Mushroom cook Erin Patterson charged over triple fatal lunch
Erin Patterson, the woman accused of killing three people with a poisonous mushroom meal, complained to officers as she was placed in a police van on Thursday night.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The prime suspect in the triple-death mushroom poisoning case has been charged with three counts of murder and five of attempted murder after being dramatically arrested at her home on Thursday.
Erin Patterson was remanded in custody and is appearing at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court in Morwell on Friday.
The three murder charges and two of the attempted murder charges relate to the beef wellington lunch at her South Gippsland home on July 29, which resulted in four people becoming ill and being taken to hospital the next day.
Ms Patterson’s mother-in-law Gail Patterson and father-in-law Don Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died after eating the meal.
Ian Wilkinson, a pastor and Heather’s husband, spent time in ICU and two months in hospital but miraculously survived.
He is now home but continues to recover from his severe injuries.
The three murder charges relate to the dead trio, while two of the attempted murder charges are believed to relate to Mr Wilkinson and Ms Patterson’s estranged husband Simon, who was meant to be at the lunch but pulled out at the last minute.
The further three attempted murder charges are believed to relate to three separate poisonings of her husband in Victoria between 2021 and 2022.
“It’s alleged a 48-year-old Korumburra man became ill following meals on these dates,” a police statement said on Thursday night.
Ms Patterson was taken from Wonthaggi Police Station to the court cells at about 8.30pm on Thursday.
She was not handcuffed, but struggled to climb into the back of the police van, saying “I can’t get up” before being ushered into the vehicle by two police officers.
Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said: “Over the last three months, this investigation has been subjected to incredibly intense levels of public scrutiny and curiosity. I cannot think of another investigation that has generated this level of media and public interest, not only here in Victoria but also nationally and internationally.
“I think it is particularly important that we keep in mind that at the heart of this, three people have lost their lives. These are three people who by all accounts were much beloved in their communities and are greatly missed by their loved ones.
“These deaths and incidents also continue to have a significant impact on the immediate families of those involved and I ask that people are particularly mindful of this over the coming days.
“In smaller communities such as Leongatha and Korumburra, a tragedy such as this can reverberate for years to come.
“Today’s charges are just the next step in what has been an incredibly complex, methodical and thorough investigation by Homicide Squad detectives.”
In dramatic scenes, Ms Patterson was arrested at 8am at her Leongatha home, with police scouring the property for six hours.
Australian Federal Police technology detector dogs – used to find devices like mobile phones – were also deployed. They are also trained to locate easily concealed SIM cards, USB drives and memory cards.
The sudden raid ended around 3pm with the 49-year-old being taken to Wonthaggi Police Station and grilled by homicide detectives for several hours.
Police suspect the trio died after eating death cap mushrooms.
The Herald Sun understands police are still waiting on complex toxicology reports to confirm this theory.
Simon’s friends said he was “doing OK” after learning of the arrest.
“I think he is just focusing on his kids’ wellbeing,” they added.
Ms Patterson had stated their children were at a local cinema when the lunch was served but ate leftovers later that night. They did not get sick.
Inspector Dean Thomas said at the start of the investigation that the children were at the house for the lunch – a public position which has not been altered since.
Ms Patterson previously made a written statement to police, which opened up new elements in the case for investigators.
In it, she said she had bought dried mushrooms from an Asian grocers in Mount Waverley and put them in the meal.
Police will be working to check all such stores in Mount Waverley to corroborate her claim, or otherwise.
Another key element was Ms Patterson’s admission that she dumped a food dehydrator, since recovered by detectives, at a local tip.
She said this was done because she panicked after being accused of intentionally poisoning her guests.
Thursday’s arrest and charges came as a shock to many, as there was an expectation there would be no significant movement for several months.
It is unclear what precipitated the swoop; if police have uncovered more evidence or information which led them to move on Ms Patterson.
Eating death cap mushrooms causes extreme gastro and leads to organ failure.
Burgertory boss set to be interviewed by police
Pro-Palestinian activist and burger boss Hash Tayeh is facing allegations he incited hatred towards Jews.
Tarneit Senior College teacher to front court on sex offence charge
A casual relief teacher who has taught at Victorian government schools, including Tarneit Senior College, has been suspended from teaching after being charged with a sex offence.