August 8, 2025 • 26 mins
Shortly after the infamous mushroom lunch, Erin Patterson was interviewed by police - an interview we can now play to you. These are her words, and this is her voice.
The Mushroom Cook team is Brooke Grebert-Craig, Laura Placella, Anthony Dowsley, Jordy Atkinson and Jonty Burton
The Mushroom Cook is a Herald Sun production for True Crime Australia.
Go to themushroomcook.com.au for news, features, previous episodes and more.
Subscribers to the Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, Adelaide Advertiser or News regional titles can listen through the App.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You've heard her words that you haven't heard her voice,
at least not since the start of her triple murder trial.
But thanks to a court ordered today, we can bring
to you what Aaron Patterson told police during her record
of interview. These are her words and it is her voice.
I'm Brook Greebert Craig, and this is the Mushroom now, listeners.
(00:26):
I know I said that we would be back tomorrow,
but there's some more information that we had to publish today.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yes, we really didn't want to wait, so there are
a few updates I can provide our listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yes, so we've already given you a comprehensive episode on
everything that the jury didn't know, but we do have
some more details. Laura, you're in court today. What did
we learn?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
So last week we were talking about when Erin might
be sentenced, and today we have a better impression of
when that might happen. Erin appeared via video link today
from Dame Phyllis Frost Center, the woman's prison where she's
been held since she was charged, and she found out
today that she will next face a hearing across two
days on August twenty five and August twenty.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Six, and what will we learn in that hearing.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So this hearing is called a plea hearing or a
pre sentence hearing, and we've spoken a little bit about
it before and what it will entail. But to remind
our listeners, it's when all of the lawyers come together
and present their submissions to Justice Christopher Beale about what
sentence Erin should get. So the prosecution will be flagging
(01:37):
those aggravating factors, the things they say mean that Erin
should get a very harsh sentence. But on the other hand,
you'll have the defense submitting psychiatric reports and other material
that they say means Erin should be shown a little
bit of leniency.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
And we'll also hear victim impact statements as well, right.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, and that's a really big part of what the
section will be putting forward. Anyone who's been impacted by
this crime can be considered a victim, So we're not
just talking about Ian, the only guest to survive the lunch,
but also his children, then the children of Don and
Gail Patterson, which includes Simon, Aaron's estranged husband. They will
(02:18):
all be given an opportunity to stand up in court
and read out that victim impact statement. In front of
Erin and in front of the judge.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
So that will take place over two days.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yes, that's right. Crown Prosecutor Jane Warren today said that
she was expecting to receive a lot of victim impact statements.
But we must note that not all victims do want
to read their statements out themselves. Some of them find
the process too difficult, so they ask a prosecutor to
do it on their behalf.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So will Aaron be sentenced at that hearing?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It's really unlikely. Justice Beer will want to go away
and consider everything he's heard from all of the lawyers,
including the victim impact statements as well. Then he'll formulate
a sentence that he believes he should hand down, and
that will be delivered at a later date. As we've
spoken about previously, murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment,
(03:12):
but the defense will be pushing for her to get
a minimum sentence so one day she can hopefully apply
for parol.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
So you said we'll hear the sentence at a later date.
Are we expecting weeks or months? What's the time period like?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
It could be months, but it's more likely to be weeks.
The justice system doesn't want convicted murderers to just be
waiting in limbo, not knowing how long their sentence will be.
But even further to that, we do know that Erin's
defense team has flagged an appeal, and once she is sentenced,
they will have twenty eight days to be able to
hand in their paperwork and start that process.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Okay, let's move on. So the court has released Aaron's
record of interview today.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
They did, and this nearly didn't happen. Justice Biel had
initially agreed to release it, but Erin's defense team had
a bit of a problem with that, so our lawyers
got involved and made some arguments on our behalf, saying
that it was really in the interest of open justice
that this should be released so members of the public
had a chance themselves to see Erin give this interview.
(04:15):
This interview was conducted on August five, exactly one week
after Aaron hosted the lunch. At this stage, Gail and
Heather had died, and Don was only hours away from
passing away as well. Constable Eppingstall and his colleagues had
spent hours searching Erin's home that day before they took
her to the Wan Thaggy Police Station to conduct this interview.
