May 4, 2025
Unraveling the Deadly Mushroom Lunch: Family Text Messages Reveal Rising Tensions
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Simon Patterson, the estranged husband of murder accused Erin Patterson, testifies that his wife never asked for updates on her in-laws' deteriorating conditions following the July 2023 deadly beef Wellington mushroom lunchs. the supreme Court of Victoria last week. Jurors were told of escalating tensions between Erin Patterson and her in-laws in the months before the fatal mushroom meal, with “aggressive” text messages and disputes with her husband over financial matters.
• Simon Patterson confirms Erin Patterson has a history of leaving hospitals against medical advice and sometimes struggled with mental illness
• Communication breakdown led Simon to suggest bringing in a mediator to resolve family conflicts with Erin Patterson
• Erin Pattersom felt "very hurt" about not being initially invited to her mother-in-law's 70th birthday celebration
• The court heard about Financial disagreements over child support and medical bills family tensions. Signal messages exchanged around November 2022 showing escalating conflicts between Erin Patterson and Simon
• Erin Patterson faces three murder charges and one attempted murder charge related to the deadly beef Wellington with mushrooms lunch. She pleads not guilty to all.
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Erin Patterson Mushrooms
Here it is in summary.
00:00 - Podcast Introduction
WEBVTT
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Hello and welcome to the Mushroom Murder Trial podcast, your source for coverage of what's shaping up as one of Australia's most fascinating criminal trials.
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My name is Lisa, I'm a podcaster and a journalist and I've followed this story since 2023.
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Now, also before we start, please make sure you subscribe to our newsletter, mushroommurdertrialcom.
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It's full of updates and information about the trial.
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Just put out the second episode, so make sure you get it.
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Miss Erin Trudy Patterson, age 50, from Landgather, is pleading not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder.
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The court heard on Friday that the accused quote never actually asked for updates on the conditions of the people she is alleged to have poisoned with death cap mushrooms.
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Ms Patterson's husband, simon, faced the courtroom for his second day of cross-examination by Ms Patterson's barrister, colin Mandy SC.
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The lawyer asked if he had updated Ms Patterson on his parents' conditions as they worsened after the deadly lunch.
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It intrigued me that she never actually asked.
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Mr Patterson said quote.
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The answer is yes, we didn't have that conversation as well.
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Mr Patterson confirmed his wife had a long history of leaving hospitals against medical advice.
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Quote.
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That's fair.
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Erin hates hospitals.
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Ms Patterson had also told him about several health issues she'd had over the course of their relationship, including a heart condition, a chronic disease and postnatal depression.
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Quote.
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I believe that to be true and I still have no reason to not believe that.
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He said Quote, she struggled a lot with mental illness, especially postnatal depression after in brackets.
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Postnatal depression after, in brackets, their son was born.
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In addition, quote, her extremely aggressive text messages with her in-laws, don and Gail Patterson, left her estranged husband to suggest to bring in a mediator.
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In the months leading up to the mushroom meal At the Gippsland murder trial of the mum of two, modern communication brought to life a sequence of disputes between the two on a messaging app called Signal.
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By December 2022, that's about six months before the lunch, ms Patterson was allegedly sending.
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Quote inflammatory messages to Don and Gail Patterson in their family chat on Signal.
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This was over an issue of child support.
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Simon told the jury he said he had decided he wanted to involve a third party to sort it out.
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Quote.
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I was keen to resolve it because Erin and my parents' communication about it.
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It wasn't working.
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He told the jury.
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From my point of view, erin was being extremely aggressive, so I thought a mediator would probably help us communicate.
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Mr Mandy challenged that and said she could have just been upset or hurt over the situation In the months before the alleged Leangatha lunch murders.
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The tension again was ratcheting up.
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Mr Patterson said there was a lot of tension in his relationship with his wife at this point as well.
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Her rapport with his parents was also very tense.
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In some messages tended to the court, ms Patterson said she was very, very hurt.
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She was not invited to Simon Mother's 70th birthday.
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He told the court this was due to a misunderstanding with his father, don.
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In a message to Ms Patterson dated 14th of October 2022, he said hey, are you coming to mum's birthday lunch?
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Ms Patterson replied she was not aware of the 70th birthday event for her mother-in-law.
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Simon replied he thought his dad had invited her, but added his father might have gotten things mixed up.
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She replied quote I'm not too sure how your dad could have been confused.
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Seems that my invite tomorrow is a bit of an afterthought, and not even from your parents, so I might pass.
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Thank you.
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Miss Pedersen later messaged what I reckon is everyone forgot to actually invite me to this thing and I feel very, very hurt about that.
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Her husband said Ms Patterson was free to choose to think whatever you want, but he added the birthday event was very important for his mum.
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As time passed, ms Patterson later messaged Simon to communicate she would attend the lunch with their children.
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Later messaged Simon to communicate she would attend the lunch with their children.
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The following evening Ms Patterson sent a message to.
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Mr Patterson, I'm sorry for shouting at you this afternoon.
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I was feeling very hurt and lashed out.
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I'd like to not do that again.
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Mr Patterson replied thanks for that and said he was sorry.
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I raised my voice too and tone too as well, because his wife quote hates hospitals.
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He was asked about her discharging herself from Langatha Hospital against medical advice.
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On the 6th of December Simon wrote on signal to his estranged wife, hello Erin.
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Mum and dad told me you asked them over to yours for a discussion yesterday.
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I understand there are too many issues One, how our child is going and two, finances for our kids.
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I've read the messages you sent in our signal group chat since and dad's responses.
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I'm keen to talk to you about their child and how we can best work together to help him with where he's at now and for the future.
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I'm also keen to talk to you about the financial arrangements to try and come to an understanding and agreement between us.
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Reading all the messages, the financial issues are very emotive.
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Now, three days later, on December 9, simon messages Erin, I've learnt more about the financial stuff this week and I think we can probably sort it out fairly easily along the lines of what you've been messaging to mum and dad.
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I intend to ask a mediator to help you and me communicate about that.
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Before this, there was also a dispute over an anaesthetist bill for their son's surgery.
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The jury was shown these signal messages and they were from 21st of November 2022 to the 15th of August 2023.
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The November 2022 message she wrote to Simon about there's son surgery and the bill and requested he pay it.
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Simon replied the Department of Human Services instructed me not to pay anything for the kids from now on, so I cannot pay that, I'm afraid.
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She replied the payment was not to her but to the doctor.
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Simon responds quote this is exactly the kind of thing they explicitly instructed me not to pay for, and that's all I have for you today.
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This week, the trial will continue in the Supreme Court at Morwell and I will be following it every step of the way.
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So until next time, I'm Lisa.
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This is the Mushroom Murder Trial podcast, and thank you for listening.
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For more information, go to my website.
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Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter, mushroommurdertrialcom.
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It's jam-packed with news about this trial.
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Plus, I'm on Instagram.
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You can find me on Facebook, youtube, x, twitter.
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Just search for the podcast name and you'll probably find me.
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I will also put links in the show notes to those social media accounts.
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And thank you to those lovely people who've donated at least five dollars in my buy me a coffee account.
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I really appreciate that, because I do need a lot of coffee, but it also goes towards my costs.
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So last week I was down in Melbourne for the whole five days of the trial.
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Now I'm home in the Hunter Valley, but I'm still following it, and I'd also like to give a shout out to the Supreme Court media team in Melbourne.
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They're incredible.
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They made things just seamless.
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It went really really well from my end.
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So thank you and everyone.
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Have a great week and I will talk to you very soon.
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Thanks, bye.
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