedical Centre as she had
(16:36):
stomach pains and terriblediarrhoea.
I was put on a saline drip andstayed in hospital overnight.
I was given some medicine.
I was told it was a liverprotective drug.
Her statement read.
I'm hoping this statement mighthelp in some way.
I believe if people understoodthe background more they would
(16:57):
not be so quick to rush tojudgment.
By the end of August she'dencountered the media at least
six times.
Meanwhile, back in Facebook land, I was suspected for leaking
Erin's screenshots to the DailyMail.
It wasn't me, because I didn'tknow Erin on an intimate level
and these contained some verypersonal information about her
(17:20):
childhood and family.
I had, however, spoken withJohn Ferguson and Brooke Grebbit
Craig from the Herald Sun.
This was after I'd asked him onmy podcast and I told Brooke
what I knew about Erin's online.
I didn't, however, speak withany police officers, but on
August 29, 2023, one month afterthe fatal lunch, our mushroom
(17:46):
cook was strutting through theMelbourne CBD with the media in
tow.
This is exhausting.
Even talking about it, mygoodness, it was again a
peculiar sight.
An ashen-faced Erin, dressed ingrey animal jumper and khaki
pants, declined to speak as shewas followed by the media to a
(18:07):
parked car.
Now, before anyone complainsabout me describing outfits,
this thing's so chaotic it's theonly way I can make sense of it
.
Which was what day?
What did she say?
It's just a good kind of ifyou're someone who reacts well
to colour.
That's what I'm doing.
According to the Daily Mail, itwas unclear how some reporters
(18:29):
were alerted to the meeting withher lawyers who, quote, have
previously been suspected ofleaking their client's police
statement to select journalists.
Ie the ABC Note, this legalteam was not the pair who
represented her in the SupremeCourt of Victoria.
Speaking to the Australianafterwards, erin denied she'd
(18:52):
leaked the statement.
Ultimately, erin's efforts tomanage the crisis spiralled out
of control.
The media frenzy, her responsesand her self-destructive
handling of this bizarresituation became features of
this tragic saga.
Her blind panic.
Now I can understand that it isa very difficult situation to
(19:15):
be, but that blind panic tookover and made things worse as
she spiralled.
This is what she should havedone no media, but no, she
couldn't help herself.
But despite these efforts, shekept making a complete mess of
her non-verbal communication.
Her blind panic took over, onlymaking things worse in front of
(19:37):
the journalists.
But one thing she'd be pleasedabout was to know that the
prosecutors were, from the startof this pretrial process,
closely monitored by theDepartment of Public
Prosecutions to prevent any riskof mistrial due to potential
jury contamination.
Technically go to jail for thisit's known as contempt of court
(20:07):
.
It's normal for any trial inAustralia to be extremely
careful during the pre-trialprocess, but this time there
were many warnings straight fromthe Supreme Court of Victoria.
This level of oversight createdsignificant pressure and
anxiety because no one wanted tostuff this up.
So thank you so much forlistening today to Erin
(20:27):
Patterson versus the media.
My name is Lisa and you cancontact me on my socials.
They're in the show notes andon top of that I'll be bringing
out more episodes that I've beenputting together.
And thank you again so much andI will speak to you very, very
(20:47):
soon.
Bye.
It's all of it's been talked about in living rooms
across the world.
Yeah, the Australian mushroompoisoning fatalities made
headlines far beyond the sleepyAussie town in which they
happened, and the small amountof information that's been
shared with the public provedenough to turn us all into those
armchair detectives.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial Podcast,
an account of a mass killingthat has shocked the world.
I'm Lisa, a journalist who onceknew Erin Patterson from a
Facebook true crime group.
Today I will bring you the epictale known to me as Erin
Patterson versus the media.
It's the story of the chaosfrom after the deadly lunch to
(00:43):
before her arrest.
From after the deadly lunch tobefore her arrest, it's August 7
, 2023, when Erin answers aknock at her door.
The 48-year-old, who lives in asemi-rural part of South
Gippsland, knows impromptuvisits here are rare.
She's exhausted today andcompletely overwrought.
The stakes couldn't be higherbecause she was a suspect in a
(01:06):
fatal food poisoning and herchildren had been removed from
her care.
Since then, she'd been battlingcommunity services for days to
have her son and daughterreturned to her custody.
Today she tentatively opens herdoor and finds the man behind
one of the country's most talkedabout stories.
(01:27):
John Ferguson, an award-winningreporter for the Australian, is
the journalist who firstuncovered the tragic Beef,
wellington and Mushroom story.
He is familiar with high-stakesstories and came to Leon Gatha
to meet the woman now known asthe Mushroom Lady.
The reception was far fromwelcoming.
John told me later that Erinhad become defensive.
