liveErin Patterson murder trial live: Daughter of guests who died after mushroom lunch gives evidenceBy court reporter Kritian Silva, Tim Callanan, Melissa Brown and Mikaela OrtolanTopic:Law, Crime and Justice2h ago2 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 12:23amSkip to timelineabc.net.au/news/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-live-blog-evidence/105262422Link copiedShareShare articleErin Patterson's triple-murder trial continues at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in the Victorian town of Morwell.She's accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal laced with poisonous mushrooms.Follow the trial in our live blog.Key EventsWitness recounts call to Erin Patterson2m ago2 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:28amMore family members give evidence8m ago8 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:23amCondition of parents 'a little more serious'17m ago17 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:13amShow all key eventsLive updatesLatestOldestKey Event2m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:28amWitness recounts call to Erin PattersonTBy Tim CallananMatthew Patterson says he went to see his parents when they were ill in hospital after eating at the lunch hosted by Erin Patterson.He says he saw his father Don Patterson in the ICU and medical staff were asking Don what he ate. His father replied that the dish had mushrooms in it but he did not know where the mushrooms had come from.Matthew says he offered to call Erin to get more information about the mushrooms.He says he asked her over the phone how she was but can't recall her response. He then asked her where the mushrooms from the dish had come from."She mentioned there were fresh mushrooms from Woolies and dried mushrooms from a Chinese shop … in the Oakleigh area," he says.Copy linkKey Event8m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:23amMore family members give evidenceTBy Tim CallananMatthew Patterson is the next witness called to give evidence — he is another of Gail and Don Patterson's children and is a church pastor.Prosecutor Sarah Lenthall asks him about the relationship between his family and the Wilkinson family.He says the families spent "a fair bit of time together" and Gail and Don Patterson regularly caught up with Ian and Heather Wilkinson.Matthew says he first met Erin Patterson about 20 years ago.He says conversations between Erin and Simon Patterson became "more mechanical" in recent years after they separated.Copy linkKey Event17m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:13amCondition of parents 'a little more serious'TBy Tim CallananRuth Dubois says she spoke to a doctor on August 1, 2023 who told her that the condition of her parents was "a little more serious" than they previously thought and they suspected death cap mushroom poisoning.She says her parents were transferred to Austin Hospital later that day.Erin Patterson's defence does not offer any questions and Ruth Dubois leaves the witness stand.Copy link18m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:13amSimon Patterson sent a text to let Ruth know her parents were unwellMBy Mikaela OrtolanRuth says her husband received a text message from Simon Patterson on July 30, 2023.In the text he said her mum and dad, Ian and Heather Wilkinson, were being taken to hospital because they were quite unwell.She says she rang Simon after the text.Simon told her he had gone to Ian and Heather's house after he couldn’t get hold of them and then took them to hospital.She immediately went to the hospital but wasn't able to see her parents straight away.Copy linkKey Event21m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:10amHeather Wilkinson was 'surprised' by lunch invitation, court hearsTBy Tim Callanan and Joseph DunstanMs Dubois confirms her mother told her in July, 2023, that Erin Patterson had invited her and Don to lunch."She said that at church the previous weekend she was talking with Gail after the service and Erin had come up to them and said 'Ah, just the two I was looking for' and asked them to lunch," Ms Dubois says."At which I responded 'Really?' [I was] kind of confused."In response to my reaction she said 'Yes, we were surprised also', that that had never happened before."Ruth says she hosted her parents for dinner on July 28 — the day before the lunch at Erin Patterson's house.She says mushrooms were not part of the meal and none of the guests reported being ill afterwards.Copy linkKey Event25m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:05amIan and Heather Wilkinson's daughter is giving evidenceMBy Mikaela OrtolanThe prosecution has called Ruth Dubois to the witness box.She is the daughter of Ian and Heather Wilkinson.