The Daily Aus Guilty: The mushroom murder verdict
Jul 7, 2025
The podcast delves into the shocking verdict of the mushroom murder trial, where Erin Patterson was found guilty of multiple murders after allegedly serving toxic death cap mushrooms. It examines the tragic events surrounding a fatal luncheon and the stark contrast between the prosecution's view of Patterson as a calculated murderer and the defense's claims of a tragic mistake. Listeners will gain insights into the jury's deliberation process and the emotional aftermath for the victims' families as they prepare for impact statements.
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Mushroom lunch tragedy
- Erin Patterson invited her estranged husband's parents and aunt and uncle to a beef Wellington lunch in July 2023.
- Four guests became critically ill, three died, and one survived with a liver transplant after eating death cap mushrooms.
Prosecution's deliberate poisoning case
- Prosecutors argued Patterson planned the poisoning, motivated by resentment toward her in-laws expressed online.
- Evidence included online research, purchase of a dehydrator, discarded before police interview, and multiple lies to police.
Defense claims accidental poisoning
- Patterson admitted foraging mushrooms and storing them, but claimed poisonous mushrooms were mixed in by accident.
- She argued the inclusion of death caps in the meal was a tragic mistake, not intentional poisoning.