(01:50):
She said she was now a wickedwitch and launched into a tirade
about media ethics.
This is ironic because Erinused a witch on a broomstick as
her profile pic on social media,including Facebook.
Indeed, every now and then,when I logged onto TikTok, it
suggested I follow her.
So because TikTok is a stalkerand likes to find absolutely
(02:15):
everyone you know, it realisedthat Erin and I were linked on
Facebook, but from 2019 to 2020,I was in a true crime group
with the Mushroom Cook.
Now I'm doing an entire episodeon this, so it will be coming up
in later episodes.
I knew her as someone who wassmart, eccentric, funny and
(02:38):
longing for connection until shewasn't, but, to be honest, I
used to quite like her in thebefore.
She was funny until she wasn't,but, to be honest, I used to
quite like her in the before shewas funny until she wasn't.
John Ferguson's reception tellsyou a lot about this mother of
two, but, erin, you ain't seennothing yet, because in a few
hours she will be surrounded bymore reporters as well as news
(03:01):
cameras.
Erin, returning home fromshopping, was recorded, storming
around her car, sobbing with noapparent tears and theatrically
telling her side of the tragedyscenes that became some of the
defining images of the case.
This is from the Australian'sYouTube channel.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
It's a tragedy, what's happened.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Can you tell us about the meal that you cooked?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
I'm kind of devastated by what's happened,
by the loss of Donnie Donnie'sstill in hospital the loss of
Ian and Heather and Gail, whowere some of the best people
that I've ever met.
Gail, who was some of the bestpeople that I'd ever met, Gail
was like the muff that I didn'thave because my mum passed away
(03:54):
four years ago and Gail's neverbeen anything but good and kind
to me and Anne and Heather weresome of the best people I've
ever met.
They never did anything wrong tome and I'm so devastated about
what's happened and the loss tothe community and to the
families and to my own childrenwho've lost their grandmother.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Can you tell us a bit more about the lunch?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
What I can tell you is that I just can't fathom what
has happened.
I just can't fathom what hashappened that Ian and Emma have
lost their lives and Gail haslost her life and Dawn is still
in hospital and I pray.
I pray that he pulls through,because my children love him.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
And you must be pretty shaken up by this as well
.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I'm devastated.
I love them and I can't believethat this has happened, and I'm
so sorry that they have losttheir lives.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Under the relentless stress of the police and the
media spotlight, she wasdetermined to grasp control in
her own mercurial way.
The situation then escalatesinto a shite, as we say.
Erin, looking up to the sky asthough she hoped it would
swallow her up, wipes awayinvisible tears and then checks
(05:20):
her fingers for those pretendtears.
These unforgettable viralmoments offered the world
glimpses into Erin'sunpredictable character.
As the media set up camp acrossthe road from her home, erin
continues with her sporadic andincreasingly bizarre
interventions.
Her dishevelled appearance,quaint choice of words I cannot
(05:44):
fathom.
I cannot fathom Now.
As someone who used to be amedia trainer, that's not a
natural thing to say.
I think she'd been practisingin her head what she would say
if she was approached by media.
But I think the panic, the lackof experience, just ended up
being a disaster.
Erin is screwing up hercover-up.
(06:06):
Chris Watts is another familymurderer whose TV interviews put
a flashing guilty sign abovehis head.
On camera he was giggling,licking his lips and talking
about his victims in the pasttense.
Here's a portion of one of hisinterviews.
He thought he'd get away withkilling his family because he
(06:46):
didn't care about them.
Therefore, he thought no onewould notice if they went
missing, but what seems to be oflow intelligence, whereas Aaron
is likely at genius level.
Not that I'm a psychologist.
What they both got wrong wasthe massive impact their murders
would have on their familiesand local communities.
Their victims meant nothing tothem, but they were cherished.
(07:10):
With that love comes the police, scrutiny and the media, which
loves telling stories of mystery, light and shade.
I don't blame the media forErin's outbursts.
She was just giving them herbest version of Shakespeare's
Lady Macbeth Out down spot Out,down spot.
(07:31):
Out, I say the media was findingErin's emotional outbursts
captivating.
Indeed, some of YouTube'sbiggest news channels were soon
following the story.
Her theatrics were born for anonline world.
To say that interest was highis an absurd understatement.
(07:52):
After the arrest, victorianhomicide boss Detective
Inspector Dean Thomas was urgingeveryone to calm down.
This is what he said and it wasused in a previous episode of
this podcast.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
Over the last three months, this investigation has
been subject to incrediblyintense levels of public
scrutiny and curiosity.
I cannot think of anotherinvestigation that has generated
this level of media and publicinterest, not only here in
Victoria, but also nationallyand internationally.
I think it's particularlyimportant that we keep in mind
that, at the heart of this,three people have lost their
(08:28):
lives.