(04:37):
To remind our listeners, this interview was played in front
of the jury, not the entire thing. We understand it
was only about a twenty minute snippet, but they got
to see her being questioned by Detective Leading Senior Constable
Stephen Eppingstall, and our listeners will get that same opportunity.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yes, and we have mentioned the record of interview. On
a previous episode we had acted voicing it, but now
our listeners get to hear Aaron in her own.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Words for the first time.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
We should note the audio quality was not great on this,
so we've tried our best to clean it up and
we're going to play it now unedited as it was
given to us by the court.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Let's click play.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
This is the DVD record inview between Detectives Lead and
Senior Comfortable Stephen effim Stool and Aaron Patterson of Gibson
Street Lean Gaffer, conducted at the one Thy Police Station
on Saturday, the fifth of all this twenty twenty three.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Other person President is my corroborator detechnically sending Constable David
Martin LKA four double zero five three eron do you've
read the time. He's now four forty one pm. By
all Wait, yeah, could you please state your full name
and address for me?
Speaker 5 (06:00):
Freddy Patterson, Paul Gibson, straight Land Gaffan.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
All right, eron, I intend to interview today in relation
to the death of two people being Gale Patterson and
Heather Wilkinson. Before continuing, I must inform you that you
do not have to say or do anything, but anything
you say or do he's being recorded and maybe using
an evidence in court. Do you understand that informat? Yeah?
(06:24):
All right. I must also inform you with the following rights.
You may communicate with or attempt to communicate with a
friend or relative to tell that person to beware about us.
You may communicate with or attempt to communicate with a
legal practitioner. If you're not an austrained citizen or permanent
residence here in Australia. You may communicate with your attempt
to communicate with the concept of office of the country
(06:44):
or the two are a citizen can understandable of these rights?
Speaker 5 (06:48):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Okay, Dowish EXERSI any of these rights before the interview proceeds. No, Now,
I'll just confirm with you you had an oportorunity to
speak to a solicitor before this interview commenced became you're
happy with that? All right now? I also remind you
(07:09):
that your rights are with you for the entire time
you're with us. Okay, So if you decide data only,
want to exercide running your data rights, yeah, you just
let me know and we'll do that for right now.
Speaker 6 (07:27):
What is your agent dated birth forty eight thirtieth of
the ninth, seventy four.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Are you an Australian citizens? Are you a permanent resident
here in Australia?
Speaker 6 (07:42):
I live I was born here and I live here
and I'm yeah, that's fine.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
And are you that Aboriginal or tore straight onland of descent?
Speaker 5 (07:52):
No?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Okay, we watch all myile number erin.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
For a five three five eight three five.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Do you have an email address?
Speaker 5 (08:07):
Yes, it's the s H.
Speaker 6 (08:11):
Three zero one four three zero at gmail dot com.
Speaker 7 (08:24):
All right now, as we discussed earlier, and we've been
together for a few hours and you know it after
a living pod that we came to your hairs today,
we want to discuss the depths of.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Header Wilkinson and Gail Patterson today with you. When we
were at the hairs. Earlier we discussed that you hadn't
really been kept in the loop and coming to as
news to you that Heather and Gard had both passed away.
(09:05):
Following any in your house, Donald, Ian, Gale, and Heather
all become so ill that they ultimately ended up in
the ents a key year.
Speaker 7 (09:15):
They had both the Denial hospital and then moved to
the Houston Hospital or.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Following that they had a a deterioration in their condition
and that they become so old that their livers have failed.
Donald underwent transplant last night, okay, and his condition is
(09:43):
still extremely critical as of last report. Heather and Gale
passed away. Relation Ian, I don't have a current prognosis
simulation where he's at a dog like yesterday diagnosis. He's
(10:04):
integrated him made. Where're trying to understand what has made
me so real? Why we're asking these questions?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (10:17):
The other conversely, what you're trying to understand why you're
not that is so you understand what we're in to be.
Speaker 6 (10:27):
In you to. Yeah, I do, But I'm sure you
understand too that Like I've never been in a situation
like this before, and I've been very very helpful with
the Health Department through the link because I wanted to
help that sort of thing as much as possible, because
I do want to know what happened. So I've given
(10:51):
them as much information as they've asked for and often
up all the food and all the information about where
the food came from.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Full understand at the house, and I must say, for
the record again you you're very helpful with the house.
And you did point out a couple of things for
us that that will help us with our investigation, mainly the.
Speaker 8 (11:14):
Fruit platter that you said father for you and the
gravy and the fruits in the pantry that you said
was from the night you kept on an advice from
the Health Department, So thank you for that.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
You also pointed out a recipe got the counter and
you refumed me a page two hundred and fifty of
the recipe for beef wanted, and you indicated was the
recipe you caught. Okay, all on what we saw at
your address in Lean Gather, well, we didn't see a
(11:52):
lot of food from a gross Grosses or Indian grossers
or those kinds of stored friends.