“We knew each other enough to say hi in passing and that's about it,” she says when asked about her relationship with Erin.Copy link43m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:47amThe court takes a short breakTBy Tim CallananA short, 15 minute break has been called at the conclusion of Anna Terrington's evidence.Copy link45m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:45amThat concludes Anna Terrington's evidenceMBy Mikaela OrtolanMs Terrington says Erin would "to a degree" attend family events after her and Simon separated. She confirmed the family would communicate on Signal, an encrypted messaging service. Marking the end of her evidence, when asked if she would describe Erin as a committed mother, she says yes.Her evidence concludes and she takes a seat in the court gallery, where a supporter puts his arm around her.Copy linkKey Event46m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:44amErin had lent her sister-in-law moneyMBy Mikaela OrtolanSophie Stafford is now asking questions for the defence.Anna Terrington says Erin had helped her with a loan to help pay for her house.She says she isn't sure of the exact amount of the loan but it was hundreds of thousands of dollars.Ms Terrington confirms that after Erin and Simon’s separation, future repayments went to Simon only.Copy link46m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:44amA view from inside courtKBy Kristian SilvaAnna Terrington has been in tears during her few minutes in the witness box, repeatedly needing to pause.Ms Terrington, dressed in a long blue dress, puts her hands to her chest as she composes herself.Erin Patterson, watching on from the court dock, also appears to be visibly impacted.Copy linkKey Event53m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:38amErin Patterson was 'soldiering on' after lunch, court hearsTBy Tim CallananAnna Terrington is now recounting a message she received the day after the lunch from her brother Simon Patterson explaining that their parents, as well as Ian and Heather Wilkinson, were ill and had been vomiting overnight.She says Simon told her that Erin also had diarrhea "but was soldiering on at home".Anna says her mother told her that Erin had wanted to tell them about a medical issue at the lunch but she did not ask her mother for more details.Copy link53m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:37amCancer registry finds no entries related to Erin PattersonMBy Mikaela OrtolanDanielle Romanes works for the Department of Health.In her statement she says she requested a search of a registry following claims Erin Patterson had cancer."Victoria has mandatory reporting of cancer diagnosis and detections," she says."This means I would expect a person diagnosed with cancer would have multiple reports to the registry."No entries under Erin Patterson's name were found.Copy linkKey Event55m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:36amGail and Don Patterson's daughter gives evidenceTBy Tim CallananAnna Terrington is the next witness called by the prosecution - she is the daughter of Gail and Don Patterson.She's being asked about a gathering on July 27, 2023.She explains Gail told her she and Don had been invited to Erin Patterson's house for lunch and that it was "unusual" as they hadn't been invited to Erin's place before.Anna says she phoned her mother about 5pm on the day of the lunch to ask how the lunch went.She fights back tears as she recalls her mother saying they had eaten beef Wellington.Copy linkKey Event58m agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:32amWilkinsons appeared happy and well after lunchMBy Mikaela OrtolanJennifer McPhee is the director of the Baptist Church Korumburra.She was also at the prearranged meeting at the Wilkinson's home following the lunch.She also mentioned that Heather Wilkinson said the meal was delicious and was "playfully teasing Ian about how much he had eaten".She says when she left the home at around 4pm the couple appeared happy and were not showing signs of sickness, something Angela Childs also said in her statement. Copy link1h agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:30amHeather Wilkinson raved about the meal, says witnessMBy Mikaela OrtolanProsecutor Sarah Lenthall has read out a number of statements from witnesses.The first statement is from Angela Child who is the treasurer of the Baptist Church Korumburra, where Ian Wilkinson is a pastor.She says she saw Ian Wilkinson and his wife Heather after the lunch in question.They had a prearranged meeting at the Wilkinson's home.She says Ms Wilkinson raved about the meal and said it was delicious.Copy link1h agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:24amStatements are being read to the courtTBy Tim CallananThe prosecution is now reading statements from several witnesses who are not in court.We'll bring you the details of those statements shortly.Copy link1h agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:12amDoctor discharged after giving evidenceTBy Tim CallananDr Douglas says he saw Ian Wilkinson and his wife Heather at Dandenong Hospital and spoke