Erin Patterson Trial: Australian Woman Says She Vomited Deadly Mushroom Meal After Dessert Binge

Erin Patterson, her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson (bottom right), and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson (top right)

An Australian woman on trial for three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder testified this week that she vomited the deadly mushroom meal that fatally poisoned three of her relatives, claiming she became ill after binge-eating dessert. Erin Patterson, 50, denies allegations that she deliberately served death cap mushrooms to her guests during a beef Wellington lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, in July 2023.

Prosecutors allege Patterson intentionally poisoned her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, with the toxic mushrooms. The fourth guest, 71-year-old pastor Ian Wilkinson, survived after weeks of hospital treatment. Investigators say Erin Patterson served the contaminated meal only to her guests, avoiding harm herself. However, her defense argues that the poisoning was a tragic accident and that she too suffered symptoms after consuming a portion of the dish.

In her third day of testimony at the Victorian Supreme Court, Patterson told the jury she ate about a quarter to a third of the meal but later consumed two-thirds of an orange cake brought by one of the victims. Feeling “over-full,” she induced vomiting. “After I’d done that, I felt better,” she said. Medical experts previously testified that she did not exhibit the same severe symptoms as the other victims.

Patterson also admitted to lying to her guests about having cancer, saying she fabricated the diagnosis to gain support from her in-laws while secretly preparing for gastric bypass surgery. “I didn’t want to tell anybody what I was going to have done. I was really embarrassed by it,” she told the court tearfully.

Key people involved

The jury heard that Patterson had a long-standing interest in mushrooms and began foraging for wild varieties near her home in 2020. On the day of the lunch, she said she added dried mushrooms from her pantry to the dish to improve the flavor, thinking they were store-bought from an Asian grocer. She now believes foraged mushrooms may have accidentally been mixed in.

She described the lunch setting as casual, stating that guests helped themselves to plates and food. Contradicting an earlier witness, she denied using gray plates, saying she didn’t own any. Ian Wilkinson had previously testified that he and the other guests were served on gray plates, while Patterson used an orange one.

Following the fatal lunch, Patterson said she went to the hospital two days later after experiencing diarrhea and mild gastro-like symptoms. While at the hospital, she claimed her estranged husband Simon Patterson confronted her, asking, “Is that how you poisoned my parents?”—a statement he denies. Fearing blame and the loss of her children, she admitted to disposing of her food dehydrator and wiping her phone, actions she attributed to panic and fear of being misunderstood.

The court heard that she had erased the phone data multiple times, including while police were searching her house, to hide photos of mushrooms and the dehydrator. She stated she didn’t want investigators to find the images, believing they would use them against her.

Erin Patterson's testimony continues Thursday, when she will face cross-examination by the prosecution. If convicted, she faces life imprisonment for the murder charges and up to 25 years for attempted murder.