Mum accused of killing three people with poisonous mushrooms breaks down in court – what you need to know
An Australian woman accused of murdering her estranged husband’s parents and an aunt by serving them a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms has given evidence in court for the first time.
Mother of two Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the 2023 murders of her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, along with the attempted murder of Reverend Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband.
Patterson denies all the charges, claiming the deaths were a “terrible accident”.
The prosecution alleges she served guests the meal knowing it contained deadly death cap mushrooms, also known as Amanita phalloides.
Giving evidence at her trial at the Supreme Court of Victoria, Patterson said she had been foraging mushrooms since 2020. She also became emotional when speaking about Don and Gail.
Patterson’s estranged husband as well as the sole survivor of the alleged poisoning, Reverend Wilkinson, previously took to the stand, offering new details about what allegedly happened.
Here’s what we know so far.
An unexpected invitation
Patterson invited the four alleged victims for lunch at her home in Leongatha, a small town in Melbourne, on 29 July 2023, along with her estranged husband Simon Patterson.
Ian and Heather Wilkinson. Pic: The Salvation Army Australia – Museum
Mr Patterson told the court that although he and Erin Patterson had separated amicably in 2015, their relationship had deteriorated by late 2022.
He said he had listed them as financially separated on a tax return, which triggered a series of child support payments that meant he would no longer pay their two children’s private school fees directly, he told the court.
Speaking to the court through tears, Mr Patterson said: “I was sure she was very upset about that.”
Their soured relationship meant he repeatedly declined invitations to his estranged wife’s home for lunch – including on the day in question.
He told the court he did not feel comfortable attending.
Text messages between Patterson and her husband read out in court revealed she found his decision not to come “really disappointing” as she had spent time and money preparing the “special meal”.
Reverend Wilkinson told the court that Patterson asked his wife Heather if the couple was free for the lunch.
Detectives search Erin Patterson’s property in November 2023. Pic: AP
He said they had most of their interactions with Patterson at social gatherings such as Christmas parties at Don and Gail Patterson’s house.
“There was no reason given for the lunch, and I remember talking to Heather wondering why the sudden invitation,” Mr Wilkinson told the court, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
But he said the pair were “very happy to be invited”.
Later the couple found out Don and Gail were invited, too.
Patterson’s daughter, according to ABC, told the court that her mum organised a trip to the cinema for her and her brother in advance of the lunch.
Sole survivor gives details about the lunch
Reverend Wilkinson recalled his wife being keen to see Pattersons’ pantry because she was organising a similar space at their home.
According to ABC, he told the court he noticed Patterson was “very reluctant” about them going to see it, and thought it was possibly because it was a mess, but he didn’t go to look.
He told the court Heather and Gail offered to help plate up the food, but Patterson rejected the offer and prepared the plates alone.
Each plate had a serving of mashed potatoes, green beans and an individual beef wellington.
Patterson said the mushrooms were a mixture of button mushrooms purchased at a supermarket, and dried mushrooms purchased at an Asian grocery store in Melbourne several months ago, which were in a hand-labelled packet.
Reverend Wilkinson said the four guests were given large grey dinner plates, while Patterson ate from a smaller, tan-coloured plate.
He said he remembered his wife pointing this out after they became ill.
The reverend said he and his wife ate their full servings, while Don ate his own and half of his wife’s.
Reverend Wilkinson said that after the meal, Patterson fabricated a cancer diagnosis, suggesting the lunch was put together so that she could ask them the best way to tell her children about the illness.
The prosecution said she did this to justify the children’s absence.
The defence does not dispute that Patterson lied about having cancer.
Patterson tears up in court
Appearing as a witness for her own defence at the beginning of June, Patterson said she accepted there must have been death cap mushrooms in the beef wellington she made, according to the ABC.
She also said she began foraging for mushrooms around the towns of Korumburra and Leongatha during the COVID lockdowns in 2020. After picking the mushrooms, she said she would use a food dehydrator to dry and preserve them to have them available later in the year.
Prosecutors earlier claimed the defendant denied ever owning a food dehydrator, but police traced one owned by her to a nearby dump that was later found to contain death cap mushrooms.
Defence lawyer Colin Mandy also questioned Patterson about a series of expletive-laden messages sent to friends regarding the Patterson family.
“I wish I’d never said it. I feel ashamed for saying it and I wish that the family didn’t have to hear that I said that,” Patterson told the court about the messages.
Talking through tears, she added: “I was really frustrated with Simon, but it wasn’t Don and Gail’s fault.”
From 29 April: A court sketch shows Erin Patterson in court. Pic:AAP/Reuters
The court previously heard the relationship between Patterson and her estranged husband deteriorated shortly before the alleged murders due to a disagreement over child support.
It is not known how long Patterson will give evidence for or whether she will be cross-examined by the prosecution.
