Australian suspect says deadly meal had ‘foraged’ mushrooms

An Australian woman facing charges for the deaths of three individuals after allegedly poisoning their lunch with deadly mushrooms told the court she might have unknowingly included “foraged” fungi in the meal.

Erin Patterson stands accused of killing her estranged husband’s parents and aunt in 2023 by contaminating their beef Wellington with toxic death cap mushrooms.

She is also charged with attempting to murder a fourth guest, her husband’s uncle, who survived following an extended hospital stay.

Patterson insists the poisoning was unintentional, pleading not guilty to all charges in a case that has captivated Australia.

The 50-year-old became emotional while recounting the meal in court, explaining that she added dried mushrooms to the beef Wellington after finding it "a little bland."

Though she initially thought the mushrooms came from a store-bought container, she admitted they may have been mixed with foraged fungi. "I decided to put in the dried mushrooms I brought from the grocer," she told the court.

"Now I think there was a chance that foraged mushrooms were mixed in," Patterson told the court.

She also revealed that she began foraging for mushrooms during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Patterson admitted to misleading her guests about the true reason for the family meal, claiming she might be starting cancer treatment soon a statement she later confessed was untrue.

Patterson told the court she planned to undergo gastric bypass surgery and didn’t want to share this with anyone. “I was really embarrassed about it,” she said.

To gain support with childcare, she admitted she lied to her guests by suggesting she had a serious health issue requiring treatment. "I shouldn’t have lied to them," she added.

The prosecution argues Patterson intentionally poisoned her lunch guests while ensuring she did not consume the deadly mushrooms herself.

However, her defense maintains she ate the same meal but did not fall as ill.

Patterson had invited her estranged husband, Simon, to the family lunch at her remote rural home in Victoria in July 2023.

Simon declined, citing discomfort, according to previous court testimony. Though long separated, the couple remained legally married.

Simon’s parents, Don and Gail, attended the lunch and died just days after eating the meal.

Simon’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson, also died, while her husband Ian became seriously ill but eventually recovered.

The trial is set to continue for another week.