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Revealed - Death Cap Murders (2025) Season 1 Episode 3
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00:00Transcribed by ESO, translated by —
00:30Transcribed by ESO, translated by —
01:00The bar is beyond reasonable doubt.
01:06Your Honour, the defence will call Erin Patterson.
01:11Everyone was in shock. I think the members of the public are in shock, the press are in shock.
01:15The prosecution are waiting for this moment.
01:18We're going to hear from Erin Patterson for the first time.
01:22We're all completely on the edge of our seats. We can't believe this is happening.
01:29The juror goes out, and that's because Erin has to walk from the dock to the witness box.
01:34There's a little bit kind of quaint sort of rules around this.
01:38You know, they don't want the juror to see her, you know, in custody.
01:41And it was quite something watching her shuffle up there.
01:44I noticed she had open-toed sandals on, which I found really weird.
01:48You know, it was freezing cold.
01:50And I sort of realised she's never outside.
01:53You know, it's probably not cold where she is.
01:55The moment that Erin Patterson walks into the witness box is the first time in the whole trial
02:02where we have no advanced knowledge of what's going to happen
02:04and we're effectively sailing in completely uncharted waters.
02:08This is Erin Patterson's opportunity to rewrite her entire story,
02:13to tell it from her perspective and convince the jury
02:15that all of this was a terrible accident.
02:19I don't think any defence lawyer would want to call their client
02:23because I think, ideally, they're hoping there's not enough evidence
02:27for their client to be found guilty.
02:29It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy
02:31because once you're in the witness box as the accused,
02:35you're on the high wire and there is no net.
02:39You fall, you're done.
02:46My name is Philip Dunn. I'm a barrister and a member of the Victorian Bar.
02:50I was privileged at one stage to be briefed for Erin Patterson.
02:55I met with her and visited the property
02:58and, of course, I cannot disclose anything that she said to me.
03:05The media took to this like a hungry cat to a bowl of milk.
03:11It reminded me most of the case of Lindy Chamberlain
03:14and she, like Erin Patterson, was crucified in the press of the day.
03:19Have you heard of this case in Australia?
03:21I'm watching this every day. I'm invested.
03:23I honestly don't understand how she's going to still say she's innocent.
03:26She became an archetype, the evil witch.
03:29She's mental.
03:30Lunatic, lunatic, lunatic.
03:32This woman is crazy. Off the rocker.
03:34I felt sympathy for the accused in this case.
03:39I felt she was wronged by the way she was treated in the media
03:42and she was hunted down like a rabbit in headlights.
03:45The main thing Erin Patterson had to do when she was on the stand
03:51is tell her side of the story about how it was an accident
03:55and for that to be believable.
03:57She then also had to explain, I think,
04:00why she'd acted the way she did after the meal.
04:03If she did a good job of explaining herself when it came to those things,
04:07she'd be a good chance of walking out of there.
04:08One of the big ticket issues that she needs to answer
04:12during her time in the witness box is really, did she forage?
04:16The prosecution has a pretty solid case.
04:19She's been to the spots where death cup mushrooms were.
04:21She purposely picked them and she dehydrated them and put them in the meal.
04:25So it's crucial for Erin to prove that that just was an accident.
04:29What you want from your client is for them to explain
04:34any mistakes that they've made in the past
04:37and to give their explanation
04:39so the jury have a rival alternate theory, a.k.a. the rat.
04:48Colin, Mandy doesn't waste any time.
04:50He starts really simply.
04:53Did you have an interest in wild mushrooms?
04:55Yeah, I did, yeah.
04:56And when did that start?
04:59It would have been early 2020.
05:03In her tallying, Erin Patterson became interested in mushrooms.
05:06During the pandemic, people were sort of looking for ways
05:09to fill their limited time they got outside each day.
05:12She did it by going for walks with her kids
05:14and foraging for mushrooms.
05:17The whole defence rested on foraging.
05:21She has no witnesses who can back her up,
05:24so it's got to be her and her alone.
05:26What did you like about the more exotic mushrooms?
05:31They just taste more interesting.
05:34I got to a point where I was confident
05:36about what I thought that they were.
05:38I cut a bit off one of the mushrooms,
05:41fried it up with some butter,
05:43ate it and then saw what happened.
05:45She basically says she got in the habit
05:47of adding these mushrooms to any dish
05:50and she sort of felt needed a bit of a kick
05:52and so she chucked in some of these dried mushrooms
05:54and that's how the accident happened.
05:56The case quite simply is that she's foraged for mushrooms
05:59and got the wrong ones.
06:01This love of foraging has come out of the wilderness.
06:06Her own kids can't remember it.
06:09Simon doesn't remember it.
06:13A circumstantial case is where there is no direct evidence
06:16that somebody committed the crime.
06:18There's no direct evidence that Erin Patterson
06:21deliberately put death-capped mushrooms in the beef wellington.
06:25Circumstantial cases can be extremely strong,
06:30overwhelming in fact.
06:32But if there is another possible explanation,
06:37how can a jury be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt?
06:42And at this point we're moving into the next chapter
06:45of Erin's version of events.
06:47There is this narrative that the prosecution has painted
06:50that she painted her in-laws and Simon
06:52and so she'd served them a poison meal on purpose.
06:55She's going to have to explain
07:00this growing animosity between her and Simon
07:02that's coming out in this series of text messages
07:04she sent her friends.
07:07I'd like to understand
07:09why you had his parents
07:12and his uncle and auntie over for lunch
07:15in the 21st of all.
07:19Because I've got no other family,
07:21so they're...
07:22only...
07:24and they've always been really good to me.
07:28Yeah.
07:29And I want to maintain those relationships with them
07:33in spite of what's happened to Simon.
07:35Yeah.
07:37Okay.
07:38I love them a lot.