Patterson’s children ‘ate leftovers after guests went to hospital’
All four alleged victims had fallen ill and were experiencing severe vomiting and diarrhoea by midnight on the day of the lunch.
Patterson says she also became ill hours after eating the meal.
Her daughter, according to the ABC, told the court she remembers Patterson telling her she had diarrhoea that night.
Her four guests were taken to hospital the following day, with all of their liver tests showing “abnormal” results, the court was told.
Patterson claims she and her children ate leftovers from the beef wellington on the same day. Her daughter told the court she remembered this, and that her mum didn’t eat much because she was still feeling unwell.
The mum said she scraped the mushrooms off the plates in advance because she knew her children didn’t like them.
Patterson went to hospital two days after the lunch, where she initially discharged herself against medical advice, the court was told.
Erin Patterson speaks to the media outside her home in 2023. Pic:AAP/Nine News/Reuters
She had mild symptoms of illness, but further tests revealed no evidence of toxins consistent with death cap mushroom poisoning, the prosecution said.
A nurse at the hospital where she was treated told the court she “didn’t look unwell like Ian and Heather”, who were at the same hospital.
Hospital staff have said Patterson resisted attempts by doctors to have her two children tested after she told them they had eaten some of the leftovers, saying she did not want to frighten them.
Gail and Heather died on Friday 4 August 2023, while Don died a day later.
Reverend Wilkinson spent seven weeks in hospital but survived.
Police previously said the symptoms of all four of those who became ill were consistent with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, which are responsible for 90% of all toxic mushroom-related fatalities.
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Days after the deaths, police opened a homicide investigation and confirmed Patterson was a suspect. She was charged on 2 November 2023.
When Benjamin Netanyahu lands back in Israel, he will be hit by a wall of opinions. Some people are full of praise for the deal he has helped to construct, others hate it. Nobody is indifferent.
Among those who are spitting fury are members of his own cabinet.
As it happened: Trump reveals Gaza plan
Netanyahu will attend a cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening, and he will be faced by the anger of his two most outspoken ministers – Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Both come from the uncompromising political far right; both think that compromise is a sign of weakness; both were utterly outraged at the idea of the prime minister apologising to Qatar for the attack on Doha.
Israeli forces have been carrying out an offensive in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
Ben-Gvir said that, far from being a source of shame, it had been “an important, just and supremely moral attack… Qatar is a state that supports terrorism, funds terrorism and incites terrorism”.
Smotrich, as if ever worried at being outdone, compared Netanyahu with Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of the Nazis, saying his “grovelling apology” was a “disgrace”.
Can either of these men really keep serving in a cabinet with Netanyahu? And if not, how long before the government collapses?
That wouldn’t imperil the peace plan – if it survives – because it will have the support of enough opposition parties to be passed into law.
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Trump announces ‘Board of Peace’
But it would hasten a new general election, where Netanyahu would try to portray himself as the statesman who brought back the hostages (if he does) while his rivals would paint him as the man who let October 7 happen on his watch.
But in the short term, Netanyahu’s plan has plenty of fans in Israel. President Isaac Herzog applauded it and so did the forum representing the families of the hostages.
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Witkoff ‘hopeful’ on Gaza plan
Leaders from Arab countries have all said they welcome it, albeit they have, unanimously, given the credit to Donald Trump, rather than the Israeli prime minister.
But then the applause dwindles. From Hamas, the initial reaction was telling – the plan hadn’t even been sent to them before it was announced to the world. And without their buy-in, what does a deal look like? Can it even work?
They say they can’t sign up to anything that does not include Palestinian self-determination. Which this, pointedly, doesn’t.
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And remember – Hamas have the hostages. For all the implicit threats made by Trump about what would happen if Hamas don’t sign up to this deal, the return of the hostages is the point that most loudly resonates with the Israeli public.
If Hamas don’t like the deal, they won’t return the hostages.
Read more:
What we know about the plan – and what Sky correspondents think
Tony Blair will be an unwelcome inclusion for many on the Palestinian side
As for the governance of Gaza – there is precious little support among Palestinians for a Trump/Blair leadership team.
“Tony Blair is a war criminal who should be in The Hague, not Gaza,” said Mustafa Barghouti, the veteran politician who has been on the Palestinian Legislative Council for nearly two decades.
And that’s an opinion I’ve heard echoed more than once.
There are more negotiations to come. “I’ll believe it when it happens,” one military figure said to me, wearily. “I’m more confident than before,” said another source, “but before I wasn’t confident at all.”
Nobody is getting too excited, too early, and there are hurdles to overcome and concessions to be made. But there is a chance that things might happen, and if they do, they might happen fast.
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he supports Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza – but what does it actually say, and will it work?
The document lays out what the Trump administration calls a “comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict”, consisting of 20 points.
