Australian Court Case: Erin Patterson Charged with Three Murders

The only surviving guest from a poisonous mushroom-laced beef Wellington lunch shared details of his relationship with Erin Patterson, who is charged with three murders of the other dinner guests, in the high-profile Australian court case.

The Incident

Ian Wilkinson, 71, told the courtroom on Tuesday that he and his wife Heather were “very happy to be invited” to a lunch hosted by Patterson on July 29, 2023.

But the lunch left his wife and two others dead, while he became seriously ill.

Patterson, 50, is currently on trial for the murder of both of her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Wilkinson’s wife and the attempted murder of Wilkinson. She has pleaded not guilty and her legal team says she “panicked” after unintentionally serving poison to her family members in a “terrible accident.”

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Victims and Survivors

Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died after consuming the meal allegedly made by the accused in her home in the rural town of Leongatha. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived but was badly poisoned.

Wilkinson spent seven weeks in the hospital, which included three weeks in intensive care at the Austin hospital in Melbourne.

The jury heard details about the lunch and was told there is no dispute that the meal of beef Wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans contained death cap mushrooms, which are highly lethal when ingested, and caused the guests serious illnesses.

The Trial

The judge told the jury the main issue in the case is whether Patterson planned to kill or cause very serious injury with the meal she prepared.

On the sixth day of trial, Wilkinson told the courtroom that Patterson had plated “all of the food” and appeared “reluctant” for her lunch guests to go into her pantry, according to the BBC.

“Each person had an individual serve, it was very much like a pastry,” Wilkinson said. “It was a pastry case and when we cut into it, there was steak and mushrooms.”

He said they all ate from four grey plates and Patterson ate from an “orangey tan” plate.

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Relationship with Patterson

Wilkinson also said his wife told him the next day that she “noticed the difference in colours” of the plates.

He said he and his wife “ate the entire meal,” while Don ate his meal and half of the beef Wellington that Gail did not finish.

“There was talk about husbands helping their wives out,” he said.

Wilkinson described how he and his wife became very sick afterwards, experiencing vomiting and diarrhea the same evening as the lunch, but dismissed the symptoms as gastroenteritis.

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Australia police investigating after 3 die from suspected mushroom poisoning

Medical Treatment and Investigation

Patterson’s ex-husband, Simon Patterson, who declined the lunch invite, visited his parents after discovering they had been sick all night. He drove them to a local hospital and then to Leongatha hospital after the wait for an ambulance was too long.

Wilkinson said doctors treated them for food poisoning and “suspicion was falling on the meat.” He said he didn’t hear any mention of the mushrooms at the time.

The next morning, medical staff at the hospital told the couple their situation was “serious.” Wilkinson said he was “abruptly woken up by a group of nurses who literally ran us down the corridor in our beds to the urgent care area.”

He claims that a doctor told them he suspected they had “mushroom poisoning.”

“He was very frank. He said it is a very serious situation. He said there was time-critical treatment available,” Wilkinson added.

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Conclusion

Patterson’s trial is expected to last six weeks. If she’s found guilty, she faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for the murder charges and a maximum of 25 years behind bars for attempted murder.