them about how much of the beef Wellington meal they ate.That concludes Dr Douglas's evidence.The defence does not put forward any questions.Copy link1h agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:09amA brief chat with Donald Patterson in hospitalMBy Mikaela OrtolanDr Douglas says he briefly spoke with Don while he was in hospital."I can't remember the exact words that were exchanged but he did say he was feeling quite unwell," he says.He says Don also confirmed that he had eaten a meal of beef Wellington roughly about noon and started to feel unwell around midnight. Copy link1h agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:08amDoctor treats guests at hospital ICUTBy Tim CallananDr Douglas says he reviewed Donald Patterson in the ICU at Dandenong Hospital.He says someone from the ICU nursing team told him the mushrooms which caused the poisoning were purchased from a Woolworths or Asian grocery.Dr Douglas advised the ICU team to start treament for amanita poisoning and that treatment could be adjusted if information about the source of the poisoning changes.He also saw Gail Patterson and spoke to her about her husband's status and treatment.He confirms Gail was later admitted to the ICU.Copy linkKey Event1h agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:05amPoisonous mushroom antidote not initially givenTBy Tim CallananDr Douglas says it wasn't initially clear that the illness of the guests was caused by amanita mushrooms, so the specific antidote for that type of mushroom was not administered.He says liver function and blood test results for Gail Patterson showed her condition was deteriorating and she should be closely monitored.He made the same assessment for Donald Patterson.He suggested the antidote should be administered as soon as possible.Copy linkShow more postsPosted 2h ago2 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 12:23am, updated 17m ago17 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:13amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)TimelineRead nextTimelineKey EventsLatestWitness recounts call to Erin Patterson2m ago2 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:28amMore family members give evidence8m ago8 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:23amCondition of parents 'a little more serious'17m ago17 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:13amHeather Wilkinson was 'surprised' by lunch invitation, court hears21m ago21 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:10amIan and Heather Wilkinson's daughter is giving evidence25m ago25 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:05amErin had lent her sister-in-law money46m ago46 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:44amErin Patterson was 'soldiering on' after lunch, court hears53m ago53 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:38amGail and Don Patterson's daughter gives evidence55m ago55 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:36amWilkinsons appeared happy and well after lunch58m ago58 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:32amPoisonous mushroom antidote not initially given1h ago1 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 1:05amToxicology doctor first up in the witness stand1h ago1 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 12:50amHello from inside Courtroom 41h ago1 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 12:43amWhat Ian Wilkinson told the court on Tuesday2h ago2 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 12:21amWho's who and when did things happen?2h ago2 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 12:20amWelcome to today's blog2h ago2 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 12:19amTop StoriesPakistan's prime minister vows India's attacks will 'not go unpunished'Topic:Unrest, Conflict and WarPhoto shows A man rides his motorbike through rubble in the darkASIC takes action against Macquarie for 'significant' failuresTopic:Business and Industry RegulationCourt orders release of 'vicious' CCTV footage after three-year legal battleTopic:CrimeA feedback loop tanked Dutton's campaign in its final weekAAnalysis by Annabel CrabbNationals leader backs in nuclear as Liberal senator demands it be scrappedTopic:ElectionsJust InFather who fatally shook baby has 10 years added to jail timeTopic:Courts17m ago17 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:13amLiberal leadership race narrows to two likely contenders, Ley and Taylor, as MPs split over nuclearTopic:Liberal Party of Australia21m ago21 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:09amKaren Webb to step down as NSW police commissionerBREAKING2m ago2 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:29amBean counting continues as independent Jessie Price eyes a 'not-so-safe' Labor seatTopic:Australian Federal Elections16m ago16 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:14amMore Just InBack to top