Speaker 6 (11:59):
I've got a lot of Asian cooking stuff in my
fridge okay, Oh, but.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
We loved the more of that kind of stuff in
you wisely addressed the pink or.
Speaker 6 (12:18):
No, because I did a big clean out of the
pantry and fridge the last time when I was there
because I want to sell that plane. Ah, so the
pantry and fridge there, yeah, okay.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
So you want to you want to sell that place,
all right, no problem. Obviously we've got consumed in the
action the mushrooms and where they've come from. Is that
something you've done in the past, foraging for the mushroom doing?
(12:57):
Never do you, presidents, you're anything like that? Have you
even decadratitude or anything like that?
Speaker 6 (13:09):
Okay, m h.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
You've described to me relationship with your ex art assignment,
right or if a lot to understand why you had
his parents and his uncle and nan he over for lunch.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
That's why you don't want to do that because I've
gotten that other family so there.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Currently program okay, And they've always been really good to me,
and I want to maintain those relationships with them, inspite
of what's happened with.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
Some I love them a lot. They've always been really
good to me, and they always said to me that
they would support me.
Speaker 6 (14:11):
With love and emotional support, even both Simon and I
was separated, and I really appreciated that because my parents
are both gone, my grandparents are all gone. They're the
only family that I've got, Yeah, and they are only
grandparents that my children have, and I want them to
(14:34):
stay in my kid's life and that's really important to me.
And I think Simon hated that I still had a
relationship with his parents, but I love them. Nothing it's
said happened between us, nothing he's ever done to me
will change the facts that they're good, decent people that
(14:56):
have never done anything more from me together.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
So wherever I told them on the thirty first of July,
it's so two days after the lunch you went to
the Lean Gather hospital and that you were only there
for about five minutes and then you left. Can you
explain why you went there for four minutes?
Speaker 6 (15:16):
Yeah, because I just went there thinking I needed a
couple of bands of slone because I was really deep hydrated.
And they send we want to admit you and send
you to Melbourn. And when you've got animals at time
and children who have multiple art school activities, you can't
just be told to drop everything. And you're off to
(15:39):
Melbourne five nights. I had to go home and feed
the animals and pack my daughter's ballet bang.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
And I did that and I went.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Back, Okay, who's this they too?
Speaker 1 (15:53):
So I walked in and.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
There was like.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
I don't think there were in It was like.
Speaker 6 (16:02):
I could have been an enrolled nurse or it was
like a helper person in the triarch room, right, And
she's just like you okay, And I said, well, no,
I have to run to the toilet.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
I've got diarrhea.
Speaker 6 (16:12):
And then she wasn't quite sure where it was, and
so she went and found out and showed me where
it was. And then she said, I'll go and find someone.
I'll get a nurse or a doctor for you. And
so I went to the toilet.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
I came back out. I was waiting in the triarge area,
and then a.
Speaker 6 (16:32):
Doctor came out, doctor Webster, and he said to me,
sorry that we're going to be a little while because
I've got a couple of preticular patients in that hospital.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
And I said, that's find out.
Speaker 6 (16:46):
Where I got me. I'm just a gastro case, not urchant, obviously,
And he said, oh, what's your name? And I said, erin,
and he said, we've been expecting you because other people
that you ate on Saturday was seeing and he said,
can you come through? And I said sure, and I
came in and then he said to me, I can't
(17:10):
say the exact word, but he said something along the
lines of we've got to concern. They've beaten deathcat mushrooms.
And I said what and he said, yeah, that's what
I think they've beaten. And then he said started asking
me about what food I served him, and I told him.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
All, I understand you went down to the hospital and
got treatment of that. What kind of treatment did you get?
Speaker 5 (17:41):
I'm the cooking out.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
They said that they were concerned. So doctor Webster had
to leave.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
I think he was at the end of his ships
and he passed on to another doctor from the foot
and she said, to me, because the concern is that
everybody's eaten something that hurts silly. But when to give
you this detective medicine. And so there was sayline and
a sepul something or other I think, but she said,
we need to give you this and then got you
(18:12):
in our ambulance to Melbourne where they can give you more.
And the word it's more where they can care for
about Yeah. So I've got sayline and this other stuff
and when not angler Okay, how.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Long we use in the hospital for hearing the other.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
Till esday.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
After last two blas and again with full disclosures that
you understand where we've obtained warrants were actually to medical
records everyone involved in this, so we will get medical
(19:03):
records and the actually will treat them there as well.