07:40They've always been really good to me
07:42and they always said to me
07:44that they would support me
07:45with love and emotional support
07:48even though Simon and I were separated
07:50and I really appreciated that.
07:52Yeah.
07:53I think Simon hated that I still had a relationship
07:56with his parents.
07:58But I love them.
08:01She's got no reason to want to poison
08:04not only her in-laws
08:06but people who are in no way connected or related to her.
08:09She said pretty damning things
08:11about her relationship with them.
08:14She described that as her venting to her online friends
08:17as a way to deal with that frustration
08:18that she was feeling
08:20around not getting supported within the family.
08:24Now, she said I was venting.
08:27Yeah, people do that.
08:30It's a very relatable thing.
08:32Like, we've all complained about some...
08:33about our bosses,
08:34about our partners,
08:36about our in-laws,
08:37at some point or another with our friends.
08:39Looking at those words now,
08:41this family, I swear to fucking God,
08:44how do you feel about it?
08:46I wish I'd never said it.
08:48I feel very ashamed for saying it
08:50and I wish the family didn't have to hear that I said that.
08:54They didn't deserve it.
08:56Her entire support system wasn't there anymore.
08:59Like, all of a sudden she had nobody.
09:02Her in-laws weren't there.
09:03Simon wasn't there.
09:05She doesn't have any friends.
09:06She doesn't get on with her sister.
09:08She's alone, right?
09:09And I got the feeling that she was sad.
09:12Like, she was just a sad person
09:14that felt like her entire life had disintegrated.
09:19The main support that she had in court
09:22was Ali Rose Breyer, her power of attorney,
09:24who did come throughout most of the trial
09:27and she was one of the only support people that Erin had.
09:32The whole invitation for the lunch was premised on a lie.
09:43That was the prosecution case.
09:45Ian's version of events,
09:46which is also the prosecution's version of events,
09:48Erin invited her family members over
09:50because she told them she had some serious news health-wise
09:53that she wanted to discuss.
09:57When they were all sat around the table,
09:59she revealed that she had cancer.
10:00Now, Erin's version of events is slightly different.
10:04She claims that she did tell them
10:05that she had some medical news she wanted to talk about,
10:07but when it came to the crux of the issue,
10:09it had nothing to do with cancer
10:11and everything to do with the fact
10:13that she wanted to undergo weight loss surgery.
10:17I've been fighting a never-ending battle
10:19of low self-esteem most of my adult life.
10:22And the further inroads I made into being middle-aged,
10:26the less good I felt about myself.
10:30Erin starts telling this story
10:31that actually goes way back to when she was a kid.
10:34She explains that while she was a child,
10:36her mother would weigh her,
10:38and she has really, really strong memories of this.
10:41And she was basically controlling
10:43how much her two daughters weighed.
10:46This had a profound impact on Erin as a kid,
10:48and it kick-started this whole raft of issues.
10:52She describes struggling with bulimia
10:55from her 20s
10:58and how a lot of these issues
10:59around her body image and her weight
11:01became a massive thing for her internally,
11:04how she struggled privately and alone.
11:06I had come to the conclusion
11:08that I wanted to do something
11:10for once and for all about my weight
11:12and my poor eating habits.
11:15So I was planning to have gastric bypass surgery.
11:19I was really embarrassed about it.
11:21So I thought perhaps letting them believe
11:23I had some serious issue that needed treatment
11:26might mean they'd be able to help me
11:28with the logistics around the kids,
11:30and I wouldn't have to tell them the real reason.
11:33She tells us for the first time on the stand
11:35that she had plans to have gastric sleeve bypass surgery.
11:40So, if you like, cancer was the alibi
11:43because she was embarrassed about weight loss surgery.
11:45A lot of issues around shame, stigma and self-esteem are so private,
11:50you might not want to tell them that you're having embarrassing weight loss surgery.
11:54And Erin's saying,
11:54well, look, yes, I did lie about having cancer,
11:56but I was booked in for a major medical procedure.
11:59It was this weight loss surgery.
12:00As she talks about what happened at the lunch itself,
12:05Erin starts to paint yet again another version of events.
12:08She needed to explain why there were individual beef wellingtons
12:12that were served at the lunch instead of the log that the recipe she used called for.
12:17The prosecution case is that that was a deliberate decision,
12:22not because she couldn't find the right meat,
12:25but because it enabled her to control how much mushrooms went into the individual beef wellingtons.
12:33Erin describes going to the supermarket
12:34and looking for that log of meat to be able to make the beef wellingtons,
12:38but she says she can't find it.
12:40So, instead, she bought those individual eye fillets
12:43that she turned into the little pasties.
12:45She ends up making six individual beef wellingtons,
12:49remembering that she'd invited her former husband, Simon,
12:52and she was still hopeful.
12:55The key plank of Ian's evidence
12:57is the fact that she served the beef wellingtons
12:59in four large grey plates
13:01and a smaller orangey-coloured plate,
13:03and that Erin was the one that ate from the different coloured plate.
13:07And what plates did you use to serve up the food?
13:10Um, just the dinner plates I had.
13:14So, I think there's a couple of black,
13:16a couple of white,
13:17one that's red on top and black underneath,
13:20and then I've got one that my child made at kindergarten.
13:24Did you own any grey plates?
13:26No.
13:28There is evidence that supports this.
13:30When the police came to her house
13:32and searched her house on August 5th,
13:34they could not find four large grey plates.
13:38Ian Wilkinson is, like,
13:39the star prosecution witness, right?
13:41He's the man that went to the lunch and survived.
13:45And if he's wrong about the plates,
13:47then he's wrong about potentially everything else.
13:51The human memory alters and changes.
13:54How many times in your own life
13:55have you said something
13:57which you thought was absolutely correct
13:58and then realised that you've made a mistake?
14:00It happens all the time.
14:03It's not a CCTV camera.
14:06It's not a tape recorder.
