Featured Image Credit: 9News
Topics: Crime, Australia, Food And Drink
Olivia Burke
Chilling text messages sent by the woman accused of serving up a deadly dinner which left three of her former husband's relatives dead have been revealed in court.
Erin Patterson is at the centre of an alleged triple murder after she served up a meal which contained death cap mushrooms, which can prove fatal even if consumed in small amounts.
The 50-year-old had invited her former in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, as well as Mrs Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, and her husband Reverend Ian Wilkinson, 68, for lunch on 29 July, 2023.
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Each guest dined on beef Wellington, mashed potato and green beans at Patterson's home in the rural town of Leongatha, Australia, before all four of them became unwell.
Tragically, Gail and Heather passed away in hospital a week after being admitted with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, before Don also died.
Ian miraculously survived after undergoing a liver transplant, seeing Patterson also face a charge of attempted murder.
Patterson's ex-husband Simon Patterson, who she had 'amicably' split from several years earlier, was also invited to the get together, but declined the invitation.
The contents of the former couple's final conversations before the poisoning have now been laid out in the Victoria state Supreme Court, as Patterson faces three murder charges and one of attempted murder.
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The mum, who has pleaded not guilty and maintained her innocence since the trio's 2023 deaths, claimed she was organising the lunch to discuss some grave health issues, alleging that she had ovarian cancer.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers told the court that Patterson said she wanted to 'get advice about how to break it to the kids', telling the attendees it was 'important that her children were not present' for the meal.
Despite initially agreeing to go, Simon pulled out of the lunch shortly beforehand and sent his ex-wife a text message explaining he would 'feel too uncomfortable'.
Jurors heard how he got in touch with Patterson saying: "Sorry I feel too uncomfortable about coming to lunch with you, mum, dad, Heather and Ian tomorrow but am happy to talk about your health and implications of that at another time.
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"If you’d like to discuss on the phone just let me know."
In response, Patterson told him she was 'really disappointed' and told him she had spent an extensive amount of time 'preparing lunch for tomorrow, which has been exhausting'.
She also complained that she had 'spent a small fortune' on ingredients, while saying she hoped Simon would change his mind.
"That’s really disappointing," Patterson said. "I’ve spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow which has been exhausting in light of the issues I’m facing and spent a small fortune on beef eye filet to make beef Wellingtons because I wanted it to be a special meal as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time.
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"It’s important to me that you’re all there tomorrow, and that I can have the conversations that I need to have.
"I hope you’ll change your mind. Your parents, Heather and Ian, are coming at 12.30, and I hope to see you there."
The court has also heard how Patterson's guests offered her advice after she 'announced that she had cancer' at the dinner table, according to Ms Rogers.
"They had a discussion about it being best to be honest with the children," the prosecutor said. "They prayed as a group for the accused’s health and wisdom in relation to telling the children."
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Patterson's defence lawyer, Colin Mandy, told the jury his client never had cancer.
He said that Patterson's lunch guests had been poisoned by mushrooms that she had served, but insisted the poisoning was accidental, saying it was 'a tragedy, a terrible accident'.
Jurors were previously informed that Patterson had eaten from a different coloured plate to her guests.
The trial - which is expected to last for six weeks - continues.