The jury in the closely watched murder trial of Erin Patterson has retired to consider a verdict, following weeks of emotional testimony and forensic evidence surrounding the deaths of three family members after a home-cooked meal.
Patterson, 50, is accused of serving a toxic beef Wellington dish containing deadly death cap mushrooms at a family lunch in her Leongatha home, Victoria, in July 2023. She faces three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, to which she has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors allege that Patterson deliberately laced the meal with the poisonous fungi, later attempting to mislead investigators by disposing of evidence and lying about the ingredients. Her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, died days after consuming the meal. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68, was the sole survivor, spending weeks in hospital recovering.
However, Patterson’s defence team insists the tragedy was a horrific accident. They argue she unknowingly used the toxic mushrooms and panicked after realising her loved ones had fallen ill.