14:09So now Erin's explained how the mill unfolded,
14:12how it was served,
14:13but there's still one pressing question
14:14that she hasn't provided an answer for,
14:16and it's,
14:17why didn't she get sick?
14:19If she ate the same amount of food that Gail did,
14:21why is Gail dead but Erin isn't?
14:25As my mother told me,
14:26you never show up at a lunch or a dinner
14:28without bringing something.
14:30The Patterson family brought along with them
14:32an orange cake.
14:33I kept cleaning up the kitchen
14:37and putting everything away.
14:40And I had a piece of cake
14:42and then another piece of cake
14:45and then another.
14:50All of it.
14:52I felt sick.
14:54I felt over full.
14:55So I went to the toilets
14:57and I brought it back up again.
15:00Which means you threw up the mushrooms.
15:02You threw up the Beef Wellingtons.
15:04That's why you only got a little bit sick.
15:06That, to me,
15:07was the single most shocking piece of evidence
15:11that Erin said.
15:12She says she ate the same Beef Wellingtons as them,
15:15but because she'd made herself vomit
15:17within kind of hours of eating it
15:19as opposed to the rest of her lunch guests,
15:21that, you know,
15:22she says is a plausible explanation
15:24for why she doesn't get as sick.
15:26It gives her a really strong defence.
15:29It humanises her
15:30at a whole different level.
15:34This isn't a woman
15:34in that moment
15:35that's in control.
15:37This isn't a woman
15:37that's planning
15:39some sinister event.
15:40This is a woman
15:41who's struggling
15:42with serious mental health issues,
15:45who's completely lost control
15:47of her life
15:47and is feeling shame
15:49and humiliation at home
15:51as she's grappling
15:52with this eating disorder.
15:53I felt like I was sitting there
15:55and watching a car crash
15:57in slow motion.
15:58I was watching
15:59the prosecution case implode.
16:01After sitting there
16:15listening to her evidence-in-chief
16:16for a number of days,
16:17she needed to explain
16:18why her behaviour
16:19after the lunch
16:21had been so suspicious.
16:23One of the first things
16:25that Erin tells the jury
16:26about why she distrusts
16:27the medical establishment
16:28relates to the birth of her son
16:29in the late 2000s.
16:32My child's birth
16:32was very traumatic.
16:34They didn't think
16:35I had healed quite well enough
16:37from the surgery
16:37and they wanted me to stay
16:39and I wanted to go
16:40with my child.
16:42Did that involve you
16:43discharging yourself
16:44against medical advice?
16:46Yep, it did.
16:48What Erin is trying to say
16:50is like, look,
16:51I didn't discharge myself
16:52because I'm guilty.
16:53I discharged myself
16:53because I deeply
16:54mistrust doctors.
16:55We had heard already
16:57from Simon Patterson
16:58by this point
16:58that he knew
16:59his wife
17:00didn't like
17:00going to hospital.
17:04He explained
17:05that she discharged
17:06herself early
17:06a number of different times.
17:13Erin said
17:15that at the hospital
17:16her ex-husband Simon
17:17said,
17:18did you use
17:18the dehydrator
17:20to poison my parents?
17:22And what was your response?
17:24I said,
17:25of course not.
17:26Did that comment
17:28by Simon
17:28cause you to reflect
17:30on what might have been
17:31in the meal?
17:33It caused me
17:34to do a lot of thinking
17:35about a lot of things,
17:36yeah.
17:38Simon denied
17:39ever saying that
17:40but Erin says,
17:41that triggered me off.
17:42And it is at that moment
17:44that Erin describes
17:45in the witness box
17:46that the light bulb
17:47went on
17:47and she went,
17:49oh,
17:49could I have possibly
17:50picked up death cap mushrooms,
17:51dehydrated them
17:52and put them
17:53in the same container
17:54that I had the Asian grocery store
17:56of mushrooms in
17:57and then used that
17:58to make the beef
17:59Wellington
17:59accidentally.
18:01The fact that you behave
18:02like a headless chook
18:03doing and saying silly things
18:05I would describe
18:07as indicators
18:08of innocence.
18:10If you're preparing
18:11and planning all of this
18:12you'd have a plan B.
18:15She's telling the jury
18:16so they can perhaps
18:17understand a little better
18:18the evidence
18:19they've already heard
18:20about her
18:20fleeing hospital
18:21within five minutes.
18:24The problem
18:25for the prosecution
18:26was there's
18:27a fundamental flaw
18:28in their case.
18:30The prosecution
18:31relied on her
18:33behaviour afterwards
18:34which was panic.
18:36The indicators
18:37of innocence
18:38are panic
18:39because that's
18:40the entire opposite
18:41of being conniving,
18:43scheming and cunning.
18:46Erin basically says
18:47that everything
18:47that follows
18:48is just one
18:49big panic.
18:51Then I just
18:52dumped it
18:52to dehydrate it
18:53because I knew
18:53that I would become
18:54suspect number one.
18:56This fact that Erin
18:58was switching
18:58between phones
18:59and SIM cards
19:00and remotely
19:01erasing all the
19:02information
19:03in her phone
19:04including when
19:04her phone
19:05was in the custody
19:06of the police.
19:08She had an answer
19:10for everything.
19:13I just thought
19:13that her story
19:14had enough
19:16to sow a seed of doubt.
19:18To me
19:19that part of
19:20reasonable doubt
19:21has shifted.
19:22She didn't come across
19:23as a triple murderer.
19:23She came across
19:24as someone
19:25I thought
19:25who could have
19:26potentially
19:26just stuffed
19:28up a pantry.
19:35After listening
19:36silently
19:37for four days
19:38it was time
19:39for the Crown
19:40Prosecutor
19:41to launch
19:41her tirade
19:42of questions.
