Erin Patterson spoke online about hiding mushrooms in food and showed off new dehydrator, jury told
The jury in Australia’s alleged mushroom killer case was shown Facebook messages and photos on Monday from a true crime group chat in which Erin Patterson appeared to joke about hiding powdered mushrooms in food, including brownies given to her children.
A witness named Daniela Barkley testified that the accused, Ms Patterson, shared the messages and photos after buying a food dehydrator and seemed excited about using it, including sharing a photo of mushrooms drying in the device.
Ms Barkley said that Ms Patterson was “a bit excited that she purchased a food dehydrator”.
“So, fun fact, the dehydrator reduces mushroom mass by 90 per cent,” Ms Patterson is alleged to have said in one message, “do you think Woolies would mind if I brought the dehydrator into their vegetable section and dry things before I buy them?”
The jury was also shown a picture said to be Ms Patterson’s dehydrator with mushrooms on the shelves. “Erin sent it to us,” Ms Barkley said.
The witness was given photos of chopped button mushrooms and said that Ms Patterson had shared them in the group chat.
Ms Patterson, 50, is on trial for allegedly serving a meal laced with deadly mushrooms that killed three of her former in-laws and left a fourth critically ill.
Prosecutors allege that she fabricated a cancer diagnosis to lure her estranged husband’s parents and his uncle and aunt to lunch at her home in July 2023 and poisoned their food. They claim Ms Patterson then disposed of a dehydrator containing traces of the toxic mushrooms at a rubbish site.
Ms Patterson, who is from Victoria, denies the charges of murder and attempted murder brought against her.
She insists the poisoning was a tragic accident.
Ms Barkley also said Ms Patterson had asked for advice about cooking beef Wellington, the dish she later served her elderly relatives.
“I just specifically remember the conversation because I didn’t actually know what a beef Wellington was because I’m mostly vegetarian,” Ms Barkley said.
“So I made a joke about it, ‘No, but if I could, I’d make a tofu Wellington’. And everyone just thought that was awful. So we had a good laugh about that.”
A few days after that online chat, Ms Barkley told the jury, Ms Patterson posted a photo of a cut of meat and asked the group if it was suitable for a beef Wellington. “We all just assumed it was for her and the kids,” the witness said.
