Family and friends give evidence during week two of triple-murder trial

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The triple-murder trial of a woman accused of poisoning her in-laws has wrapped up for a second week at the Latrobe Valley law courts in the Victorian town of Morwell. Erin Patterson is accused of serving them a beef wellington with deadly mushrooms in 2023.

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00:00Erin Paterson breaks down in court. Facebook friends say she seemed to really like mushrooms

00:07and the deadly beef Wellington she made was delicious. These revelations and more from

00:13week two of Erin Paterson's triple murder trial. Erin Paterson was in tears as the jury

00:18was played video of police interviews with her son and daughter recorded several weeks

00:23after the deadly lunch. The children described eating leftovers of meat, green beans and

00:28potatoes the following night but no mushrooms and did not get sick. Hospital doctors who

00:34testified initially thought the lunch guests had food poisoning or gastroenteritis but after

00:39abnormal evidence of liver damage and a delay in the onset of some symptoms suspected death

00:44cap mushrooms. Erin Paterson, the chef at the meal, also went to hospital. Dr Veronica Foote

00:50told the court she reported that she had since Saturday night diarrhoea and abdominal pain but

00:55no vomiting. Dr Foote says she measured blood pressure, temperature and pulse and that Erin

01:01metrics were within normal ranges but her pulse was high hitting 140 beats per minute at 10am.

01:06Over time it settled and it was approximately 100 beats per minute on the last observations. Then

01:13saying stress and anxiety can make your heart rate go up and then go down. Don and Gail Paterson,

01:19Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and husband Ian Wilkinson all became gravely ill after the lunch. Ian

01:25Wilkinson is the only guest who survived. Dr Chris Webster says he told Erin Paterson she could

01:31die without urgent care but Erin Paterson discharged herself from hospital against medical advice.

01:37He says he then called police to bring her back and when he found out her children had eaten

01:41leftovers insisted they be checked out but she resisted. She was concerned they would be frightened,

01:47he said. I said they could be scared and alive or dead. He also said Heather Wilkinson described the

01:53beef Wellington as delicious and the court was told Ms Wilkinson had also raved about the meal to friends

01:58before falling ill. The sole surviving guest of the deadly lunch Ian Wilkinson also gave evidence

02:04saying he was surprised but happy to be invited to lunch. He said the group talked about Erin Paterson's

02:10recently built home and she was reluctant to show guests her pantry. He told the court,

02:15I thought maybe the pantry's a mess. Ian Wilkinson also said Erin Paterson rejected offers to help

02:21plate the food and this is how he remembers everyone sat at the table. He also reiterated that all the

02:26guests had grey plates but Erin Paterson's food was on an orange plate. Friends Erin Paterson made on

02:33an online true crime group were also called to give evidence and told the court she seemed to really

02:38like mushrooms. A Facebook message she sent the group showed Erin Paterson had been hiding powdered

02:44mushrooms in everything including chocolate brownies. The court heard Erin Paterson also asked the group

02:50advice on how to cook a beef Wellington two weeks before the fatal lunch. Erin Paterson has pleaded not

02:54guilty to three charges of murder and one count of attempted murder. The trial resumes next week.

03:02Adam.

03:08Commissioners next week.

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