The Memo: Australian woman found guilty in mushroom murder trial

A jury has found an Australian woman, Erin Patterson, guilty of murdering three members of her ex-husband's family and attempting to murder a fourth by knowingly feeding them poisonous mushrooms. Patterson served death cap mushrooms during a dinner party at her home in Leongatha, Victoria in July 2023. The death cap mushroom is, as its name suggests, often fatal if ingested, and scientists estimate that it is responsible for roughly 90% of mushroom-related deaths worldwide. The prosecution argued that she knew that the mushrooms were deadly, lied to police and disposed of evidence. In her defence, she claimed that she served the poisonous mushrooms by accident and lied to the police because she panicked. 

Patterson claimed that she began foraging for wild mushrooms during the pandemic. On the night in question, she served her guests Beef Wellingtons containing mushrooms she had collected. The leftovers were later tested, which revealed that traces of the toxin from death cap mushrooms were indeed present in the food. The meal resulted in the death of three dinner guests while another, Ian Wilkinson, survived after an extended hospital stay, and his testimony helped build a case against Patterson. For example, Wilkinson pointed out how two of the guests offered to help serve the food, but Patterson refused. Each guest was also given an individual Beef Wellington, and all except Patterson’s were served on identical plates.

During questioning, Patterson claimed that she used a mixture of store-bought and wild mushrooms in the meal. She also told the jury that she often stored mushrooms she had foraged in the same container as wild mushroom mixes that she purchased from supermarkets and grocery stores. These often didn’t specify the species they contained. She denied that photos of mushrooms on weighing scales in her kitchen were evidence that she had measured out a fatal dose to serve to her guests. Other evidence against Patterson included two phones which had been reset to factory status multiple times, angry messages that she had sent to friends about her relatives, and a food dehydrator containing death caps which Patterson had taken to a dumping site. 

In the state of Victoria, murder carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Patterson could also receive 25 years in prison for attempted murder. She will be sentenced at a later date and will be able to appeal the verdict.