These are three people who, byall accounts, were much beloved
in their communities and aregreatly missed by their loved
ones.
These deaths also continue tohave a significant impact on the
media, on the immediatefamilies of those involved, and
I ask that people areparticularly mindful of this
over the coming days.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
And I ask that people are particularly mindful of
this over the coming days.
Meanwhile, back in time toAugust 2023, erin is retreating
inside her Gibson Street home,the same house where she
fantasised, planned and executedher homicides, or attempted to.
Can you see her farewelling herin-laws, gathering up their
deadly plates and washing themas though everything was normal?
(09:09):
Despite Erin's attempt tocontrol the media, her efforts
continue to backfire and aremaking things worse.
Her words were riddled withcontradictions and denials,
including the infamous remarkwhere she mistakenly declared
one of the victims survivor, ianWilkinson, dead.
The mum of two didn't look likea multimillionaire, as the
(09:32):
media were describing her.
But who does when you're athome?
As the days went on, erin'sinteractions with reporters drew
more scrutiny as her worldspiralled out of control.
Despite her attempts to controlthe media narrative.
The efforts made everythingworse.
Now I've got to tell everyonehere lawyers always say to you
(09:55):
do not speak to the media inthis kind of situation.
But the point that Erin's atnow, something needs to happen
and lawyers are risk adverse andthey can't control the media.
But she's certainly making itdifficult for herself.
But she was told not to speakto the media even though she has
(10:16):
, so it's a hard one to thinkabout.
The second time she addressedreporters, Erin was again messy
in appearance.
But looking good is probablynot a priority when you're at
the centre of a deadly foodinvestigation.
Having known Erin, it's myopinion that her children are
the only things she truly caresabout.
The fact that they had beentaken from her just days before
(10:40):
looms large in her mind.
As she spoke to reporters shewas very distressed that her
children had been removed fromher.
Meanwhile, the mushroom cook'schaotic interactions with
reporters drew more scrutiny asher world spiralled out of
control.
When Erin left her Leon Gatherhome on August 8, taking a bulky
(11:01):
suitcase, it was suggested theluggage was for the kids'
clothing there was confusion tooacross Australia.
Surely all of this is anaccident.
It's too bizarre to bedeliberate.
But if Erin had stayed insideor left town after the
Australian first turned up, shemight have avoided such a
spectacle.
(11:22):
But there's no room forsympathy.
As an extreme introvert, erindidn't have anyone close by who
could help her with everydayessentials.
She was leaning heavily uponmembers of our group.
I believe the carportstatements she made were
indicative of her ability tocreate drama wherever she went.
(11:44):
Erin should have shut her door,streamed several of her shows
and held tight.
The second time she addressedreporters, she was in a red
sweater and beige pants.
There's footage of her alsoyelling from her front door
wearing a blue sweater and beigepants.
It's very hard to line all thisup, but I'm doing my best.
(12:07):
It's crazy For someone whowanted to avoid journalists.
She was spending August battlinginterview requests at her
semi-rural home, the one whereshe murdered three people,
according to the age.
She complained she wasn't ableto leave her house to feed her
sheep or go to the supermarket.
From the start, the mainPatterson and Wilkinson families
(12:30):
had a public relationsrepresentative working for them.
This was smart because they hadmedia knocking on their windows
, leaving notes in theirletterbox and ringing their
doorbells.
For days.
Erin's property allowed for herto have much more privacy.
She had to learn not to react,but now it doesn't matter.
(12:51):
What she didn't realise was thejournalists had every right to
ask questions, but she had everyright not to answer them.
This heated exchange coming upwas distributed on screens
worldwide.
In Leon Gatha, the media wasn'tbacking down and Erin
reasonably felt trapped, butevery now and then she throws us
(13:13):
a curveball and we find out whoshe really is.
She'd locked reporters insideher property in a probable
attempt to exert some sense ofcontrol over a situation that
was spiralling.
Following the homicide squad'sdeclaration of her as a suspect,
everything is going off therails when it comes to Erin.
(13:36):
Didn't she want the media toleave, then?
Why lock the reporters in?
That's absolutely creepy.
Erin, again, was completelyself-centred and bothered by the
perceived inconvenience broughtabout by the deaths and the
resultant media coverage.
Here she reminds me of acharacter from Stephen King's
(13:57):
Misery series.
Annie Wilkes is a cunning,brutal and devious woman who,
like Erin, hides her malice.
Both the novel and the filmportray her as paranoid.
Plus, she has an unhealthyobsession with romance novels
Coming up too.
In my episode about the group,we'll find out what type of
(14:20):
non-fiction material ErinPatterson read.
By the way, erin looks a lotlike the actress who played
Annie Wilkes.
It was Kathy Bates.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
You dirty bird.
How could?
You were good, paul, but you'renot good.
