Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old woman from Australia, is charged with triple murder and attempting to murder her in-laws after three of her guests died from mushroom poisoning at a dinner party. The investigation began on August 1, 2023, when Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon, asked if she had poisoned their parents-in-law using a dehydrator.
Patterson claimed that the comment made her reflect on what might have happened in the meal. She said that she realized dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer and foraged mushrooms were in a container in her pantry. The woman, who was scheduled to meet with child protection services later that day, claimed that she was scared of being blamed for the poisoning and dumping her dehydrator at a local tip.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers argued that Patterson intentionally put death cap mushrooms in the beef wellingtons, which killed three people. Rogers showed evidence of sliced mushrooms on the dehydrator, suggesting they might be death caps. However, Patterson disputed this claim and said she ate cake after the meal and then vomited up her food.
In a tense exchange, Patterson denied that her messages to Facebook friends and family members showed that she was two-faced or didn’t care about their well-being. She also disagreed with Rogers’ assertion that she never asked how any of the lunch guests were faring.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/06/two-faces-fatal-doses-and-food-binges-the-week-mushroom-cook-erin-patterson-told-her-story-to-triple-trial-ntwnfb