Melbourne, Australia — A woman accused of murdering three members of her ex-husband’s family by serving them poisonous mushrooms reportedly ate from a distinctly different plate during the fatal lunch, a court has heard.
Erin Patterson, 49, appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria on charges of murdering Don and Gail Patterson—her former in-laws—and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson.
The three died after consuming a beef wellington meal prepared by Patterson at her home in Leongatha in July 2023. Patterson is also accused of attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who survived the meal after becoming critically ill.
According to prosecutors, Patterson was served the meal on four large grey dinner plates, but chose to eat from a noticeably smaller and different-colored plate. Before losing consciousness, Heather reportedly remarked to her husband about the unusual plate choice, saying, “Does Erin have a shortage of crockery?”
All four dinner guests fell ill with symptoms consistent with poisoning by Amanita phalloides, commonly known as death cap mushrooms—a highly toxic fungus known to cause fatal liver and kidney failure within days of ingestion.
The court heard that following the meal, the group briefly joked about how much they had eaten before Patterson shared personal news about her health and sought advice on how to tell her children.
Patterson’s former husband, Simon Patterson, was also invited to the lunch but did not attend. Prosecutors disclosed that a previous attempted murder charge related to Simon has been dropped.
In 2022, he reportedly suffered a sudden, life-threatening illness after eating a meal prepared by Patterson. In a social media post at the time, Simon revealed he spent 16 days in a coma and underwent multiple surgeries, adding that his family was twice called in to say their goodbyes.
In court, Justice Stephen Beale said, “The accused served individual beef wellingtons to her lunch guests. Three of whom subsequently died from death cap poisoning.”
Following the July 2023 incident, Patterson claimed she also consumed the meal’s remaining portion and was later hospitalized with stomach pain and diarrhea. She said she received a saline drip and liver medication during her treatment.
Patterson’s two children were not present at the lunch, reportedly opting to see a film instead.
The trial is ongoing.
