BlogHear.com | June 4, 2025
Morwell, Victoria – Australian woman Erin Patterson, on trial for allegedly serving a deadly meal of beef Wellington laced with toxic mushrooms, told a Victorian Supreme Court jury she vomited the dish after overeating dessert. The case has drawn international attention as Patterson defends herself against accusations of murder and attempted murder.
Patterson, 49, has pleaded not guilty to four charges—three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder—following a July 2023 lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, where four guests fell seriously ill. Three of them later died in hospital, including her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. A fourth guest, 71-year-old pastor Ian Wilkinson, survived after weeks of hospitalization.
Key Details from Patterson’s Testimony
Now in her third day on the witness stand, Patterson claimed she consumed only a portion of the beef Wellington before later eating two-thirds of an orange cake brought by Gail Patterson. She said the dessert binge left her feeling “over-full” and caused her to vomit, which she now believes may have purged the toxic meal from her system.
“I felt sick… over-full so I went to the toilets and brought it back up again,” she told the jury.
Her defence argues that she also fell ill, describing gastro-like symptoms that led her to seek hospital treatment two days later. While in hospital, she was shocked when medical staff asked if she had consumed death cap mushrooms—highly toxic fungi often mistaken for edible varieties.
Mushrooms Sourced from Pantry, Not Foraged
Patterson testified that the mushrooms used in the meal included dried ones bought from an Asian grocery store in Melbourne months earlier. However, she acknowledged that the container may have been contaminated with foraged mushrooms as well.
“Now I think there was a possibility that there were foraged ones in there,” she said, choking up.
The court previously heard she had taken up mushroom foraging near her home around 2020, describing wild varieties as having “more flavour.”
Lies, Fear, and Destroyed Evidence
Prosecutors allege that the poisoning was intentional, suggesting Patterson lied to lure her guests to the lunch. She admitted in court to falsely claiming she had cancer—allegedly to secure childcare while undergoing weight-loss surgery, not chemotherapy.
“I remember thinking I didn’t want to tell anybody what I was going to have done. I was really embarrassed by it,” she explained.
Patterson also admitted she disposed of a food dehydrator at a local tip and erased data from her phone after the incident, citing fear and panic. She claimed her former husband, Simon Patterson, had accused her of using the dehydrator to poison his parents—an allegation he denies.
“I had made the meal and served it and people had got sick. I was scared that they would blame me for it,” she said.
Court documents and previous testimony revealed Patterson’s long-term struggle with bulimia, including episodes of binge eating and purging, which her defence says may explain her ability to survive the lunch.
Trial Continues
The trial, now in its sixth week at the Victorian Supreme Court in Morwell, has heard from over 50 witnesses. Patterson is expected to continue her testimony on Thursday, after which prosecutors will begin their cross-examination.
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