Accused mushroom cook killer Erin Patterson wanted ‘a special meal’ with family and friends, court hears
Accused mushroom cook killer Erin Patterson was disappointed her estranged husband turned down her invitation to the fateful lunch, telling him she “spent a small fortune on beef eye fillet”, a jury heard.
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Accused mushroom cook killer Erin Patterson was disappointed her estranged husband turned down her invitation to the fateful lunch, telling him she had “spent a small fortune on beef eye fillet” and “may not be able to host a lunch like this again”, a jury has heard.
Simon Patterson took to the witness box on Thursday for the first day of evidence in Ms Patterson’s trial in Morwell, where she stands accused of murdering his parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66.
The three family members died after Ms Patterson served them beef wellingtons allegedly laced with lethal death cap mushrooms at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023, with Heather’s husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, 71, the only guest to survive.
Ms Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, claiming what happened was a “tragedy and a terrible accident”.
THE TEXT MESSAGES
Simon told the Supreme Court jury he was invited to the lunch, but declined via text the night before, saying he was “too uncomfortable” and would speak with his estranged wife another time.
In a text exchange shown to the jury by Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC, Ms Patterson said it was “really disappointing” he would not be attending.
“I wanted it to be a special meal as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time,” she wrote.
Simon said his parents were “intrigued” why they had been invited to the lunch, but he told them she had “medical news” and she wanted advice on how to break it to their two children.
He said it was “very rare” for Ms Patterson to invite guests over to any of the homes they shared during their on-again off-again relationship from 2007 to 2015.
“As a wider family … I don’t think we ever had a gathering of that size at our house.”
THE PLATES
Simon told the court he drove to Heather and Ian’s home the day after the deadly lunch when his parents revealed they had been vomiting and experiencing diarrhoea.
When he arrived, Simon said Heather told him: “I noticed Erin served herself her food on a coloured plate, which was different to the rest.”
He said she later asked: “Is Erin short of crockery? Is that why she would have this different kind of coloured plate that she served herself with?”
Simon said he replied: “Yes, Erin doesn’t have that many plates and that may be the reason.”
On Wednesday, in the prosecution opening, the 15-person jury heard the accused served her own beef wellington meal on a different coloured plate to her lunch guests.
Under cross-examination by defence barrister Colin Mandy SC, Simon said she owned a “mixture of plates” that “weren’t all the same”.
He said there was only one colourful plate, which he thought belonged to his daughter, and Ms Patterson only had about eight to 10 plates in the house.
THE HOSPITAL
Simon fought back tears as he described his parents’ deteriorating condition after they were admitted to hospital with diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea following the lunch.
“Dad was substantially worse than mum. He was really struggling,” he said.
He recounted Don was lying on his side, hunched and had a discoloured face.
“His voice was strained … in a way that he wasn’t right inside.”
When asked about his estranged wife’s symptoms after the lunch, Simon said she told him she had been having some frequent diarrhoea.
He said she wanted to go to hospital, but was worried she may “poo her pants” if she drove.
Ms Patterson was taken to the Monash Medical Centre, where Simon said he did not notice any signs of diarrhoea or vomiting.
THE RELATIONSHIP
Simon described Ms Patterson as “very intelligent” and “quite witty”, adding that those were some of the traits that attracted him to her when they met while working at Monash City Council in the early 2000s.
They married in 2007, but had several periods of separation and reconciliation, with Simon telling the jury “it was always her leaving me”.
Simon said Ms Patterson had been “struggling inside herself” and the pair undertook marriage counselling at his suggestion.
But in late 2015, they permanently separated.
“It was strained,” he said of their relationship.
“I was always keen to have a good relationship, have a good marriage and a good, strong family to bring up the kids in.”
They remained on amicable terms for the sake of the children and Simon said he hoped they would reconcile.
He said he knew Ms Patterson to be an atheist when he met her, but they began attending the Korumburra Baptist Church with friends in the early 2000s.
“It’s really God’s leading that makes us Christians, or not, but yeah she did become a regular church attender,” he said.
He confirmed they had attended bible study together, at times on a weekly basis.
Later, when asked about Ms Patterson’s self-image by Mr Mandy, Simon agreed she had put on weight over the years.
“Erin is not particularly happy with how she is … I don’t think she has high self-esteem.”
THE PROPERTIES
Simon revealed his estranged wife inherited about $2m through her grandmother’s estate in 2006, saying under cross-examination that she was “very generous” with that money.
“Money’s not been the most important motivation to Erin or me,” he said.
The court heard the inheritance was gradually “dispersed” over eight years.
In 2019, he said she purchased a block of land on Gibson St in Leongatha and a home on Lyons St in Mount Waverley after she received another inheritance following her mother’s death.
Despite being separated for more than three years, both titles were split with Simon who said he was “puzzled by it”, but assumed it was an act of good will.
THE FRICTION
Simon said he felt there had been a “substantial change” in their friendship in 2022, seven years after they had separated.
On one occasion, Simon said Ms Patterson told him she noticed he had filed a tax return stating they were separated.
She claimed that would have tax implications, he said, and she began demanding child support and sending him medical bills for their children.
“The chatty nature of (our friendship) pretty much stopped,” he said.
“It became functional and sometimes nothing … messages ignored.”
The court heard Ms Patterson “got on well” with Simon’s parents, especially Don.
“They shared a love of knowledge and of learning and an interest in the world.”.
When asked whether she loved his parents, Simon replied: “She seemed to, yeah.”
He will return to the witness box on Friday.
The trial, before Justice Christopher Beale, continues.
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