You were at home and prison when we do a
series for it today, all right, but you weren't watching
everyone at all the time. But I just want to
go through and take some of the stuff we've and
(19:23):
like I said, we'll give you a lift at the
copy of this. Everything wereseas kitchen barot undraw instruction manual
for Sunday who electronic d hydrator? Watch that anymore? Do
you know anything about a dhot dragon in your assol? Okay?
(19:46):
Do you own.
Speaker 5 (19:49):
Okay, I've got manuals, lots of stuff for years. I've
had all sorts of appliances and I just keep them all.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Okay, when when did you are in a decoy rail.
Speaker 9 (20:10):
Ago?
Speaker 4 (20:11):
What you use that? Like?
Speaker 6 (20:13):
When I first got the themomic, so I got really
excited about it, like making everything from scraped you know,
I did a lot of.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
You know, like everything from scratch ingredients and I did
a lot of that.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
So we have something okay, kitchen bench locating at the wall,
recipe t each book against the people have some same
book that the whale team message you come here. From
(20:49):
the fridge, we got the fruit salad platter which you
pointed there. Then in the fridge and the bo's pantry
we got the white jug and trying the brown we
can put so thank you for that. From the study,
we took the computer. We took another computer, and we
(21:12):
took another computer in the lounds. We grabbed an iPad
in a black and red case. From the room, we've
grabbed a computer.
Speaker 6 (21:26):
That Ben and I was going to have.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
A very un one alight.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
So that debate the prioritized that would be the bottom
of the list if anyone's powered down from any all
no drums are right, so we'll hope they wanted them
back at the least.
Speaker 10 (21:43):
All right, a black mobile phone, which again i'll prioritize tomorrow.
I have to tease bedroom too far left towards the backyard,
says there's bedroom. So we shouldn't met with Apple White.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
I don't own any iPads, so that they would the tablet.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Okay, there seems some tablet they did below that located
on top of the bed. Yeah, okay, maybe they've got
it wrong that tablet. See some tablet and not buy
a mobile phone and you all know phone.
Speaker 6 (22:29):
And so you said a black mobile phone earlier, so
that would be a nock here. It's a really old
nock here that I've got for like you know, if
you break your phone, yeah, and.
Speaker 5 (22:42):
You've got to send away from repair and you need
so I've got this like really old thing.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
So that's yeah, your mobile would be the top top.
And then we're talking about peat work school computer followed
by the G Force. Yeah, David, I just one thing
I wanted to clarify to make sure I'll go right.
He obviously said we're taking those. When you went to
(23:09):
the to the lead at the hospital and you seen.
Speaker 9 (23:12):
Your wan there, uh you got shown to the toilet,
but you said you had to go home to pack
stuff and your daughter's bag and that's the animals.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
When you had the conversation with doctor Webster, was that
when you first went there or afterwards.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
I don't remember.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
I don't remember. I sure, yeah, I don't think that's
a true mentioned that again to your credit police for
the review your hats on that morning on the first
and they were obviously responding to the hospital call to
(23:57):
check up on you, and they broke to you on
the phone and you gave them the pink code for
your gate and directed them to the bin where there
were some leftovers. Well what are those leftovers that you
directed them.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
To that I'm eating food on the lunch.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
Okay, so you helped them be getting that.
Speaker 5 (24:20):
Because my kids take them ill too.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
But there was stuff that was left over, and I
went straight in the bin. And so when I went
to the hospital and they said they would concerned that
everyone d some contaminated food, I said, well, there's the
leftovers in the bin.
Speaker 5 (24:38):
You can have it. Feel free to look through it.
And I said I'll don't get it if you want,
and they said that's fine, you need to go on
a drip.
Speaker 6 (24:48):
We'll call the police. And I said, well that's fine,
just like no, I need to give them a pink code.
So they did that and they a bag of food
appeared a bit later.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
So thank you again, thank you for helping us. Okay,
at that it's fine, well really any questions at the moment.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Right.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Aaron Ebre at the time became a five point thirty
PM for aw, alright, I'm going to suspend the interview
in the air.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
So that was the record of interview. It was quite interesting,
wasn't it, Laura.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Yes, it was, and this interview did play a pretty
crucial role in the prosecution case. Again, to remind our listeners,
Erin actually admitted during the trial to telling a few lies.
During this interview. You would have just heard her tell
Constable epping Stall that she had never foraged for mushrooms
and did not own a dehydrator, but later admitted that
(25:49):
those two statements were lies she told in a panic. However,
the prosecution really honed in on these lies, and they
said that the real reason she was lying to Constable
epping Stall was because she knew she had murdered her
lunch guests and she was trying very hard to get
away with it.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
But clearly the jury saw through her lines. And before
we go, I have to say a big happy birthday
to Laura.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Oh, thank you, Brooke. I would have loved to have
taken today off but it wasn't meant to be. But
I will say that being able to publish the record
of interview and all of this evidence that was excluded
from the trial has been a great gift.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
And as we flagged in our earlier episode, stay tuned
for another episode that will be released tomorrow
You've heard her words that you haven't heard her voice,
at least not since the start of her triple murder trial.
