Erin Patterson’s mushroom murder trial takes the jury on a tour, from beef wellington to biochemistry

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The trial of accused triple murderer Erin Patterson is a vase that continues to attract global attention, and the leftovers of a fatal lunch were the focus of the third week. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering three relatives after serving them a beef wellington meal containing death cap mushrooms.

Transcript

00:00How toxic is a death cap mushroom?

00:04Evidence poisonous mushrooms were growing wild at the time of the deadly lunch and security

00:09vision of a dumped dehydrator.

00:11These are some of the key developments from week three of Erin Patterson's triple murder

00:15trial.

00:16This is a death cap mushroom located and identified in South Gippsland in May 2023 near Erin Patterson's

00:23home of Lee and Gatha.

00:25Mushroom expert Dr Tom May gave evidence this week and says he found it under an oak tree

00:29and posted picture and information about it on a website under his handle Funky Tom.

00:35I believe it would have been Nielsen Street in Altrum, Dr May told the court.

00:39I don't think I typed the street name in, but I put a very precise latitude longitude geocode

00:45with the observation, he said.

00:46He told the court it was one of three reports of death caps growing in the region, including

00:51sightings in Morwell and Locke in early 2023.

00:55Dr Tom May was also questioned by Erin Patterson's defence team about how hard it is to identify

01:01mushrooms.

01:02Do you agree with this statement that poisonous mushroom identification is fraught with challenges,

01:07defence lawyer Sophie Stafford asked.

01:08It is challenging, he replied.

01:11He also said many apps available for identifying wild mushrooms are inaccurate and can give wrong

01:16classifications.

01:17In 2023, Erin Patterson made a beef wellington from a recipe Tin Eats cookbook for her lunch

01:22guests.

01:23All guests became gravely ill, three died.

01:28Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty and says the poisoning was a terrible accident.

01:32Victoria's chief toxicologist said the toxins in death cap mushrooms cause necrosis, liver

01:37damage and cell death.

01:38When asked how much is fatal, he said roughly 0.1 milligrams per kilogram.

01:44So for a 70 kilogram adult, it's about three tablespoons.

01:49But the court heard there are a lot of variables that determine a lethal dose.

01:53The toxicology reports for everyone at the lunch were also tabled, with some samples taken

01:58while the person was alive and others after they'd died.

02:01Donald Patterson tested positive for death cap toxins.

02:05Gail Patterson showed no death cap toxins.

02:08Heather Wilkinson also showed no toxins.

02:11Ian Wilkinson, the only guest that survived, tested positive.

02:15Erin Patterson tested negative, as did her children who ate leftovers from the lunch.

02:20Victoria's chief toxicologist explained that toxins are eliminated quickly from the body,

02:24and if samples are not taken within 24 to 40 hours, will very likely not be detected.

02:31Leftovers from the lunch were found by investigators and sent for testing.

02:34And Dr Camille Trong, a research scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, took the stand.

02:38I opened the package.

02:39I saw it was a food item which contained mushrooms inside, she said.

02:43Did you find any death cap mushroom pieces?

02:46Crown Prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers asked.

02:48I didn't, Dr Trong replied.

02:50She did tell the court under microscopic tests, some mushrooms were found,

02:55but they were field mushrooms commonly found in supermarkets.

02:58Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson used a dehydrator to make the meal.

03:02Darren Canty found a small electrical device at his waste site in August 2023,

03:08after he was asked by police to investigate what had been dumped there.

03:11The CCTV footage shown from the Kunwara transfer station showed a red four-wheel drive arrive at

03:16the tip, then a female driver, believed to be Erin Patterson, walks into a shed with the item

03:21and emerges empty-handed.

03:23An employee was asked to go and look for the deposited item.

03:27It looked kind of like a microwave dehydrator, Mr Canty told the court.

03:32The dehydrator was tested by Victoria's chief toxicologist.

03:35Vegetable matter from it tested positive for toxins.

03:38He also testified that a mushroom paste he tested detected death cap toxins,

03:43as did one sample of leftover meat,

03:45and so did a jug with brown liquid appearing to be gravy.

03:49The trial is set to run for three more weeks.

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