19:47Erin Patterson
19:48was really calm
19:49and collected
19:49on the stand
19:50while her defence
19:51team were asking
19:52her questions.
19:54Everything changed
19:55when Annette Rogers
19:56stood at the lectern
19:57and started asking
19:58questions of Erin Patterson.
20:01On Monday
20:01the 28th of April
20:032023
20:04the mobile service
20:05records for you
20:06indicate a possible
20:07visit to the
20:08Locke Township.
20:10I don't mean
20:11to be argumentative
20:12but I think
20:13the 28th of April
20:14was a Friday.
20:14I think the
20:17change in the
20:18minute from Erin
20:18is one of the
20:19things that I will
20:20remember forever
20:21because I think
20:23it showed Erin's
20:24true nature.
20:26Her thinking
20:27she's better
20:27than everybody else
20:28that she's
20:29smarter than
20:29everybody else.
20:31She was challenging
20:31Annette Rogers
20:32on what day
20:33of the week
20:33it was that
20:34she was being
20:35asked about.
20:36She was incredibly
20:37defensive
20:37almost a little
20:39bit sarcastic
20:40and was almost
20:41trying to belittle
20:41her in the sense
20:43that I know more
20:44about this case
20:44than you do.
20:45Nanette Rogers
20:48had a very long
20:50binder this thick
20:51full of questions
20:52she wanted to get
20:53through to the
20:54point that she'd
20:55actually kind of
20:55say yes or no
20:57correct or incorrect
20:58at the end of
20:59each single
21:00question.
21:01I suggested that
21:02the OPP get some
21:04t-shirts made with
21:05agree on the front
21:05and disagree on the
21:06back.
21:08The way that you
21:09control a witness
21:10is by what's called
21:11short leading
21:12questions which call
21:14for a yes or no
21:15answer as opposed
21:16to an explanation
21:16which keeps the
21:19witness confined
21:19in their answers.
21:21Rogers was really
21:22challenging Erin
21:23Patterson's versions
21:24of events in
21:25relation to her
21:26memory of key
21:27pieces of evidence.
21:28She pretty much
21:29disagreed with
21:30every single
21:31witness that came
21:31before her.
21:33At that point in
21:34time did he ask
21:35you that?
21:36Where did you get
21:36the mushrooms?
21:38No.
21:39He said to me
21:40where did you get
21:42the ingredients from
21:43for the beef
21:44wellingtons and
21:45my answer to that
21:46was Woolworths.
21:48So clearly that's
21:49quite different to
21:50what he said but I
21:52can only deal with
21:53what my memory is.
21:55But that didn't
21:56happen.
21:57I said to her
21:58there's a strong
21:59concern that death
22:01cat mushrooms were
22:03in the mill.
22:04Where did you get
22:05the mushrooms?
22:07Because the crown
22:08hasn't got a
22:09smoking gun it's
22:10layer upon layer
22:11upon layer so it's
22:12about producing a
22:14series of lies.
22:17Is your evidence
22:17that you laid down
22:19for a bit when you
22:20got home for a
22:21while?
22:23On Monday the 31st
22:24of July she
22:25discharged herself
22:26about five minutes
22:27after arriving at the
22:28hospital.
22:28She drives home and
22:30then she has a nap
22:31for about 40 minutes
22:33or so.
22:34But her phone says
22:35that she connected to
22:35the Altrum Bay
22:36Station at around
22:379am.
22:38How does that happen?
22:39I can't see how
22:41Altrum would provide
22:44coverage to the
22:45western part of the
22:46Lee and Gatha
22:47Township when the
22:50Lee and Gatha Bay
22:51Station doesn't.
22:52This doesn't fit her
22:53version of events at
22:55all.
22:56One of the things
22:57that makes absolutely
22:58no sense to me as we
22:59look at Erin's story
23:00is the fact that she
23:01fed the mill
23:02leftovers to her
23:03children.
23:03I did.
23:05Knowing that all of
23:07her guests were
23:08seriously ill and she
23:10claims she was also
23:12ill.
23:12So five out of five
23:14and yet she still
23:15fed the mill.
23:16The idea of scraping
23:17mushrooms off is an
23:19absurdity.
23:20She has five packets
23:21of eye fillers.
23:23Each one's got two.
23:24She's got four
23:25perfectly fine steaks
23:26sitting in the fridge
23:28that she could give to
23:29her children.
23:29Now this part of the
23:35evidence isn't super
23:36pleasant so I apologise
23:38but bear with me.
23:39This trial there was
23:41more discussions about
23:42poo than in
23:43Christopher Robin.
23:45So she ended up
23:46driving her son to a
23:47flying lesson.
23:48She said half an hour
23:49into the trip I felt
23:51like I needed to go to
23:52the toilet so we pulled
23:53over on a stretch of
23:55road where there was
23:56quite a bit of bush.
23:57I had diarrhoea so I
23:59cleaned myself up with
24:00tissues and put it in
24:02the dog bag and put it
24:03in my handbag.
24:05She told the jury that
24:06she just had to done a
24:07poo on the side of the
24:08road.
24:08She had diarrhoea and
24:10then she's walked into
24:11the service station
24:11because she wanted to
24:12put the tissues in a
24:13rubbish bin.
24:14I don't know whether
24:15the jury considered the
24:16fact that she wore
24:16white pants when she
24:19was suffering in her
24:20words violent diarrhoea.
24:22She disacred her own
24:24son's memory of what
24:25happened the day that
24:27they went for a drive to
24:28his flying lesson and
24:29at this point I could
24:30see her sitting in the
24:32witness box, biting her
24:33lip, fiddling with her
24:35glasses.
24:36I suggest he did not
24:37recall you stopping in
24:38the bushes on the side of
24:40the road because it did
24:42not happen.
24:43Agree or disagree?
24:46Disagree.
24:46The longer the witnesses in
24:54the witness box, the
24:54greater the opportunity for
24:55them to make mistakes
24:57because they just get
24:58tired.
