Mushroom ‘killer’ Erin Patterson accused of ‘making it up as she goes along’

Australia’s ‘mushroom murderer’ was grilled by prosecutors in court today as the lone survivor of the lunch testified.

Erin Patterson is charged with three counts of murder after her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson died in a hospital in July 2023.

Today, she was accused by Prosecutor Nanette Rogers of ‘making it up’, when speaking about a conversation with her estranged husband, Simon.

Simon and Erin reportedly spoke about picking up their children from school outside of Leongatha Hospital, when Erin ‘paused’ after Simon asked if she was feeling well enough to pick up the two children.

Rogers alleged that Erin paused because she thought the ability to pick up her children would ‘undermine’ the illness she says she suffered after eating the deadly beef wellington.

Erin said she didn’t remember if she paused or not. Rogers grilled her: ‘Are you making this up as you go along, Ms Patterson?’

She replied, ‘No.’

Erin was seen crying to reporters in 2023 after the deaths (Picture: Channel 7)

Rogers went on to allege that Erin used the 90-minute period she wasn’t at the hospital to ‘cover her tracks’ after realising doctors knew death cap mushrooms were involved in the poisoning.

Erin said: ‘I’m sure I did some thinking during that time, but it wasn’t about covering my tracks.’

After preparing the meal, she has also been accused of dumping the dehydrator used to prepare the mushrooms in a forest.

The victim’s symptoms were described as being consistent with poisoning by death cap mushrooms.

Death caps are a dull green fungus known scientifically as Amanita phalloides and can cause serious organ failure within 24 to 48 hours.

Erin’s ex-husband, Simon, was questioned in court about her behaviour as his parents were dying.

Simon previously denied that Erin had asked about the health of his parents during a phone call, which he said he thought ‘that would be something that she’d be interested in asking about.’

He said he thought at the time that it was ‘odd.’

Sole survivor of ‘poisoning’ speaks at trial

Ian Wilkinson spoke in court for the first time this week (Picture: Getty)

Erin has also been accused of attempting to murder Heather’s husband Ian, who was the only one to have survived the meal.

Ian is suspected of eating poisonous mushrooms after eating a beef wellington meal cooked by Patterson at her home in Leongatha, Victoria.

Speaking for the first time, Ian said he and his wife were ‘very happy to be invited’ to the beef wellington lunch, and that Erin ‘plated all the food’.

Ian said the four guests ate from grey plates, but Erin ate from a different coloured plate.

‘Erin picked up the odd plate and carried it to the table. She took it to her place at the table,’ he said.

Erin later said she believes Ian gave ‘incorrect evidence’ about the plates used.

The trial continues.

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