But thanks to a court ordered today, we can bring
to you what Aaron Patterson told police during her record
of interview. These are her words and it is her voice.
I'm Brook Greebert Craig, and this is the Mushroom now, listeners.
(00:26):
I know I said that we would be back tomorrow,
but there's some more information that we had to publish today.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yes, we really didn't want to wait, so there are
a few updates I can provide our listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yes, so we've already given you a comprehensive episode on
everything that the jury didn't know, but we do have
some more details. Laura, you're in court today. What did
we learn?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
So last week we were talking about when Erin might
be sentenced, and today we have a better impression of
when that might happen. Erin appeared via video link today
from Dame Phyllis Frost Center, the woman's prison where she's
been held since she was charged, and she found out
today that she will next face a hearing across two
days on August twenty five and August twenty.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Six, and what will we learn in that hearing.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So this hearing is called a plea hearing or a
pre sentence hearing, and we've spoken a little bit about
it before and what it will entail. But to remind
our listeners, it's when all of the lawyers come together
and present their submissions to Justice Christopher Beale about what
sentence Erin should get. So the prosecution will be flagging
(01:37):
those aggravating factors, the things they say mean that Erin
should get a very harsh sentence. But on the other hand,
you'll have the defense submitting psychiatric reports and other material
that they say means Erin should be shown a little
bit of leniency.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
And we'll also hear victim impact statements as well, right.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, and that's a really big part of what the
section will be putting forward. Anyone who's been impacted by
this crime can be considered a victim, So we're not
just talking about Ian, the only guest to survive the lunch,
but also his children, then the children of Don and
Gail Patterson, which includes Simon, Aaron's estranged husband. They will
(02:18):
all be given an opportunity to stand up in court
and read out that victim impact statement. In front of
Erin and in front of the judge.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
So that will take place over two days.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yes, that's right. Crown Prosecutor Jane Warren today said that
she was expecting to receive a lot of victim impact statements.
But we must note that not all victims do want
to read their statements out themselves. Some of them find
the process too difficult, so they ask a prosecutor to
do it on their behalf.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So will Aaron be sentenced at that hearing?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It's really unlikely. Justice Beer will want to go away
and consider everything he's heard from all of the lawyers,
including the victim impact statements as well. Then he'll formulate
a sentence that he believes he should hand down, and
that will be delivered at a later date. As we've
spoken about previously, murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment,
(03:12):
but the defense will be pushing for her to get
a minimum sentence so one day she can hopefully apply
for parol.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
So you said we'll hear the sentence at a later date.
Are we expecting weeks or months? What's the time period like?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
It could be months, but it's more likely to be weeks.
The justice system doesn't want convicted murderers to just be
waiting in limbo, not knowing how long their sentence will be.
But even further to that, we do know that Erin's
defense team has flagged an appeal, and once she is sentenced,
they will have twenty eight days to be able to
hand in their paperwork and start that process.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Okay, let's move on. So the court has released Aaron's
record of interview today.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
They did, and this nearly didn't happen. Justice Biel had
initially agreed to release it, but Erin's defense team had
a bit of a problem with that, so our lawyers
got involved and made some arguments on our behalf, saying
that it was really in the interest of open justice
that this should be released so members of the public
had a chance themselves to see Erin give this interview.
(04:15):
This interview was conducted on August five, exactly one week
after Aaron hosted the lunch. At this stage, Gail and
Heather had died, and Don was only hours away from
passing away as well. Constable Eppingstall and his colleagues had
spent hours searching Erin's home that day before they took
her to the Wan Thaggy Police Station to conduct this interview.
(04:37):
To remind our listeners, this interview was played in front
of the jury, not the entire thing. We understand it
was only about a twenty minute snippet, but they got
to see her being questioned by Detective Leading Senior Constable
Stephen Eppingstall, and our listeners will get that same opportunity.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yes, and we have mentioned the record of interview. On
a previous episode we had acted voicing it, but now
our listeners get to hear Aaron in her own.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Words for the first time.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
We should note the audio quality was not great on this,
so we've tried our best to clean it up and
we're going to play it now unedited as it was
given to us by the court.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Let's click play.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
This is the DVD record inview between Detectives Lead and
Senior Comfortable Stephen effim Stool and Aaron Patterson of Gibson
Street Lean Gaffer, conducted at the one Thy Police Station
on Saturday, the fifth of all this twenty twenty three.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Other person President is my corroborator detechnically sending Constable David
Martin LKA four double zero five three eron do you've
read the time. He's now four forty one pm. By
all Wait, yeah, could you please state your full name
and address for me?