24:59Aaron is in the box for
25:00eight days talking about
25:01mushrooms.
25:03There's this very sort of
25:04like tense, multiple days
25:06of evidence as, you know,
25:08Nanette is asking all these
25:09questions and Aaron is
25:11seemingly getting frustrated.
25:12You could feel that the
25:15strings were starting to
25:16come a little bit loose.
25:17There was one point when
25:19Nanette Rogers was firing
25:20questions at Aaron and
25:22there was no, no, no
25:23disagree and all of a
25:25sudden she paused and
25:26goes, are you making this
25:27up as you go along, Miss
25:28Patterson?
25:29No.
25:30If you have called a
25:32defence witness, you are
25:34fingers crossed that they
25:36hold the line.
25:38That there isn't something
25:39comes out of the woodwork
25:40that destroys their
25:42credibility.
25:43But you weren't
25:44confronting any medical
25:45issues, were you?
25:46Correct?
25:47Yeah.
25:48No, no, I think I was.
25:50Yeah.
25:51And what were they?
25:52I was going to have
25:53surgery soon.
25:54What surgery?
25:56The gastric bypass
25:57surgery.
25:58With who?
25:59Was the Enrich Clinic
26:01in Melbourne.
26:02That's the first time we're
26:03hearing about Enrich Clinic.
26:05Everything changed.
26:07That wasn't any evidence.
26:09That is something that the
26:10prosecution hadn't heard
26:11before that comes out for
26:12the first time.
26:14Bang.
26:14Stephen Eppingstall gets up
26:15and leaves the room.
26:16The prosecution team are
26:18speaking to each other on
26:19the computers.
26:19You can see them typing in
26:20their laptops.
26:22And it turns out Enrich Clinic
26:23don't offer weight loss
26:24surgery.
26:25They've never offered weight
26:26loss surgery.
26:27Not only was it a lie that
26:29Erin had told to the jury in
26:30front of the jury, but it
26:31was a lie that had been
26:32told to explain another lie.
26:35The prosecution did their
26:36research and they came into
26:38court prepared, prepared to
26:40make her throw herself under
26:41the bus.
26:42And that's exactly what
26:43happened.
26:43I've seen cases turn on an
26:45answer.
26:48Turn on an answer.
26:50The witness had said
26:51something so completely
26:52stupid and out of sync with
26:54everything that it was the
26:58moment.
26:59I think Erin had done a
27:00reasonable job up until that
27:02point of batting away any
27:03questions about her story, but
27:05in this instance she'd been
27:06caught out.
27:23People had really got
27:24invested in this case and we
27:26know members of the public had
27:27come to nearly every single day
27:29of the trial.
27:29Some had taken work off, some
27:31people never changed their work
27:32hours just to be there.
27:35The first few weeks actually
27:36has been easy to get a seat,
27:37but this week it has been
27:39literally the Hunger Games with
27:41the number of general public
27:42getting in and, you know,
27:44almost elbows out to get a
27:46spot.
27:47So, yeah, we're just getting
27:48here early and earlier, like
27:49this morning we're here at 6.30
27:50to make sure we're getting a
27:51seat.
27:52Come this far, I'm not getting
27:54a seat.
27:56I really enjoyed watching, you
27:59know, the prosecution and the
28:00defence, like, do what they do.
28:01And I've always grown up like,
28:03oh, I don't know how people can
28:04defend murders, but now seeing
28:05the defence do their thing, you
28:07like, I actually appreciate what
28:09you're doing.
28:10Because everyone seems to have an
28:11opinion on how the police work or
28:13the legal system work, but they've
28:14never actually physically gone
28:15out and seen it firsthand.
28:17So it's been good.
28:19I actually like the human
28:20psychology of it, so I don't
28:22believe that if Erin is guilty
28:24that she just woke up one day and
28:26went, I'm going to take out my
28:27whole in-laws, there's some
28:29psychology, there's more to the
28:30story.
28:31And that's the part that
28:33intrigues me.
28:38In 30 odd years of being around
28:40serious criminal offences that go
28:42through the court system, I think
28:44it's almost unheard of not to
28:46present in terms of defence with a
28:50psychiatric, a forensic psychiatric
28:52or forensic psychological assessment.
28:55My name's Karen Owen.
28:56I'm a forensic and clinical
28:57psychologist.
28:59My work has been originally with
29:01the Department of Justice, so
29:04working within prisons and
29:05community corrections, developing
29:08treatment programs for high-risk
29:09offenders.
29:11It's certainly possible that she
29:14would have had some kind of
29:16assessment and it may well, for
29:18whatever reason, might not have
29:20suited the story line that the
29:23defence wanted to portray.
29:26We know that she's at least of
29:29high average, if not higher
29:30intelligence.
29:31We know that she's organised.
29:33We know that she's a good
29:34researcher.
29:35And yet when you look at her in
29:38terms of the persona that she
29:41presents, which is this kind of
29:43flat affect, sort of dowdy
29:46middle-aged woman, it's not
29:49consistent with who, historically
29:51throughout all the other
29:52information that we've got, who
29:53we know she is.
29:56If I were conducting an
29:58evaluation of her based on the
30:00information that I've got now,
30:01without question, there's an
30:03underlying, borderline
30:04personality disorder or something
30:06similar, some kind of sort of
30:09behavioural affective issue.
30:11And that is really consistent with
30:13the fact that she's talked about
30:16in the transcript around having a
30:17long-term eating disorder issues.
30:21All the eating disorders are really
30:22highly correlated with some of
30:25those sort of cluster B
30:26personality characteristics.
30:30I think we're fairly safe in
30:32saying that she's someone who has a
30:34high degree of need in terms of
30:37inclusion and being part of a group
30:40or a social circle or a family
30:41unit.
