Woman who denies mushroom murders of her in-laws accepts that she served them death caps for lunch

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- An Australian pistillate accused of murdering 3 of her estranged husband’s relatives with poisonous mushrooms told a tribunal connected Tuesday she accepted that the fatal luncheon she served contained decease caps.

But Erin Patterson said the “vast majority” of the fungi came from section stores. She denies 3 counts of execution and 1 of attempted execution implicit the beef Wellington repast she served to her parents-in-law and her estranged husband’s aunt and uncle astatine her location successful July 2023.

Don Patterson, Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson were hospitalized and died aft the luncheon successful the agrarian municipality of Leongatha successful the Australian authorities of Victoria. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, was gravely sick but survived.

Patterson’s lawyer earlier told the Supreme Court trial that the poisoning was a tragic mishap but prosecutors said it was deliberate. If convicted, she faces a condemnation of beingness imprisonment connected the execution charges and 25 years successful jailhouse for attempted murder.

Long queues formed extracurricular the Latrobe Valley Courthouse connected Tuesday aft Patterson took the basal precocious Monday, which was the archetypal clip she had spoken publically since the deaths.

During respective hours of grounds connected Tuesday, Patterson, 50, told the tribunal she began foraging fungi during the COVID-19 lockdown of March 2020, witnessed lone by her children.

“I chopped a spot of 1 of the mushrooms, fried it up with immoderate food and ate it,” she said. “They tasted bully and I didn’t get sick.”

Patterson said she besides fed foraged mushrooms to her children, chopped up “very, precise small" truthful they couldn’t prime them retired of curries, pasta and soups.

She developed a sensation for exotic varieties, joined a “mushroom lovers” Facebook group, and bought a dehydrator to sphere her finds, Patterson said. Her lawyer, Colin Mandy SC, asked if she accepted that the beef Wellington pastries she had served to her luncheon guests successful 2023 contained decease caps.

“Yes, I do,” said Patterson.

The accused told her lawyer astir of the mushrooms she utilized that time came from section supermarkets. She agreed she mightiness person enactment them successful the aforesaid instrumentality arsenic dehydrated chaotic mushrooms she had foraged weeks earlier and others from an Asian nutrient store.

Mandy successful April told the tribunal his lawsuit had lied erstwhile she initially told investigators that she had ne'er foraged before. But helium denied that she had deliberately sought retired decease headdress mushrooms and said she disposed of her dehydrator successful a panic astir the accidental deaths.

Earlier Tuesday, Patterson became tearful erstwhile she was asked astir expletive-filled messages she had sent astir her in-laws successful December 2022 successful a Facebook radical chat that she described arsenic a “safe venting space” for a radical of women.

“I privation I’d ne'er said it. I consciousness precise ashamed for saying it and I privation that the household didn’t person to perceive that I said it,” said Patterson. “They didn’t merit it.”

Patterson, who said she had tried to person her parents-in-law mediate a quality with her estranged husband, Simon, astir schoolhouse fees, said she was feeling hurt, frustrated and “a small spot desperate.”

The mates formally separated successful 2015 aft earlier impermanent splits, the tribunal has heard. Simon Patterson was invited to the July 2023 luncheon but did not attend.

Tuesday’s grounds besides traversed Patterson’s wellness aft prosecutors' suggestions that her luncheon invitation was antithetic and that she'd organized it connected a mendacious pretense of receiving a crab diagnosis. The parent of 2 admitted she ne'er had cancer, but had been disquieted capable by symptoms to question tests.

Despite her separation from Simon, Patterson said she had hoped to reunite with her estranged hubby and said she had remained adjacent to her in-laws.

“It ne'er changed. I was conscionable their girl successful law,” said Patterson, done tears. “They conscionable continued to emotion me.”

The 14-member assemblage has heard 5 weeks of prosecution evidence, including what the luncheon guests told relatives earlier they died. Heather Wilkinson said soon earlier she died that Patterson ate her idiosyncratic beef wellington pastry from a antithetic colored sheet to the different diners, said authoritative Nanette Rogers.

Opening her lawsuit successful April, Rogers said the poisoning was deliberate but that her lawsuit would not suggest a motive for the alleged killings. The prosecution says Patterson lied erstwhile she told investigators she had eaten the aforesaid repast arsenic her guests and fed her children the leftovers.

Patterson is owed to proceed giving grounds connected Wednesday. Her grounds Tuesday did not see her relationship of the time of the lunch, oregon cross-examination from prosecutors.