You're just another lying olddirty birdie.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Back to August.
Erin comes out her front door,gets into her car and drives to
the gate where she has adiscussion with a TV journalist.
She was asked if she had anysupport within the community.
I've got tons of friends who'veoffered me help, but I've told
them to stay away while thevultures are here.
From what I know, that wasgoing on in Erin's inner sanctum
(15:04):
by August the 10th.
There are a lot of people whoare just taking notes and
listening.
There are a few people whostrongly believe she was
innocent and this was a terrible, terrible mix-up while there
were others who were feelingsuspicious.
Erin then drove through thegate of the rural property and
(15:26):
left off to Melbourne to see alawyer.
Apparently, the news of hervisit to the barrister quickly
spread.
Then someone leaked her policestatement.
There's one way to fix thatDon't engage in mass murder.
Because when her schemecollapsed, the fallout was swift
and intense.
First the police named her as asuspect and there was blowback,
(15:50):
partly due to a statementfilled with lies issued by
someone who had a relationshipto this story and the case and
the investigation.
It read in part I now very muchregret not answering some
questions following the advice,given the nightmare that this
process has become.
(16:11):
Erin stated that she found thepolice interview terrifying and
anxiety provoking.
The mushrooms she used to cookthe beef wellington were bought
from a local supermarket.
She said, as well as otherdried mushrooms she'd bought
from a local supermarket.
She said as well as other driedmushrooms she'd bought from an
Asian grocery store.
She stated she too consumed themushroom meal and was
hospitalised at Melbourne MonashMedical Centre as she had
(16:36):
stomach pains and terriblediarrhoea.
I was put on a saline drip andstayed in hospital overnight.
I was given some medicine.
I was told it was a liverprotective drug.
Her statement read.
I'm hoping this statement mighthelp in some way.
I believe if people understoodthe background more they would
(16:57):
not be so quick to rush tojudgment.
By the end of August she'dencountered the media at least
six times.
Meanwhile, back in Facebook land, I was suspected for leaking
Erin's screenshots to the DailyMail.
It wasn't me, because I didn'tknow Erin on an intimate level
and these contained some verypersonal information about her
(17:20):
childhood and family.
I had, however, spoken withJohn Ferguson and Brooke Grebbit
Craig from the Herald Sun.
This was after I'd asked him onmy podcast and I told Brooke
what I knew about Erin's online.
I didn't, however, speak withany police officers, but on
August 29, 2023, one month afterthe fatal lunch, our mushroom
(17:46):
cook was strutting through theMelbourne CBD with the media in
tow.
This is exhausting.
Even talking about it, mygoodness, it was again a
peculiar sight.
An ashen-faced Erin, dressed ingrey animal jumper and khaki
pants, declined to speak as shewas followed by the media to a
(18:07):
parked car.
Now, before anyone complainsabout me describing outfits,
this thing's so chaotic it's theonly way I can make sense of it
.
Which was what day?
What did she say?
It's just a good kind of ifyou're someone who reacts well
to colour.
That's what I'm doing.
According to the Daily Mail, itwas unclear how some reporters
(18:29):
were alerted to the meeting withher lawyers who, quote, have
previously been suspected ofleaking their client's police
statement to select journalists.
Ie the ABC Note, this legalteam was not the pair who
represented her in the SupremeCourt of Victoria.
Speaking to the Australianafterwards, erin denied she'd
(18:52):
leaked the statement.
Ultimately, erin's efforts tomanage the crisis spiralled out
of control.
The media frenzy, her responsesand her self-destructive
handling of this bizarresituation became features of
this tragic saga.
Her blind panic.
Now I can understand that it isa very difficult situation to
(19:15):
be, but that blind panic tookover and made things worse as
she spiralled.
This is what she should havedone no media, but no, she
couldn't help herself.
But despite these efforts, shekept making a complete mess of
her non-verbal communication.
Her blind panic took over, onlymaking things worse in front of
(19:37):
the journalists.
But one thing she'd be pleasedabout was to know that the
prosecutors were, from the startof this pretrial process,
closely monitored by theDepartment of Public
Prosecutions to prevent any riskof mistrial due to potential
jury contamination.
Technically go to jail for thisit's known as contempt of court
(20:07):
.
It's normal for any trial inAustralia to be extremely
careful during the pre-trialprocess, but this time there
were many warnings straight fromthe Supreme Court of Victoria.
This level of oversight createdsignificant pressure and
anxiety because no one wanted tostuff this up.
So thank you so much forlistening today to Erin
(20:27):
Patterson versus the media.
My name is Lisa and you cancontact me on my socials.
They're in the show notes andon top of that I'll be bringing
out more episodes that I've beenputting together.
And thank you again so much andI will speak to you very, very
(20:47):
soon.
Bye.
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