30:42I mean, one of the key features in
30:44terms of borderline personality is
30:45the inherently unstable
30:48relationships.
30:49So you're either all in or you're all
30:51out. You know, I hate you or I love
30:54you, but there's nothing in between.
30:58Some borderline people can harbour and
31:01ruminate and plan for a long time.
31:05The prosecution did a very good job in
31:07their closing, I think, of kind of really
31:10clearly nailing every single lie they said that
31:14Erin Patterson's story was built on.
31:16It really brought the case home for the
31:17prosecution.
31:18At the heart of this case are four
31:19calculated deceptions made by the
31:20accused.
31:21The prosecution did a very good job in
31:22their closing, I think, of kind of
31:23really clearly nailing every single lie they
31:25said that Erin Patterson's story was built
31:26on.
31:27It really brought the case home for the
31:28prosecution.
31:29At the heart of this case are four
31:30calculated deceptions made by the
31:31accused.
31:32The first deception was the fabricated
31:47cancer claim she used as a pretense for the
31:50lunch invitation.
31:51The second deception was the lethal doses
31:54of poison the accused secreted in the
31:57home-cooked beef Wellingtons.
31:59The third deception was her attempts to make
32:03it seem that she also suffered death cap
32:05mushroom poisoning.
32:06And fourthly, the fourth deception, the
32:10sustained cover-up she embarked upon to
32:12conceal the truth.
32:14Here's a woman who remembered every finite
32:17detail of everything.
32:19But when it came to a lot of the key issues,
32:21she didn't agree or she couldn't remember or
32:24all of a sudden her memory was fading.
32:26You might have noticed that when the accused
32:28was giving evidence that she appeared to have
32:31a remarkable memory.
32:33Even now in June 2025, she could recall that
32:37the 28th of April 2023 was a Friday and not a
32:41Monday, as I had suggested to her in cross-examination.
32:45Yet in August 2023, she could not recall the shop
32:49or even the suburb where she purchased the mushrooms
32:51from an Asian grocer in the same April of 2023.
32:56It simply beggars belief.
32:58The prosecutor said, this woman is smart as a tack.
33:01This woman remembers everything, but she conveniently
33:04forgets stuff when that sort of material damages her case.
33:08She basically hung her with her own robe.
33:10But one of the most powerful moments after outlying those
33:14four deceptions was the fact that Nanette just told the jury
33:17and there's a fifth secret deception.
33:21But there is a fifth deception.
33:23The deception she has tried to play on you, the jury,
33:27with her untruthful evidence.
33:29When she knew her lies had been uncovered,
33:31she came up with a carefully constructed narrative
33:34to fit with the evidence.
33:37Almost.
33:38If you think of it on a human level, all of a sudden
33:41those members of the jury had a personal reason
33:43to distrust Erin Paterson.
33:48It might be suggested to you that some of the accused behaviour
33:52after the lunch was the result of panic, innocent panic,
33:55about the prospect of being blamed.
33:58We suggest that you can reject those suggestions.
34:02Why?
34:03Because panic does not explain the extensive and prolonged efforts
34:08that the accused went to in order to cover up what she had done.
34:13Nanette Rogers was saying that if Erin's version of events
34:16went the way she said they did,
34:19how completely and utterly unlikely it was that that would occur.
34:24I felt like it was this sliding door scene.
34:27It was the first time the prosecution really put that comparison
34:32in front of the jury.
34:33Nanette Rogers says,
34:34on Saturday afternoon while Don, Gail, Ian and Heather are going about their normal life,
34:40Erin claims that she's starting to experience gastro-like symptoms.
34:46On Sunday morning, the Wilkinsons and the Patersons arrive in the hospital
34:50after being up all night vomiting.
34:54By Sunday afternoon, Don's condition has deteriorated.
34:57At that moment, Erin is taking her son to Flying Lessons in Tyre, a two-hour return trip.
35:06By Sunday evening, Don is admitted to ICU with organ and kidney damage.
35:10Meanwhile, Erin is serving her children the leftovers of the lunch with the pastry and the mushrooms scraped off.
35:16On Monday morning, as Ian and Heather's condition declines rapidly and doctors consider taking them to Dandenong Hospital,
35:23Erin arrives to Lee and Gatha Hospital but discharges herself after five minutes.
35:29About an hour later on Monday morning, as Ian and Heather are being transported to Dandenong Hospital,
35:34Erin returns home, packs her daughter's ballet bag and has a nap.
35:37On Tuesday, August 1st, as Don and Gail are on life support,
35:41Erin Paterson is discharged from Monash Medical Centre
35:44and returns home with no evidence of Amanita mushroom poisoning.
35:49And finally, on August 2nd, Simon Paterson summons his siblings and his cousins
35:54at the chapel at the Austin Hospital
35:56and reveals that Erin might have poisoned their parents on purpose.
35:59At that same time, Erin Paterson factory resets her phone
36:03and takes the dehydrator to the local tip.
36:11Nanette finished, and she finished on a high, and she went like,
36:14and that is it.
36:16And it's almost like she was just...
36:18She should have taken a bow.
36:19Bow, and I'm out of here.
36:21So they were hanging on every word of Nanette.
36:23Yeah.
36:24Like, I really felt like that was like a bombshell moment
36:26when she goes, I've taken you through the four deceptions
36:28I told you I was going to take you through, but I have a fifth.
36:31And even I was sitting there in the courtroom thinking...
36:33And I was like, what's the fifth?
36:34What's the fifth?
36:35What have we missed?
36:36And got excited in that moment that there was something new,
36:39something different.
36:40The overflow room went like, whoa!
36:43Yeah, and I think even the jury were like,
36:46oh, hang on, this is a curveball, where are we going?
36:49And I think the moment that, like, there was a juxtaposition,
36:52basically, she was running through how the health of the lunch guests
36:55was deteriorating after the meal
36:57and the symptoms that they were experiencing on, like,
37:00they went after the lunch, they went after the lunch.
