Erin Patterson was all about those mushrooms, apparently. Like, she told her pals she was sneaking them into everything after snagging a dehydrator. The dehydrator was a big deal because it led up to the infamous lunch she hosted that ended in tragedy. Three of her Facebook buddies spilled the tea in the Supreme Court of Victoria through a video link. Erin is on trial for the deaths of her estranged husband’s parents and his aunt, who all ate death cap mushrooms in a beef Wellington at her place in Leongatha, in the east of the state.
The court heard from Daniela Barkley, a stay-at-home mom who shared a love of true crime with Erin. They bonded over the case of killer Keli Lane. Erin dropped hints to the group about hiding mushrooms in her kids’ food. She even mixed them into chocolate brownies without their knowledge. Sneaky, right? She joked about using the dehydrator to shrink veggies at the supermarket. Photos of the dehydrator and dried mushrooms were sent to the group for approval.
About two weeks before the disastrous lunch, Daniela said Erin asked for beef Wellington tips. She suggested a tofu version since she’s a vegetarian. The whole chat group pitched in with advice on the pastry dish. Erin later complained about the pricey beef fillet and looked for cheaper options. She also vented about her messy husband, Simon, to her online pals who she never met in person. Apparently, she called him “unclean” and was iffy about letting her kids stay at his dirty place. She even cleaned his house herself. Talk about drama!
Another member of the chat, Christine Hunt, spilled the beans on Erin calling Simon “controlling” and “coercive.” She claimed Erin flipped between being an atheist and a churchgoer depending on the situation. When challenged by Erin’s lawyer, Christine stood her ground. The court heard Erin was frustrated with Simon’s religious beliefs and how he prioritized the church over her and their family.
During the trial, Simon denied accusing Erin of poisoning his parents after the lunch. He recalled a conversation at the hospital where they discussed the dehydrator. Erin’s lawyer claimed Simon asked if she used it to poison them, but Simon denied it. The jury knows Erin panicked when her guests got sick and fibbed to the cops about owning a dehydrator. CCTV caught her ditching the dehydrator at the tip, and forensics found it had mushroom residue and her prints all over it.
The trial is still ongoing, unraveling more of the messy web surrounding Erin Patterson and the tragic lunch that turned deadly. It’s a wild ride, folks.
