'Wicked witch narrative' engulfing mushroom cook murder investigation

Is mother-of-two Erin Patterson a woman unfairly accused and enduring a trial by media or, as police will allege in court, a calculated killer?

Police allege Ms Patterson cooked and served a poisonous beef Wellington that led to the deaths of three of her lunch guests within a week. Ms Patterson and her ex-husband's uncle are the only survivors.

The "ordinary middle-aged mum in the country" suspected of killing her guests with a poisonous meal prompted an avalanche of tropes that made the case a "perfect storm for worldwide attention", Australian true crime author Vikki Petraitis said.

"We're fascinated when women allegedly poison," The Frankston Murders author said.

Macabre interest in the case went into hyperdrive as police levelled five attempted murder charges dating back to 2021 against Ms Patterson on November 2, 2023.

Ms Patterson is yet to face trial and maintains her innocence.

The court proceedings, which began on November 3, 2023, will continue with a hearing set for April 22.

Interest in the case has been fuelled by the mysterious way the three alleged victims died, Ms Petraitis said.

Ms Patterson invited her ex-partner Simon Patterson, his parents Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson to a lunch at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023. Simon Patterson did not attend the lunch.

She served home-cooked beef Wellington. The classic English dish is beef eye fillet coated with minced mushrooms and wrapped with a pastry crust.

Don and Gail Patterson as well as Heather Wilkinson died in hospital a week after allegedly eating death cap mushrooms in the meal. By all reports, this is an excruciating death.

Reverend Wilkinson survived the alleged poisoning after a successful liver transplant. He was released from hospital on September 23, 2023 and continues to recover.

The reverend returned to Korumburra Baptist Church to deliver a sermon six months after the fatal lunch.

"Let me encourage you to keep on going. The way is sometimes hard but God is good," he said through tears.

Ms Patterson told police that bad stomach pains and diarrhea sent her to the hospital along with the two older couples.

She said she was given a saline drip and a "liver protective drug" at the Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne on July 31 before being released.

According to Ms Patterson, her estranged husband intended to join them for lunch but told her "prior to the day" that he wouldn't be there.

Police will allege in court that Ms Patterson planned to fatally poison all five guests invited to lunch.

Ms Patterson is accused of plotting to kill her estranged husband four times.

Aside from the alleged poisoned lunch in 2023, Mr Patterson's life was under threat on November 16/17, 2021, May 25, 2022 and September 6, 2022, according to police.

But the public hasn't fully seen "any of the human element" of the case including Ms Patterson's personality or any of her positive traits, Ms Petraitis said.

"Where are the people saying it must be a mistake because she's a really lovely person?" The Unbelieved writer said.

The "wicked witch narrative" that's emerged around Ms Patterson has given the impression she's "fair game", Ms Petraitis said.

"I don't think anyone should be considered fair game," she said.

Ms Patterson has consistently maintained her innocence throughout the investigation.

She claims that she did not forage death cap mushrooms. Instead, she said she used button mushrooms from a major supermarket chain and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer in Melbourne.

Pinpointing the origin of the mushrooms will be a compelling moment in the trial, Ms Petraitis said.

When asked by investigators to identify the Melbourne-based grocer Ms Patterson said she could not remember the store's location.

A Victorian forager from Mushrooms Anonymous Matthew Donnelly said he sees death cap mushrooms growing under oak trees in parks and urban areas after heavy rainfall.

The Victorian Chief Health Officer warned that poisonous mushrooms, including death caps, were often seen during autumn as the weather becomes wetter and cooler.

In a statement written to police on August 14 Ms Patterson argued that she couldn't have poisoned the meal without risking harm to herself.

She said she portioned slices of the beef Wellington onto plates and allowed her guests to pick their own.

She said she took the last remaining plate and ate a serving.

The couple's two children, who were at the cinema during the lunch, were fed the leftovers on July 30 but suffered no ill effects, Ms Patterson said in the statement to police.

The minced mushroom coating was scraped from their serving because the kids don't eat fungus, she said.

In the aftermath of the lunch, Ms Patterson said she sent the leftovers to hospital toxicologists for examination. The results of this examination have not been released to the public.

In the first days of the murder investigation, police were spotted at a Gippsland rubbish tip retrieving a food dehydrator.

She first said that she threw it away "a long time ago" before telling police on August 14 she had dumped it shortly after her in-laws were admitted to hospital.

She explained by saying she was at the hospital on July 30 with Simon and their children when the topic of the food dehydrator was raised.

"Is that what you used to poison them?" she said her ex-husband asked.

Thinking that she could lose custody of the kids, Ms Patterson said she decided to dump the dehydrator.

Police arrested Ms Patterson on November 2, 2023 and she was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.

Investigators requested a 20 week adjournment to analyse computer equipment seized from Ms Patterson.

Technology detector dog squad, a team in the Australian Federal Police, found a smartwatch, five iPads and a laundry list of electronics allegedly hidden at the Leongatha home.

Ms Patterson was remanded to reappear in court on April 22.