Erin Patterson’s murder trial has heard that the accused expressed anger and a desire to cut ties with her extended family, according to Facebook messages allegedly sent months before a deadly meal at her home.
On Thursday, jurors were shown online exchanges between Ms Patterson and her Facebook contacts, dated around seven months before the fatal lunch on July 29, 2023.
Ms Patterson is on trial, accused of serving a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms that resulted in the deaths of three relatives. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Catch up on Thursday’s hearing with our live blog.
Among the evidence presented was a series of photos of mushrooms found on Ms Patterson’s digital tablet, as well as a forensic report showing that one of her devices had been repeatedly factory reset in the week following the fatal incident.
The lunch led to the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, while Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband, survived but was hospitalised. Ms Patterson denies deliberately poisoning anyone.
Months before the incident, Ms Patterson’s relationship with her estranged husband, Simon Patterson—son of Don and Gail—had deteriorated. The court heard they argued over finances and child support.
In one message from December 6, 2022, under the Facebook name “Erin ErinErin”, she allegedly wrote:
“This family I swear to f***ing god. Nobody bloody listens to me. At least I know they’re a lost cause.”
A day later, she reportedly messaged that Simon’s behaviour was “unconscionable”, adding:
“I’m sick of this shit. I want nothing to do with them… so f*** em.”
She also allegedly wrote:
“I don’t need anything from any of those people… His mum was horrified I had claimed child support. Why isn’t she horrified her son is such a deadbeat?”
These messages were recovered by police from a mobile phone following the incident.
Strained Relationships
Simon Patterson’s relationship with Erin had become increasingly tense, witnesses told the court. While prosecutors are not arguing a clear motive, they do allege Ms Patterson intentionally poisoned the meal.
Her defence team insists the deaths were the result of a tragic accident, not foul play.
Digital Evidence Unveiled
Digital forensic analyst Shamen Fox-Henry from Victoria Police testified Thursday, presenting more findings from Ms Patterson’s electronic devices.
Photos retrieved from her tablet—dated May 4, 2023—showed yellowish dried mushrooms in a food dehydrator. Other images included screenshots of web searches about stage 4A cancer, ovarian cancer, and brain lymphoma.
Surviving guest Ian Wilkinson previously told the court Ms Patterson had mentioned a cancer diagnosis during the lunch. Her lawyers now admit this was untrue, and medical records confirm she had no such diagnosis.
Fox-Henry also revealed that another phone belonging to Ms Patterson had been factory reset three times in the week after the lunch—one of those resets occurring remotely on August 6, after the phone was handed to police, resulting in permanent data loss.
Mushroom Sourcing in Question
Ms Patterson initially told investigators the meal had been prepared using fresh mushrooms from Woolworths and dried ones from an Asian grocer in Melbourne’s southeast.
Troy Schonknecht, an officer from the City of Monash, told the court he had inspected 14 Asian grocery stores in suburbs like Mount Waverley, Clayton, and Oakleigh, concluding that all dried mushrooms sold were imported.
Additional phone data presented earlier in the trial showed Ms Patterson’s device connected to cell towers in Loch and Outtrim—regions where death cap mushrooms had been previously reported by nature enthusiasts.
