The mushroom poisoning in Vic...... we are gripped!.....Part 3

[Dustyblue]

New thread! Cheers @echt for noticing!

I have wondered whether the poster is a friend!

Why? Because @courageiscontagious said that Patterson doesn’t have to prove anything? She’s right. It’s on the prosecution to prove that she’s guilty and not on her to prove that she’s innocent. It was stated at the start of the trial and widely reported by the media. Also, the prosecution don’t have to come up with a motive. They just need to prove her guilt by her actions. Motive is irrelevant.

No, I agree with that. Due to most of the posts since the start of the thread!

It’s interesting reading posts from her (former) friend on WS (yes, we don’t know if they really are).

Well she liked to experiment with hiding powdered mushrooms in her children's food, although I'm sure that has nothing to do with anything!

It's not whether she liked mushrooms but whether she liked foraging mushrooms that's the question. Has there actually been any evidence that she ever foraged any mushrooms other than the death caps? She said she went foraging with her kids, but they have no recollection of this. Her husband is unaware of any interest she had in foraging. One of the Facebook friends said she'd never mentioned foraging. There were hundreds of books in her house but none on foraging.

Was there any actual evidence of Erin's mushroom foraging hobby during the trial? There were pictures of what looked like death caps on her kitchen scales, but were there pictures of harmless looking wild mushrooms? Doesn't she have friends or family who know about her foraging hobby that the defence could have called? Were there any harmless dehydrated wild mushrooms in her kitchen cupboard? Were there any internet searches related to edible wild mushrooms on iNaturalist or elsewhere?

I have a really bad memory for all the evidence in trials like this, so I might well be forgetting something. But it just feels like all the foraging-related evidence seems to be about the death caps, which is odd. Whereas, if the defence had shown this to be a long-standing and genuine hobby of hers, then it would make her story a little more believable.

Not forgetting that her posts about dehydrating mushrooms were on a true crime group rather than a foraging or mushroom or cookery group!

That was her interest in dehydrating store bought mushrooms nothing to do with foraging.

I know she tell so many lies and doesn't come across well at all - I still have no idea which was the jury will go.

The defence's line in their opening statement was that whole thing was a terrible accident. Has this come over in her testimony?

Actually, given she's gone on the stand, I think she does have to prove she is a reliable witness - and she has shown herself to be the absolute opposite of that.

I can't keep up with WS. Can you give me a hint where to find them discussing their friendship?

Back when this first happened I seem to remember that there was a mention of her and her husband being keen foragers? There was a local newsletter or something that spoke about it?

I vaguely remember that too.

This is the local newsletter that was mentioned, one day if I'm really bored I'll search the past editions for any mention of foraging!

Burra Flyer — Korumburra Community Website

Yes you're right, I just found the article. Supposedly a 'friend of the Patterson family' who spoke to the Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12407013/Deadly-mushroom-lunch-twist-emerges-fatal-cook-Erin-Patterson-experienced-forager-wild-fungi.html

It may be not a true or accurate source, as Simon said in his evidence he never knew Erin to be a forager. In the Daily Mail back in August 2023:

A friend of the Patterson family said Erin was 'very good at foraging' and identifying different mushroom varieties.
'The Patterson family (including Erin and Simon) would pick mushrooms each year when they were in season,' the friend said.
'It’s very common for people to go mushroom picking around that area.'

Yeah I suspect that 'family friend' was shit stirring. Erin said in her testimony she started foraging during covid - well after her and Simon split up. And neither him or the kids knew anything about her forging.

I only started partway on #13 as I wasn’t aware of the discussion until a pp mentioned it, so it’s on there somewhere I think. It’s currently on #14 and I’m only a few pages in as it’s very fast moving, I’ve a lot to catch up on.

We have a very similar local newsletter that has random articles - this month had one on how to spot poisonous plants and flowers and gave an in dept look at how dangerous each one was, with photos. I was a bit 😱 after the mushroom case, with my mind imagining that in the hands of the wrong person… (yes they could look it up, but no need to with this coming through their door!). So just because an article on foraging was in the newsletter it doesn’t necessarily mean they were into it, it might just have been one of those random articles. I’m sure the defence would have mentioned it if it had shown their interest.

Also I'm surprised they didn’t mention the children’s dad being in hospital seriously ill the year previously as being a source of medical anxiety and not wanting to distress the children due to what had happened to him. Rather than just an incident years previously.

Someone has mentioned at one point she was qualified and worked as an air traffic controller. That’s not a job you can get into if you’re prone to panic, and she was regarded as intelligent by her peers.

Also in relation to the foraging, the Daily Mail is not known for being the most reputable news source!

Thanks, found her. I was still at the early pages of #13! It's like a fulltime job!

The Burra Flyer was edited by Gail and Don and then Erin for a while. Simon had a photo of fungi published in it. “The front page was often adorned with photos taken by their son Simon, with the June-August 2016 issue standing out. The front page photo showed a group of red toadstools on a nature strip, which was taken by Simon.”
https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/bizarre-detail-in-newsletter-before-mushroom-poisoning-deaths/news-story/dd66d15ba071fa9535a5070a0903827f

Presumably they didn't mention the previous illness of her ex husband because it isn't clear what made him so ill, so the defence won't have wanted to draw attention to an unexplained and almost fatal illness in a family member who was supposed to be at the Death Dinner...?

Exactly!

Dr Rogers now expertly tieing up the slow roast of Erin Patterson, in her closing statements. Succinct and precise.

Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial live: Prosecution alleges four deceptions at heart of case - ABC News

Very precise by Dr Rogers. Looking forward to Colin Mandy's summation.

good point about her not knowing where she supposedly bought the mushrooms but had such a good memory about other events, dates etc.,