Here are some of the key clauses and what our correspondents make of them…
Gaza ‘to be redeveloped for’ its people
The first two points say Gaza will become “a deradicalised terror-free zone” and “redeveloped for the benefit of” the enclave’s people – but the role they’ll have is unclear, says US correspondent Mark Stone.
“Beyond Hamas, there is no defined role for the Palestinians beyond vague assurances that they can take over once reform has taken place,” he explained.
Stone also highlighted that “a central part of the plan is missing – Hamas”.
“Like it or not, this plan cannot proceed without their buy-in,” he said. “And, as has always been the case, their agreement to this plan would amount to suicide for their movement.
“The bet by the Trump administration and by the Israeli government is that Hamas is now so diminished and exhausted as an organisation that they will be forced to accept it. But I remain unconvinced.”
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he supports the plan while Hamas said on Monday night it was yet to receive and study it in full. A broad spectrum of middle eastern countries have welcomed the initiative.
Tony Blair to be on the ‘Board of Peace’
The plan states that a temporary governing board will be put in charge of Gaza and just one person has so far been confirmed to join Donald Trump on what he’s calling the ‘Board of Peace’: Sir Tony Blair.
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Blair to be on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
Chief political correspondent Jon Craig says the appointment is “controversial but not a surprise”.
“Sir Tony Blair has been one of the key architects of this peace plan,” he said. “It’s a Blair blueprint to a large extent, he went to the White House to discuss it August.”
Sir Tony “gets on well” with Mr Netanyahu, he added. The former British PM’s experience in the Middle East goes back nearly 30 years and he was previously involved in talks with then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the 1990s.
“From President Trump’s point of view, and indeed Benjamin Netanyahu’s, it makes sense because [Blair] is an experienced negotiator and go-between power broker in the Middle East,” Craig said.
All hostages to be released
The plan states that within 72 hours of the agreement being accepted, “all hostages, alive and deceased will be returned”.
A total of 48 hostages are still being held captive by Hamas and Israel believes about 20 of them are still alive.
Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv calling for a ceasefire last month. Pic: AP
Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons says securing their release is crucial for Mr Netanyahu.
“I think Netanyahu’s gamble is that he will be seen as a statesman,” he said, “if he can bring home the hostages and do that deal, stop the casualties being suffered by the Israeli military, [and] stop the increasing… anger over the number of people who are being killed by Israeli bombardments in Gaza.”
The draft agreement states that once the hostages have been released, Israel will release 1,950 Palestinian prisoners, including all women and children who were detained after 7 October 2023.
“For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans,” it adds.
What are the other key points?
Some of the other significant guarantees include a promise that nobody will be forced to leave the Strip, and that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza.
The document also states that full aid” will “proceed without interference […] through the UN, its agencies, the Red Crescent and other international institutions”.
What happens if Hamas does not accept the plan?
Hamas has not been given a deadline to agree to the offer, says Mark Stone – adding that “there are hints already that they are not inclined to accept it in its current format”.
One Hamas leader, Mahmoud Mardawi, is already being quoted in Middle Eastern media outlets as saying: “We will not accept any proposal that does not include self-determination for the Palestinian people and protect them from massacres.”
“If that line holds then the Israelis will be unleashed,” Stone said, pointing out something Mr Trump said to Mr Netanyahu at Monday’s news conference.
“Bibi, you’d have our full backing to do what you would have to do,” he told him.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has signed a decree to give himself increased security powers should the US military enter the country.
The move, announced by the nation’s vice president Delcy Rodriguez on Monday, comes as tensions continue to escalate between the two countries.
Mr Maduro has publicly alleged US President Donald Trump and his administration are plotting to oust him.
The decree would allow Mr Maduro to mobilise armed forces throughout the country and give the military authority over public services and the oil industry.
It comes after the US deployed a fleet of warships through the Caribbean, which Washington says is to combat drug trafficking through the region.
The US has also, in recent weeks, struck several boats it claims were carrying illegal drugs from Venezuela, killing those on board.
The legality of this has been questioned by experts.
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‘Drug boat’ hit in strike by US military
Mr Maduro has privately attempted to reconcile with Mr Trump. He sent a letter to his counterpart earlier this month offering to engage in direct talks.
Claims that Venezuela played a big role in drug trafficking have been rejected my Mr Maduro, who says he wants the relationship with the US to be “historic and peaceful”.
However, US military officials are drawing up plans to target drug traffickers in Venezuela, Sky News’ US partner network NBC reported on Friday.
Ms Rodriguez said: “What the US government, what warlord Marco Rubio is doing against Venezuela, is a threat.”
Read more from Sky News:
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Venezuela’s military has carried out training exercises with volunteer militia members in recent days.
Soldiers have been teaching members of the public to handle weapons for what leaders call a possible US incursion.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters news agency.
The powers granted to Mr Maduro would be valid for a 90-day period, with the option to renew for a further 90 days, according to the nation’s constitution.
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