Erin Patterson live trial updates: Alleged mushroom killer denies picking death cap mushrooms for fatal lunch

Ms Patterson was asked if her children accessed the site with death cap mushroom locations instead of her.

“I don’t know,” the accused mushroom killer said.

Referencing use of a computer and search term records found around May 28, 2022, the Crown said: “I suggest you had an interest in death cap mushrooms.”

“Depends what you mean by interest,” Ms Patterson replied.

At that moment, court was adjourned for the day.

As it is a public holiday in Victoria on Monday, the accused returns to the witness box on Tuesday.

Ms Patterson was asked about a map on iNaturalist that showed sighted locations of death cap mushrooms, these maps were for both “global” and “Melbourne, Victoria”.

The accused said she does not “remember” ever accessing the site but says “it’s possible” that she did. She claimed she may have once accessed the site when trying to learn about death cap mushroom growth in Gippsland.

She was asked if a map of death cap mushrooms on another site looked similar to the one on iNaturalist.

Ms Patterson said she could not comment as she does not “remember” if she did or did not ever access the iNaturalist website.

Ms Patterson can’t remember if she did or didn’t access iNaturalist, an online community forum site.

“You used the Bing search engine to search iNaturalist,” the Crown said.

“It looks like somebody did that, yes,” Ms Patterson replied.

“I don’t remember doing it. It is possible it was me.

“I didn’t use Internet Explorer or Bing.

“I accept, maybe I did this time, I’m not sure.

“It is possible it was me.”

Ms Patterson has explained why Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian were at the lunch.

“There were a few reasons. Ian had been by pastor for years and years. I would see and speak with Ian and Heather a lot after church.

“I wanted to have a stronger relationship with them.

At a lunch that Ms Patterson hosted in June 2023, where she made Sheppard’s pie, Ms Patterson claims Gail Patterson told her she had a “great garden” at her Leongatha home and that Ms Wilkinson should see it.

“I wanted to say thank you to them (Heather and Ian) for being good to me over the years.

“Heather helped me a lot,” with one of Ms Patterson’s children.

“I was shy and didn’t really know any people. She (Heather) would sit with me,” Ms Patterson said, breaking down.

“Did you invite Ian and Heather to lunch to ensure Don and Gail would also attend?” the Crown asked.

“I didn’t need to do anything other than invite Don and Gail, because they would come. They loved me,” Ms Patterson replied.

Ms Patterson has claimed she “asked” how Don and Gail Patterson were during a phone call with her ex-partner on July 30, 2023.

Simon Patterson’s evidence claimed he was “intrigued” that the accused “never asked” how her lunch guests were, after learning Don and Gail were sick.

Ms Patterson said her ex-partner was “incorrect”.

The Crown prosecution has grilled Erin Patterson on her “true” feelings about Don and Gail Patterson, suggesting the accused has “two faces”, a public face she showed family and authorities and a private face she would show on Facebook.

“You had two faces (including) a public face of appearing to have a good relationship with Don and Gail, as shown to people like Simon,” the Crown prosecution said.

“I had a good relationship with Don and Gail,” Ms Patterson replied.

“I suggest your private face was what you showed in your Facebook messages,” the crown continued.

“Incorrect,” Ms Patterson said, crying.

“I suggest your true feelings were in those messages,” the Crown hit back.

“Incorrect,” Ms Patterson said, becoming more emotional.

Ms Patterson agreed it was “unusual” for her to invite guests to her home for lunch.

She said she wanted the lunch to be “special”.

Ms Patterson said it was “probably true” that she, Don and Gail Patterson and Ian and Heather Wilkinson had not gathered for a meal for some years.

Erin Patterson told the court she told Katina Cripps, a witness, that she “loved Don and Gail,” and that she was concerned Simon Patterson was keeping the accused from his parents.

Ms Patterson said it is “possible” that she told Ms Cripps she was no longer being invited to family gatherings.

She didn’t agree with the specific wording, saying “my memory is also fallible,” admitting she was capable of making mistakes or being wrong.

“I was feeling isolated,” Ms Patterson said, adding that Don and Gail Patterson “treated me like a daughter”.

Erin Patterson told police she “loved” her ex-partner’s parents Don and Gail Patterson,

“They did love me and I loved them,” she said. “I do love them,” she quickly added.

However, it has been claimed that “tension” started to arise in the months before lunch.

“I wasn’t aware of any tension,” Ms Patterson said about their relationship up until December 2022.

“I did cause tension between me and Don and Gail at that time (December).”

The accused mushroom killer has today explained her “f..k em” Facebook message about the Patterson family, where she described them as a “lost cause”.

She says she was “frustrated”, not “angry”.

She accepted that she told the family about “medical news” before the lunch, but disputes asking for “advice” on how to tell the kids or either of those things being the reason for the fatal lunch.

Ms Patterson also accepted that she kept secret that she was worried mushrooms she had foraged may have made it into the meal that killed three.

“I did not tell anyone,” she told the court.