37:02And she was comparing that to what Erin Patterson was doing.
37:05The way that she simplified it and painted those two comparisons
37:09was the most chilling moment for me in the entire trial.
37:13And I think it was really smart for her to be...
37:15Her version of events hinges exclusively on her own account
37:20and she's lied to you.
37:21And that's the bit saying, like, that's that disclaimer
37:23at the beginning of Lolita by Nabokov.
37:25It's like everything you're about to hear
37:27is through the lens of a liar.
37:29Erin Patterson's defence barrister has told the jury
37:34she might be a liar, but she's not a killer.
37:37He also labelled the prosecution's allegation
37:39that the mother of two would murder
37:41her only support network as ridiculous.
37:45A lack of motive is a powerful thing for the defence.
37:49I mean, most human conduct has motive.
37:51If you're hungry, you eat.
37:53If a car cuts you off getting for the car park, you get annoyed.
37:56There's a reason, right?
37:58But to actually methodically set about poisoning somebody,
38:04there has to be a pretty strong reason.
38:06And the absence of that is very compelling in my view.
38:10After nine gruelling weeks of evidence, closing arguments
38:14and final instructions from the judge,
38:16the moment is finally here,
38:18with the jury in the mushroom murder trial sent away
38:21to begin its deliberations.
38:24His honour reminded the jury that the onus is on the prosecution
38:28to prove those charges beyond reasonable doubt
38:32and he said that Erin Patterson has nothing to prove.
38:36I was very much worried that there was plenty of reasonable doubt
38:40to actually sway a jury to find Erin not guilty at that point in time.
38:44They have actually been sequestered, which means they have been put up in local accommodation here,
38:50locked away from the outside world,
38:52with the judge warning them they are only to discuss the case with their fellow jurors.
38:57I still thought when the jury went out that not guilty or hung was more likely than guilty.
39:03There was enough about her story that, for me, planted the seed of doubt.
39:09As a very junior barrister, when I was doing my first murder trial,
39:14on the way to court, I stopped at the bathroom
39:17and I saw an older, very experienced criminal barrister vomiting in the sink.
39:23And I said, are you all right? He said, no, I'm OK, I've just got a jury going out.
39:28It's a horrible time, particularly where the consequences are dire.
39:34There's still no movement from the jury in the mushroom murder trial
39:39as they enter their second day of deliberations.
39:43On the third day.
39:44On the fourth day.
39:45Fifth day.
39:46These days drag on and on.
39:48I think anyone with a heart would really feel for these jurors.
39:52Nobody knows.
39:53It could be a two-week deliberation.
39:55Once we got to day five of deliberations, we all started getting really nervous.
40:00That's at the point where you think anything can happen
40:02and we're going to have a split verdict or we're going to have a hung jury.
40:05And you spend your time closer and closer to the courthouse.
40:09Marta and I were at lunch and all of a sudden I got a phone call that just said,
40:12verdict.
40:13verdict.
40:14And my heart was racing.
40:16my stomach dropped.
40:17Just the volume of people that were gathering and we're going to have a
40:18verdict.
40:19And we're going to have a verdict.
40:20We're going to have a verdict.
40:21We're going to have a verdict.
40:23Marta and I were in trouble.
40:24You're not going to have a verdict.
40:26Maybe you will have a verdict.
40:27Totally not that lawful activity.
40:30How can we make a bill a little bit?
40:31nudging that nihil.
40:32I don't know who noses much said and go ahead.
40:33Do you knew it?
40:35is tall?
40:36All of a sudden I got a phone call that just said verdict and my heart was racing, my stomach
40:42dropped, just the volume of people that were gathering and just bolting towards this porthouse.
40:48A few moments ago we just received an email from the Supreme Court media team confirming
40:54that the jury have reached their verdicts and after a week of the litigation, it's up.
40:58And we're waiting for the verdict.
41:02You walk single file silently into this courtroom and sit and wait.
41:14Justice Christopher Beale says, jurors, do you have a verdict?
41:18And the foreperson says yes.
41:20I just remember looking at their faces and seeing that they were really feeling the gravity
41:27of this moment.
41:28They just looked like they'd just gotten through hell on earth.
41:33And then all of a sudden we learn guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty.
41:42And there was no reaction from Erin Patterson.
41:44She didn't bow her head.
41:45There was no sign of tears, no sign of emotion.
41:48She just sat there staring right ahead.
41:53Outside the courtroom is mayhem.
41:57Breaking news coming from Morwell.
42:00The verdict is in and the jury has found Erin Patterson guilty.
42:04On all charges.
42:05Look at the amount of media attention right here.
42:07We are surrounded.
42:09This is a result that many people across the world would have predicted.
42:13Erin Patterson has been guilty on all charges.
42:18Hello.
42:19How are you feeling?
42:21I'm saddened.
42:22Did you think Erin was capable of something like this?
42:25She's a triple murderer.
42:27Jelly dead.
42:28Later behind.
42:29Ali, she said she'd see you soon.
42:31Were you hoping to see her?
42:32Was she positive that she would walk free?
42:34What do you think she would want to say to the family?
42:36I could just get to my car, guys.
42:38I'm feeling really good now.
42:40Come on, guys.
42:41Enough here.
42:43Is there anything you'd like to say today?
42:46Are you expecting to appeal, Mr. Mandy?
42:48Have you been in contact with your family then?
42:55I think it's very important that we remember that we've had three people.
42:59Three people have died and we've had a person that nearly died
43:03and was seriously injured.
43:05National and local media, I'm out of breath
43:06because we have been following the people as they leave the courtroom.
43:09Should we head?
43:11Yeah.
