The Supreme Court of Victoria released pictures of the beef wellington dish that Erin Patterson made with toxic mushrooms to kill her estranged husband’s family following her conviction for triple murder.
Images of the meal served at her home in Victoria were among nearly 100 exhibits, including CCTV footage, private message screenshots, medical documents and photographs, presented during the nine-week trial that gripped Australia.
Patterson, 50, was found guilty on Monday of murdering her former husband’s parents Gail and Donald Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and of attempting to murder Heather's husband Ian.
Patterson had invited them for a meal at her home in Morwell, Victoria, on 29 July 2023 and served them beef wellington containing toxic mushrooms. They fell sick shortly afterwards and died, except Ian, who survived after a period in hospital. She had also invited her estranged husband Simon Patterson to the lunch, but he cancelled the day before because he was feeling too “uncomfortable” due to rising tensions between them.
The pictures, which had been shown to the jurors, showed remains of the meal recovered from Patterson’s dustbin as well as samples sent for examination.
The lunch leftovers had tested positive for death cap mushroom traces, a discovery that formed the cornerstone of the prosecution's case.
At the trial, Ian testified that Patterson had eaten from a differently coloured plate than her guests, a claim she rejected.
He also described the atmosphere that day, noting Patterson’s unwillingness to accept help in the kitchen and her emotional disclosure about having cancer, which was later revealed to be untrue.
Further images from Patterson’s mobile phone showed yellow-coloured mushrooms, believed to be the death caps, resting on a dehydrator mesh placed on a kitchen scale. There were some 14 pieces of mushrooms on the mesh.
The prosecution, led by Nanette Rogers, told the court Patterson had foraged for the death caps, dried them and measured out a "fatal dose" before adding them to the beef wellingtons for her guests while ensuring her own food was untainted.
The death cap is a large fungus up to 15cm across and 15cm tall with a domed or white cap and an off-white stem. Found in colours ranging from greenish yellow to brown, tan, or rarely white, these mushrooms can be located in parks, gardens and nature strips, the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria states on its website.
Patterson’s search history on her phone showed she looked up the iNaturalist website for locations of death cap mushrooms around her town. Investigators found that the deadly mushrooms were seen in two towns around her house during the same period.
Her phone location data appeared to show she travelled to both locations and bought a food dehydrator on the way back.
Police later found images of the dehydrator, which Patterson had discarded at a local tip on the day she was discharged from hospital.
CCTV footage showed her dumping the appliance. Forensic testing found her fingerprints and traces of the mushrooms on the dehydrator.
Patterson claimed she had never owned a dehydrator despite an instruction manual being found in her kitchen drawer and Facebook posts where she discussed using one in a true crime group.
Patterson had pleaded not guilty to all charges, claiming the deaths were accidental.
She will be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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