Cook lunch says the test meal was `special ”

An Australian woman accused of having intentionally prepared a fatal lunch of mushrooms said to her test that she had wanted Beef Wellington’s meal to be “special”.

Erin Patterson pleaded not guilty of having murdered three people and tried to kill another at his home in the Victoria region in July 2023.

The 50 -year -old man says it was a tragic accident and that she had never intended to injure the family members she loved. But prosecutors argue that Mrs. Patterson put toxic mushrooms in their food in a plot carefully designed to kill them.

Friday, the court learned that it was “unusual” for Ms. Patterson to welcome such an event at home, and she was questioned about her relations with her guests.

The in-laws of Mrs. Patterson, Don and Gail Patterson, both of 70 years old, as well as Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, all fell ill and died a few days after lunch.

Heather’s husband, local pastor Ian Wilkinson, was also hospitalized but recovered after getting out of an induced coma for several weeks. Simon Patterson, the separate spouse of the accused, was also invited, but had withdrawn the day before.

More than 50 control witnesses gave evidence during the trial, which started six weeks ago, but Ms. Patterson became the first for the defense when she went to the stand on Monday.

Friday, on Friday, on her second day of counter-examination, Ms. Patterson told court that she had accepted that the invitations to her house were rare, but said that she had organized the opportunity to discuss a health problem and wanted to prepare a good meal for her relatives to thank them for their support.

“I wanted it to be special,” said Patterson.

She previously admitted that she had misleaded her guests by making them believe that she might need treatment against cancer, telling the jury that she had done as a blanket for the weight loss surgery she planned to have but was too embarrassed to disclose.

Prosecutor Nanette Rogers, however, questioned him that there was no health problem to discuss, and that she had invited Simon and her relatives to kill them. She had even prepared a toxic spare meal in case Mr. Patterson changed his mind and came, suggested Dr. Rogers.

Again and again this week, Ms. Patterson denied these allegations, often becoming emotional by telling the court that she loved lunch guests Like his own family.

She also said on several occasions in the court that she had produced, in the days that followed lunch, that Wellington beef may have accidentally included dried mushrooms she had fed, which were kept in a container with fields bought in store.

Stay in the police and health authorities on the source of mushrooms and its decision to have a food dehydrator was both because it was afraid of being blamed for the disastrous diseases of the guests, she said.

“Surely if you had loved them, then you would have immediately informed the medical authorities?” Asked Dr. Rogers.

Ms. Patterson said that she had not informed doctors of the possibility that wild mushrooms were included involuntarily because lunch guests were already receiving treatment for mass mushroom intoxication.

“Even after being released from the hospital, you have not told one person that there may have been fur mushrooms used in the meal,” said Dr. Rogers.

“Instead, you got up, you led your children to school … and you got home. And then you got rid of the dehydrator.”

“Correct,” said Ms. Patterson.

The court learned that there had been a conflict between Ms. Patterson and her husband, and Dr. Rogers suggested that the accused was still angry with his parents-in-law for having taken the side of their son.

“You have had two faces,” said Dr. Rogers, after having Ms. Patterson read aloud in which she criticizes both Simon Patterson and her parents.

There was her “public face” to have seemed to have a good relationship with Don and Gail, said Dr. Rogers, and a “private face” she showed in messages.

“What you really felt for Don and Gail was the way you expressed it (there),” she said.

“And this is what you really felt about Simon Patterson … You have not considered it a decent human being to his heart, correct or incorrect?”

It was “incorrect”, replied Ms. Patterson, her trembling head and vacillating.

The use by Ms. Patterson of the inaturalist website – which has listed the locations of the mushrooms of death hood in areas close to her house – was also examined, the accused saying repeatedly that she was clearly never remembered the site.

She will take over the counter-perspective next week. The trial, which should initially take six weeks, should now take place for at least fifteen days, said the court in the court.