Woman accused of killing in-Laws with toxic mushrooms appears in court

Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of killing three people and attempting to kill a fourth by serving a meal laced with deadly mushrooms, has taken the stand in her own defence in a trial that has drawn international attention.

In the sixth week of the proceedings, Patterson testified about her strained relationship with her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, whose parents, Don and Gail Patterson, died after attending a lunch at her home in July 2023. Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, also died following the meal, while her husband, Pastor Ian Wilkinson, survived after weeks of hospitalisation due to poisoning from Amanita phalloides—one of the world’s most toxic mushrooms.

Prosecutors allege that Patterson deliberately poisoned the beef dish after locating the mushrooms through a public website. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her defense team claims the deaths were a tragic accident. While they acknowledge she lied to police multiple times, they insist there was no intent to kill.

Patterson, a mother of two, described her relationship with her husband as merely “functional” by mid-2023 and said she had begun to feel excluded from family events. She told the court her self-esteem had plummeted, and she was unhappy with her weight to the point of considering gastric bypass surgery.

“I’d been fighting a never-ending battle of low self-esteem most of my adult life,” she said. “As I got further into middle age, the less I felt good about myself.”

Her defence attorney, Colin Mandy SC, asked her to describe the beginning of her relationship with Simon. She said they met in 2004 while working at Monash City Council in Victoria, became friends, and eventually started dating. They married in 2007 in a ceremony attended by Don and Gail Patterson and Ian and Heather Wilkinson. Erin’s parents were away at the time, and Ian Wilkinson’s son, David, walked her down the aisle.

Patterson told the court she had been a staunch atheist when she met Simon. “I was trying to convert him to atheism, but things happened in reverse,” she said, recounting a religious experience she had during her first visit to Korumburra Baptist Church in 2005. “It quite overwhelmed me,” she said of the moment Pastor Ian Wilkinson delivered the sermon.

Patterson also described the traumatic birth of her first child, who was delivered via emergency cesarean after a failed attempt using forceps. Her son spent time in intensive care, and she discharged herself against medical advice to be with him. She recalled receiving emotional support from her mother-in-law, Gail. “She gave me good advice—‘relax and enjoy your baby,’” she said.

The couple faced challenges early in their marriage, including a brief separation in 2009 when Patterson rented a cottage for herself and their baby while Simon rented a trailer nearby. They reconciled in January 2010 and later had a second child.

Throughout their relationship, Patterson said, there were repeated communication issues. “We just couldn’t communicate well when we disagreed,” she said. “We would just feel hurt and not know how to resolve it.”

Patterson is expected to continue her testimony on Tuesday.