On July 29th, 2023, Erin Patterson hosted a lunch for her estranged husband, Simon, and his family. However, the meal she made included one special ingredient: poisonous death cap mushrooms.
On May 7th, 2025, she pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder. The Supreme Court of Victoria elected not to pursue the three previous charges of attempted murder against Simon in 2021 and 2022, instead focusing solely on the events that took place at this fatal gathering.
What Are Death Cap Mushrooms?
Amanita phalloides, otherwise known as death cap mushrooms, are the deadliest fungi in the world. They are infamous for causing over 90% of mushroom-related deaths. Consumption of even half of a mushroom can lead to multiple organ failure, seizures, and coma. These symptoms are most often followed by death. No established antidote has been discovered, and death is rarely preventable. To make matters worse, death cap mushrooms are an invasive species, spreading from Europe to at least eight other countries.
In Australia, the site of the alleged crime, death cap mushrooms grow under oak trees when the soil is moist, during late spring and early summer. This is precisely where and when prosecution alleges Patterson foraged them. Investigation confirmed the presence of death cap mushrooms in human samples of Patterson’s estranged family, in the leftovers of her lunch, and in the food dehydrator she claimed she never purchased. The question this case will answer is whether Patterson deliberately used death cap mushrooms to murder her estranged family.
Patterson’s Pretense
It all begins with Patterson’s many lies, which seem to reveal a strange interest in deadly illnesses. She had tested negative for cervical cancer in March 2023. However, she kept Simon’s parents privy to her various medical appointments and ailments, including a biopsy of a lump on her elbow. She claimed the purpose of the lunch was to discuss her falsified diagnosis of ovarian cancer with Simon, his parents, and his aunt and uncle.
Simon claimed that he “didn’t feel completely confident there was a serious medical issue to be discussed.” He cancelled the evening before the lunch, telling Patterson that he was not comfortable attending over text. He had previously declined her offer four weeks prior. Patterson replied that she had spent hours of preparation and a small fortune on the meal, texting, “I wanted it to be a special meal, as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time.”
Ian and Heather Wilkinson, Simon’s aunt and uncle, felt rather puzzled about the invitation, as they had never been to Patterson’s home before. Simon claimed that Patterson hosting a social event was “very rare.”
The Aftermath
Around twelve hours after the meal, all four guests began to feel violently ill with severe vomiting and diarrhea. Simon’s parents traveled by ambulance to the hospital. The Wilkinsons did not answer Simon’s calls, so he drove to them after hearing from his parents. Finding them to be seriously ill with similar symptoms to his parents, he drove the Wilkinsons to a different hospital soon after. After both hospitals conferred about their findings, they transferred all patients to the Austin hospital. Between retches, Heather twice mentioned her observation that Patterson had used a different colored plate for her own serving.
After Simon refused to drive her to the hospital, Patterson admitted herself, claiming to have stomach pain and diarrhea. She declined an examination and left soon after against medical advice. A doctor at the hospital called the police to ask if he could visit her to urge her to return. She agreed, and later informed the doctor that her children had eaten the leftovers from lunch. She assured him that she had scraped the mushrooms off their servings, yet he insisted the children should be assessed. Though she was upset with the doctor’s persistence, upon later assessment, Patterson was found to be in perfect health.
Unfortunately, one week after the lunch, both of Simon’s parents and his aunt passed away due to altered liver function and multiple organ failure. Medical professionals confirmed they passed away due to ingesting death cap mushrooms. The only survivor was Simon’s uncle, Ian Wilkinson. He underwent over seven weeks of medical treatment and a liver transplant. Regardless, Patterson and her lawyers continue to refer to these deaths as a horrific yet unintentional tragedy.
Patterson’s Digital Footprint
What is possibly the most damning evidence so far lies in Patterson’s mobile phone data. Patterson claimed to have never foraged for wild mushrooms. However, as revealed by her mobile phone data, she had traveled to two locations where a mycologist on a wildlife identification website had posted images and coordinates of wild death cap mushrooms.
Two and a half hours after traveling to the first location, she purchased a food dehydrator. While she denied having purchased a dehydrator, security footage revealed Patterson discarding one at a local dump a few days after the lunch. Forensic analysts found her fingerprints and traces of death cap mushrooms on the dehydrator. Her lawyers claim that she lied about foraging for wild mushrooms and purchasing a food dehydrator because of how overwhelmed and panicked she felt about the deaths she unintentionally caused.
In February 2023, Patterson began using two mobile phones, though investigation believes they have not found one of them. After the deaths, the police executed a search warrant on her home and seized one of her phones. However, Patterson performed a remote factory reset on the phone the next day.
Her choice to wipe the phone is rather unsurprising given the kinds of messages she sent in a Facebook group dedicated to murderer, Keli Lane. Not only do they match the data revealing her travels, activities, and purchases, but they also uncover a bit about Patterson’s psyche. One message reads, “I’ve been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything. Mixed it into chocolate brownies yesterday, the kids had no idea.”
Modern Technology in the Courtroom
Modern technology has proven to be quite useful in the courtroom. As observed in Patterson’s case, social media can harbor extremist groups and provide the right information to the wrong people. However, it can be especially helpful in cracking cases. Popular examples include the case of Nicholas Godejohn posting about his murder of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s mother, or Cheyenne Antoine publicizing her murder weapon by posting a selfie wearing the belt she used to strangle her friend.
In the past, the level of detail achieved in Patterson’s case would have been impossible. If the Patterson case were taken to court before modern technology, prosecutors would have had to rely largely on the testimonies of witnesses. Modern technology is able to provide much more evidence, leading to what will hopefully be a just verdict. Imagine how the case would sound without the evidence gathered from the security camera footage or mobile phone data!
But social media also provides an environment for conspiracy and true crime theorizers, especially for particularly tantalizing crimes such as murders. Just search up “crime theories Reddit” on your preferred search engine and you will understand! Perhaps this is why the Supreme Court of Victoria urged the jury to limit their consumption of media, and focus only on the evidence provided in the courtroom.
R v. Erin Patterson is expected to conclude in June 2025.