43:12I've been doing this marathon thing
43:14and it's finally come to a conclusion somewhat
43:17and now I'm being asked to drive an hour away
43:21and try to get a hold of and try to talk to the people
43:24that have been hurt by it the most.
43:27The Patterson and Wilkinson families.
43:29I want to go in the off chance.
43:31Sometimes they want to talk, but I'm fully prepared for them not to.
43:35And I'm not going to press her.
43:43Bro.
43:45It's surreal.
43:47Absolutely surreal.
43:49But when Ali Rose walked out,
43:56feasibly distraught because, you know, the person she's been supporting for this long
44:02has just been found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
44:07You know, she's completely swarmed by this media pack and they've all got their mics.
44:13She can hardly walk through them.
44:15Like, whether you're on one side or the other.
44:17Like, it was the same for Jess who's been supporting the family.
44:20Like, it's been a brutal two years.
44:25But it did certainly make me think a lot about how we cover crime
44:31and about the way the media can feed on a story
44:35and then also become part of a story
44:37and what impact that can have on the victims of crime.
44:40That included me, that included you, that included every podcast,
44:44every social media account.
44:46We should have kind of been able to step back as part of it,
44:49saying, what am I doing here?
44:51What am I doing as part of this
44:54that is contributing to further harm to these families?
44:59Hey, Jess, how's it going?
45:01Good. How are you going?
45:02Yeah, good. How are you feeling after it all?
45:05Must be...
45:06Yeah, look, it's a very strange feeling.
45:10Lots to do at the moment, as you'd imagine.
45:14Yes, yeah, yeah.
45:15I was going to say I felt like I could vomit earlier today.
45:18I just wanted to touch base and just make sure...
45:22I just want to know where the lines are.
45:24I don't want to cross any red lines.
45:25I don't want to upset anyone.
45:27I just want to understand a little bit what the go is.
45:30Is there going to be any statements or anything like that at this stage?
45:34No, no statements at this point in time from the Paterson family,
45:39and I don't see that changing.
45:45There were so many clear examples of the line being crossed,
45:50and the justification for it was, you know, the public interest.
45:55But I think, in reality, the justification for it was the public appetite.
46:25People would just move forward, and that would be the end, you know?
46:42Life goes on, and you try and put it behind you, but you can't put it behind you.
46:46I mean, the community's, you know, very resilient.
46:51In another phase, you just say, shit happens.
46:54And that's what happens, you think.
46:56OK, we'll work our way through it.
46:58We don't have a choice.
47:01There's no choice.
47:02You get on with life.
47:03Probably the thing that this tragedy has highlighted
47:08is what a solid community we have here.
47:15What is the first time here in Victoria,
47:18a television crew being allowed in court for sentencing.
47:22This will be broadcast live.
47:26Erin Patterson, after a long trial,
47:29during which you gave evidence that the poisoning of your four lunch guests
47:33on the 29th of July was an accident,
47:36the jury found you guilty of three counts of murder
47:39and one count of attempted murder.
47:42In other words, the jury necessarily found that you deliberately served
47:46poison meals to Gail and Don Patterson
47:50and Heather and Ian Wilkinson
47:52and that you did so intending to kill them.
47:55Only Ian Wilkinson survived.
48:09Good morning.
48:10I'll not be taking any questions
48:12or making any further comments apart from this statement.
48:16My purpose here today is to give some well-earned thanks.
48:23Firstly, to Victoria Police.
48:26In particular, the Homicide Squad
48:29and the team led by Detective Stephen Eppingstall.
48:34I'd like to extend gratitude to the team from the Office of Public Prosecutions,
48:43led by Senior Counsel Nanette Rogers.
48:47The victim impact statements reveal the immense and ongoing anguish
48:53suffered by your many victims, direct and indirect.
48:57Four generations of the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families
49:00have been traumatised by your crimes.
49:03Ian Wilkinson's sister, Dorothy Dicker,
49:06questions, quote,
49:08How anyone could sit there and watch those four kind and caring people eat that meal.
49:17Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds.
49:23I will conclude my account of key aspects of the victim impact statements
49:28with what Don and Gayle's son, Matthew, had to say about your betrayal of trust.
49:32Quote,
49:34Erin was embraced as part of the Patterson family.
49:37She was welcomed and treated with genuine love and respect
49:41in a way she did not appear to experience from her own family.
49:46Her actions represent a profound and devastating betrayal
49:50of the trust and love extended to her.
49:54Please stand.
50:01For the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson,
50:03I sentence you to 25 years imprisonment.
50:07For the murder of Heather Wilkinson,
50:09I sentence you to life imprisonment.
50:12For the murder of Gayle Patterson,
50:14I sentence you to life imprisonment.
50:17For the murder of Don Patterson,
50:19I sentence you to life imprisonment.
50:22All sentences are to be served concurrently.
50:26The total effective sentence is life imprisonment.
50:30And I fix a non-parole period.
50:33Of 33 years.
50:36Would you please remove Miss Patterson?
50:38We're thankful that when things go wrong, there are good people and services and systems available to help us recover.
50:43I'd like to encourage all those involved to keep turning up and serving others.
50:44Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others.
50:46I'd like to encourage everybody to keep turning up and serving others.
50:47Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others.
50:48I'd like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.
50:49I'd like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.
50:50I'd like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.
50:53I'd like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.
50:54I think the people and the people and the people and services and systems available to help us recover.
51:00I'd like to encourage everybody.
51:01I'd like to encourage everybody.
51:02I'd like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.
51:07Our lives and the lives and the lives of our community depends on the kindness of others.
51:13I'd like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.
51:18I thank the people of the Leangatha and Currumburra communities in particular.
51:28Your thoughtfulness and care has been a great encouragement to us.
51:35That's all I wish to say for now.
51:39Please respect our privacy as we continue to grieve and heal.
51:44Thank you for listening.
51:46I hope you all have a great day.
51:50Thank you very much.
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