Chilling question ex-husband of poisonous mushroom cook asked after his parents died at dinner
The ex-husband of the woman accused of killing her former in-laws by poisoning them with toxic mushrooms asked her if she had done it on purpose when he heard the news.
Erin Patterson, from Gippsland in Australia, cooked a Beef Wellington for her ex-husband’s parents Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, as well as Mrs Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, and her husband Reverend Ian Wilkinson, 68, in late July.
But shortly after eating the meal, they became gravely ill. Tragically, Mrs Wilkinson and Mrs Patterson both passed away on 4 August, with Mr Patterson dying the following day.
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In a written statement to police, obtained exclusively by ABC News, Patterson - who has maintained her innocence - gave a detailed account of what happened in the run-up to and aftermath of the meal, including an accusation made by her estranged husband Simon Patterson.
The account began: "I am now wanting to clear up the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones.
"I am hoping this statement might help in some way. I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgement.
"I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved."
She went on to address speculation that police had seized a food dehydrated at the local tip, while investigating the case.
In the statement, she confessed that she lied to the police telling them that it had been dumped at the tip a ‘long time ago’ - before revealing that her ex had asked a chilling question.
She explained that she had been at the hospital with her children ‘discussing the food dehydrator’ when her ex-husband, the son of the dead couple, asked: "Is that what you used to poison them?"
Patterson said she began to feel concerned she could lose custody of her children so she panicked and dumped the dehydrator.
Patterson also said she regretting not answering questions during her initial police interview.
"I now very much regret not answering some questions following this advice given the nightmare that this process has become,” she added.
In a statement, Victoria Police said there was no update on the investigation.
A spokesperson said: "Beyond that, we are not commenting on specific details of the case or what actions police will undertake as part of the investigation.
"If there are any updates we are able to release publicly we will certainly let everyone know."
Claire Reid