Speaker 5 (06:00):
Freddy Patterson, Paul Gibson, straight Land Gaffan.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
All right, eron, I intend to interview today in relation
to the death of two people being Gale Patterson and
Heather Wilkinson. Before continuing, I must inform you that you
do not have to say or do anything, but anything
you say or do he's being recorded and maybe using
an evidence in court. Do you understand that informat? Yeah?
(06:24):
All right. I must also inform you with the following rights.
You may communicate with or attempt to communicate with a
friend or relative to tell that person to beware about us.
You may communicate with or attempt to communicate with a
legal practitioner. If you're not an austrained citizen or permanent
residence here in Australia. You may communicate with your attempt
to communicate with the concept of office of the country
(06:44):
or the two are a citizen can understandable of these rights?
Speaker 5 (06:48):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Okay, Dowish EXERSI any of these rights before the interview proceeds. No, Now,
I'll just confirm with you you had an oportorunity to
speak to a solicitor before this interview commenced became you're
happy with that? All right now? I also remind you
(07:09):
that your rights are with you for the entire time
you're with us. Okay, So if you decide data only,
want to exercide running your data rights, yeah, you just
let me know and we'll do that for right now.
Speaker 6 (07:27):
What is your agent dated birth forty eight thirtieth of
the ninth, seventy four.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Are you an Australian citizens? Are you a permanent resident
here in Australia?
Speaker 6 (07:42):
I live I was born here and I live here
and I'm yeah, that's fine.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
And are you that Aboriginal or tore straight onland of descent?
Speaker 5 (07:52):
No?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Okay, we watch all myile number erin.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
For a five three five eight three five.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Do you have an email address?
Speaker 5 (08:07):
Yes, it's the s H.
Speaker 6 (08:11):
Three zero one four three zero at gmail dot com.
Speaker 7 (08:24):
All right now, as we discussed earlier, and we've been
together for a few hours and you know it after
a living pod that we came to your hairs today,
we want to discuss the depths of.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Header Wilkinson and Gail Patterson today with you. When we
were at the hairs. Earlier we discussed that you hadn't
really been kept in the loop and coming to as
news to you that Heather and Gard had both passed away.
(09:05):
Following any in your house, Donald, Ian, Gale, and Heather
all become so ill that they ultimately ended up in
the ents a key year.
Speaker 7 (09:15):
They had both the Denial hospital and then moved to
the Houston Hospital or.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Following that they had a a deterioration in their condition
and that they become so old that their livers have failed.
Donald underwent transplant last night, okay, and his condition is
(09:43):
still extremely critical as of last report. Heather and Gale
passed away. Relation Ian, I don't have a current prognosis
simulation where he's at a dog like yesterday diagnosis. He's
(10:04):
integrated him made. Where're trying to understand what has made
me so real? Why we're asking these questions?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (10:17):
The other conversely, what you're trying to understand why you're
not that is so you understand what we're in to be.
Speaker 6 (10:27):
In you to. Yeah, I do, But I'm sure you
understand too that Like I've never been in a situation
like this before, and I've been very very helpful with
the Health Department through the link because I wanted to
help that sort of thing as much as possible, because
I do want to know what happened. So I've given
(10:51):
them as much information as they've asked for and often
up all the food and all the information about where
the food came from.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Full understand at the house, and I must say, for
the record again you you're very helpful with the house.
And you did point out a couple of things for
us that that will help us with our investigation, mainly the.
Speaker 8 (11:14):
Fruit platter that you said father for you and the
gravy and the fruits in the pantry that you said
was from the night you kept on an advice from
the Health Department, So thank you for that.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
You also pointed out a recipe got the counter and
you refumed me a page two hundred and fifty of
the recipe for beef wanted, and you indicated was the
recipe you caught. Okay, all on what we saw at
your address in Lean Gather, well, we didn't see a
(11:52):
lot of food from a gross Grosses or Indian grossers
or those kinds of stored friends.
Speaker 6 (11:59):
I've got a lot of Asian cooking stuff in my
fridge okay, Oh, but.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
We loved the more of that kind of stuff in
you wisely addressed the pink or.
