Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 16, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Erin Patterson is on trial for allegedly murdering three relatives with toxic mushrooms. The prosecution claims she engaged in a calculated deception, while the defense argues it was an accident.
By Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY (Reuters) -An Australian woman accused of murder engaged in a calculated deception to kill three elderly relatives of her estranged husband with a meal she allegedly laced with toxic mushrooms, a court heard on Monday, as closing arguments in the trial began.
Erin Patterson is charged with the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, in July 2023.
The prosecution accuses her of foraging for poisonous death cap mushrooms, drying them and knowingly serving them in individual portions of Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people some 135 km (84 miles) from Melbourne.
Patterson denies the charges, which carry a life sentence, with her defence calling the deaths a "terrible accident".
Prosecution barrister Nanette Rogers began her closing arguments on Monday, alleging the accused employed four major deceptions in order to murder her guests.
Patterson first fabricated a cancer diagnosis to lure the guests to the lunch, then poisoned their meals while serving herself an untainted portion, Rogers alleged.
The accused then lied that she was also sick from the food to avoid suspicion, before finally embarking on a cover-up when police began investigating the deaths, the prosecution said.
"The sinister deception was to use a nourishing meal as the vehicle to deliver the deadly poison," Rogers told the court.
Patterson spent eight days in the witness box after deciding to testify in her defence, including five days of cross-examination.
She was the only defence witness after the prosecution spent a month calling dozens of witnesses, including estranged husband Simon Patterson and sole surviving lunch guest Ian Wilkinson.
The court will hear closing arguments from the defence, before the jury receives instructions from presiding judge Justice Christopher Beale and retires to consider a verdict.
The trial, now in its eighth week and expected to end this month, continues.
(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Erin Patterson is charged with the murders of her mother-in-law, father-in-law, and her sister-in-law, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.
The prosecution alleges that Patterson foraged for poisonous death cap mushrooms, dried them, and served them in Beef Wellington to her guests.
Patterson denies the charges, claiming that the deaths were a 'terrible accident' rather than a deliberate act.
The prosecution claimed that Patterson fabricated a cancer diagnosis to lure her guests and served herself an untainted portion of the meal.
The trial is now in its eighth week, with closing arguments expected to be heard soon before the jury considers a verdict.
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