liveErin Patterson murder trial live: Mushroom cook's estranged husband returns to witness standBy court reporter Kristian Silva, Judd Boaz, Joseph Dunstan and Tim CallananTopic:Courts21m ago21 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:05amSkip to timelineabc.net.au/news/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-live-blog-simon/105242456Link copiedShareShare articleAccused triple-murderer Erin Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson is appearing for the second day as a witness in her trial.Ms Patterson maintains her innocence of three charges of murder and one of attempted murder.Follow the hearing in our live blog.Key EventsSix things we learnt on Thursday17m ago17 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:09amLive updatesLatestOldest5m agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:21amDefence asks Simon Patterson about plates used at lunchJBy Judd BoazDuring Simon Patterson's testimony to the court on Thursday, the issue of crockery in Erin Patterson's house became a focus.Simon told the jury that Heather Wilkinson, one of the poisoning victims, had noted that Erin had used a different-coloured plate to the ones used by her guests.The plate Erin used at lunch was described as a tan-orange colour. (ABC News)At the time, Simon had told Heather that Erin did not own a lot of crockery and that it may have explained the difference in plates.The defence zeroed in on the issue of crockery in its cross-examination.Defence: But you're aware that there was no formal or uniform set of plates that Erin had?Simon: She had a mixture of plates and it's not that they were all different to each other but she had a bunch of ceramic plates generally that weren't all the same.Defence: So there was no uniform set of plates?Simon: Well, multiple, small uniform sets, put it that way.Defence: A large number of mismatched plates?Simon: There was a mismatched group, let's put it that wayDefence: And not a particularly large number of plates either?Simon: That's what I thought, yeah.Defence: Perhaps eight or 10 plates in the house?Simon: I'd guess, yeah. That's probably fair.Copy link7m agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:19amErin Patterson insisted on her estranged husband attending lunchJBy Judd Boaz As part of the prosecution's examination of Simon Patterson on the witness stand yesterday, texts between Simon and his estranged wife Erin were read aloud to the court.The texts, sent the night before a lunch which resulted in four people suffering death cap mushroom poisoning, revealed Erin had been adamant that Simon also attend.Despite initially accepting an invite, Simon said he changed his mind, and at 6:54pm the night before, sent the following text message to Erin:Simon: Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch with you, Mum, Dad, Heather and Ian tomorrow but I'm happy to talk about your health and implications of that at another time. If you'd like to discuss on the phone, just let me know.Five minutes later, Erin responded:Erin: That's really disappointing. I've spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow which has been exhausting in light of the issues I'm facing and spent a small fortune on beef eye fillet to make beef Wellingtons because I wanted it to be a special meal, as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time. It's important to me that you're all there tomorrow and that I can have the conversations that I need to have. I hope you'll change your mind. Your parents and Heather and Ian are coming at 12.30. I hope to see you there.Simon did not reply to this text message. Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC asked him in the court about how he took the message."Did the message that she sent in reply … change your mind about going to the lunch?" Dr Rogers asked."No, it didn't," Simon told the court.Copy link14m agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:12amCatch up on what happened in court yesterdayJBy Judd BoazThursday's proceedings at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts focused on Erin Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson as he faced questions from the prosecution and defence lawyers.You can catch up on Thursday's developments in court here:Erin Patterson 'seemed' to love in-laws, estranged husband tells courtCopy linkKey Event17m agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:09amSix things we learnt on ThursdayJBy Judd BoazToday we'll hear more evidence from Erin Patterson's estranged husband, Simon.Simon Patterson will return for a second day of evidence. (AAP: James Ross)Erin is accused of poisoning Simon's parents, aunt and uncle.Here are six things we learned from his testimony on Thursday:Erin had a close relationship with Simon's parents, and particularly with his father Don, with whom she shared a love of science.Erin and Simon had a tumultuous relationship, experiencing several separations and reconciliations, with Mr Patterson emotionally saying "it was always her leaving me".Disagreements over child support and property led to a rift between the pair, with Erin asking Simon's parents to intervene in the issue.Erin inherited $2 million from her grandmother in 2006, money which was then used to purchase properties and facilitate loans to Simon's siblings.Simon confirmed that Heather Wilkinson, who died following the lunch, was puzzled why Erin ate from different-coloured crockery to the rest of the group. Simon told the court Erin did not own many plates, and this may have been the reason why.A conversation at the hospital the day after the lunch was the first time Simon had heard of Erin using a food dehydrator.Copy link21m agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:04amWelcome to today's coverage of the trialJBy Judd BoazCourt reporter Kristian Silva will be bringing us regular updates from the Supreme Court trial of Erin Patterson.Ms Patterson is accused of murdering three of her relatives and the attempted murder of another, through a poisoned lunch at her Leongatha home.She has always maintained her innocence.Yesterday, Ms Patterson's estranged husband Simon appeared in court as the first witness in the case.Today, we're expecting to hear the rest of his testimony.Copy linkPosted 21m ago21 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:05am, updated 11m ago11 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:14amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)TimelineRead nextLatestDefence asks Simon Patterson about plates used at lunch5m ago5 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:21amErin Patterson insisted on her estranged husband attending lunch7m ago7 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:19amCatch up on what happened in court yesterday14m ago14 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:12amSix things we learnt on Thursday17m ago17 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:09amWelcome to today's coverage of the trial21m ago21 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:04amTop Stories'Pandemonium' on the M1 as metal shards shred tyres Topic:Road Accidents and IncidentsPhoto shows A hand holding bits of scrap metal.Corflute wars: Hundreds of election signs destroyed or removedTopic:VandalismHow housing affordability could swing votes on SaturdayTopic:Property PricesLabor and Coalition paths to victory mappedTopic:Australian Federal ElectionsDutton says 'we're in for the fight of our lives' as leaders begin final push Topic:Government and PoliticsJust InHow the best AFL teams can win games through clearancesAnalysis by Cody Atkinson3m ago3 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:23amAnother Simple Favor is just as deranged and delightful as the first filmTopic:Movies6m ago6 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:19amPolice treat fatal Bowen backpackers' hostel fire as suspiciousTopic:Fires13m ago13 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:13amCIA releases videos encouraging Chinese officials to leak secrets to USTopic:Security Intelligence14m ago14 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 12:11amMore Just InBack to top