Speaker 6 (12:18):
No, because I did a big clean out of the
pantry and fridge the last time when I was there
because I want to sell that plane. Ah, so the
pantry and fridge there, yeah, okay.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
So you want to you want to sell that place,
all right, no problem. Obviously we've got consumed in the
action the mushrooms and where they've come from. Is that
something you've done in the past, foraging for the mushroom doing?
(12:57):
Never do you, presidents, you're anything like that? Have you
even decadratitude or anything like that?
Speaker 6 (13:09):
Okay, m h.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
You've described to me relationship with your ex art assignment,
right or if a lot to understand why you had
his parents and his uncle and nan he over for lunch.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
That's why you don't want to do that because I've
gotten that other family so there.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Currently program okay, And they've always been really good to me,
and I want to maintain those relationships with them, inspite
of what's happened with.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
Some I love them a lot. They've always been really
good to me, and they always said to me that
they would support me.
Speaker 6 (14:11):
With love and emotional support, even both Simon and I
was separated, and I really appreciated that because my parents
are both gone, my grandparents are all gone. They're the
only family that I've got, Yeah, and they are only
grandparents that my children have, and I want them to
(14:34):
stay in my kid's life and that's really important to me.
And I think Simon hated that I still had a
relationship with his parents, but I love them. Nothing it's
said happened between us, nothing he's ever done to me
will change the facts that they're good, decent people that
(14:56):
have never done anything more from me together.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
So wherever I told them on the thirty first of July,
it's so two days after the lunch you went to
the Lean Gather hospital and that you were only there
for about five minutes and then you left. Can you
explain why you went there for four minutes?
Speaker 6 (15:16):
Yeah, because I just went there thinking I needed a
couple of bands of slone because I was really deep hydrated.
And they send we want to admit you and send
you to Melbourn. And when you've got animals at time
and children who have multiple art school activities, you can't
just be told to drop everything. And you're off to
(15:39):
Melbourne five nights. I had to go home and feed
the animals and pack my daughter's ballet bang.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
And I did that and I went.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Back, Okay, who's this they too?
Speaker 1 (15:53):
So I walked in and.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
There was like.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
I don't think there were in It was like.
Speaker 6 (16:02):
I could have been an enrolled nurse or it was
like a helper person in the triarch room, right, And
she's just like you okay, And I said, well, no,
I have to run to the toilet.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
I've got diarrhea.
Speaker 6 (16:12):
And then she wasn't quite sure where it was, and
so she went and found out and showed me where
it was. And then she said, I'll go and find someone.
I'll get a nurse or a doctor for you. And
so I went to the toilet.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
I came back out. I was waiting in the triarge area,
and then a.
Speaker 6 (16:32):
Doctor came out, doctor Webster, and he said to me,
sorry that we're going to be a little while because
I've got a couple of preticular patients in that hospital.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
And I said, that's find out.
Speaker 6 (16:46):
Where I got me. I'm just a gastro case, not urchant, obviously,
And he said, oh, what's your name? And I said, erin,
and he said, we've been expecting you because other people
that you ate on Saturday was seeing and he said,
can you come through? And I said sure, and I
came in and then he said to me, I can't
(17:10):
say the exact word, but he said something along the
lines of we've got to concern. They've beaten deathcat mushrooms.
And I said what and he said, yeah, that's what
I think they've beaten. And then he said started asking
me about what food I served him, and I told him.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
All, I understand you went down to the hospital and
got treatment of that. What kind of treatment did you get?
Speaker 5 (17:41):
I'm the cooking out.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
They said that they were concerned. So doctor Webster had
to leave.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
I think he was at the end of his ships
and he passed on to another doctor from the foot
and she said, to me, because the concern is that
everybody's eaten something that hurts silly. But when to give
you this detective medicine. And so there was sayline and
a sepul something or other I think, but she said,
we need to give you this and then got you
(18:12):
in our ambulance to Melbourne where they can give you more.
And the word it's more where they can care for
about Yeah. So I've got sayline and this other stuff
and when not angler Okay, how.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Long we use in the hospital for hearing the other.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
Till esday.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
After last two blas and again with full disclosures that
you understand where we've obtained warrants were actually to medical
records everyone involved in this, so we will get medical
(19:03):
records and the actually will treat them there as well.
You were at home and prison when we do a
series for it today, all right, but you weren't watching
everyone at all the time. But I just want to
go through and take some of the stuff we've and
(19:23):
like I said, we'll give you a lift at the
copy of this. Everything wereseas kitchen barot undraw instruction manual
for Sunday who electronic d hydrator? Watch that anymore? Do
you know anything about a dhot dragon in your assol? Okay?
(19:46):
Do you own.
Speaker 5 (19:49):
Okay, I've got manuals, lots of stuff for years. I've
had all sorts of appliances and I just keep them all.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Okay, when when did you are in a decoy rail.
Speaker 9 (20:10):
Ago?
Speaker 4 (20:11):
What you use that? Like?
Speaker 6 (20:13):
When I first got the themomic, so I got really
excited about it, like making everything from scraped you know,
I did a lot of.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
You know, like everything from scratch ingredients and I did
a lot of that.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
So we have something okay, kitchen bench locating at the wall,
recipe t each book against the people have some same
book that the whale team message you come here. From
(20:49):
the fridge, we got the fruit salad platter which you
pointed there. Then in the fridge and the bo's pantry
we got the white jug and trying the brown we
can put so thank you for that. From the study,
we took the computer. We took another computer, and we
(21:12):
took another computer in the lounds. We grabbed an iPad
in a black and red case. From the room, we've
grabbed a computer.
Speaker 6 (21:26):
That Ben and I was going to have.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
A very un one alight.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
So that debate the prioritized that would be the bottom
of the list if anyone's powered down from any all
no drums are right, so we'll hope they wanted them
back at the least.
Speaker 10 (21:43):
All right, a black mobile phone, which again i'll prioritize tomorrow.
I have to tease bedroom too far left towards the backyard,
says there's bedroom. So we shouldn't met with Apple White.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
I don't own any iPads, so that they would the tablet.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Okay, there seems some tablet they did below that located
on top of the bed. Yeah, okay, maybe they've got
it wrong that tablet. See some tablet and not buy
a mobile phone and you all know phone.
Speaker 6 (22:29):
And so you said a black mobile phone earlier, so
that would be a nock here. It's a really old
nock here that I've got for like you know, if
you break your phone, yeah, and.
Speaker 5 (22:42):
You've got to send away from repair and you need
so I've got this like really old thing.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
So that's yeah, your mobile would be the top top.
And then we're talking about peat work school computer followed
by the G Force. Yeah, David, I just one thing
I wanted to clarify to make sure I'll go right.
He obviously said we're taking those. When you went to
(23:09):
the to the lead at the hospital and you seen.
Speaker 9 (23:12):
Your wan there, uh you got shown to the toilet,
but you said you had to go home to pack
stuff and your daughter's bag and that's the animals.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
When you had the conversation with doctor Webster, was that
when you first went there or afterwards.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
I don't remember.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
I don't remember. I sure, yeah, I don't think that's
a true mentioned that again to your credit police for
the review your hats on that morning on the first
and they were obviously responding to the hospital call to
(23:57):
check up on you, and they broke to you on
the phone and you gave them the pink code for
your gate and directed them to the bin where there
were some leftovers. Well what are those leftovers that you
directed them.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
To that I'm eating food on the lunch.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
Okay, so you helped them be getting that.
Speaker 5 (24:20):
Because my kids take them ill too.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
But there was stuff that was left over, and I
went straight in the bin. And so when I went
to the hospital and they said they would concerned that
everyone d some contaminated food, I said, well, there's the
leftovers in the bin.
Speaker 5 (24:38):
You can have it. Feel free to look through it.
And I said I'll don't get it if you want,
and they said that's fine, you need to go on
a drip.
Speaker 6 (24:48):
We'll call the police. And I said, well that's fine,
just like no, I need to give them a pink code.
So they did that and they a bag of food
appeared a bit later.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
So thank you again, thank you for helping us. Okay,
at that it's fine, well really any questions at the moment.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Right.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Aaron Ebre at the time became a five point thirty
PM for aw, alright, I'm going to suspend the interview
in the air.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
So that was the record of interview. It was quite interesting,
wasn't it, Laura.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Yes, it was, and this interview did play a pretty
crucial role in the prosecution case. Again, to remind our listeners,
Erin actually admitted during the trial to telling a few lies.
During this interview. You would have just heard her tell
Constable epping Stall that she had never foraged for mushrooms
and did not own a dehydrator, but later admitted that
(25:49):
those two statements were lies she told in a panic. However,
the prosecution really honed in on these lies, and they
said that the real reason she was lying to Constable
epping Stall was because she knew she had murdered her
lunch guests and she was trying very hard to get
away with it.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
But clearly the jury saw through her lines. And before
we go, I have to say a big happy birthday
to Laura.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Oh, thank you, Brooke. I would have loved to have
taken today off but it wasn't meant to be. But
I will say that being able to publish the record
of interview and all of this evidence that was excluded
from the trial has been a great gift.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
And as we flagged in our earlier episode, stay tuned
for another episode that will be released tomorrow
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!