The triple-murder trial of a woman accused of poisoning her in-laws has wrapped up for a second week at the Latrobe Valley law courts in the Victorian town of Morwell. Erin Patterson is accused of serving them a beef wellington with deadly mushrooms in 2023.
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00:00Erin Paterson breaks down in court. Facebook friends say she seemed to really like mushrooms
00:07and the deadly beef Wellington she made was delicious. These revelations and more from
00:13week two of Erin Paterson's triple murder trial. Erin Paterson was in tears as the jury
00:18was played video of police interviews with her son and daughter recorded several weeks
00:23after the deadly lunch. The children described eating leftovers of meat, green beans and
00:28potatoes the following night but no mushrooms and did not get sick. Hospital doctors who
00:34testified initially thought the lunch guests had food poisoning or gastroenteritis but after
00:39abnormal evidence of liver damage and a delay in the onset of some symptoms suspected death
00:44cap mushrooms. Erin Paterson, the chef at the meal, also went to hospital. Dr Veronica Foote
00:50told the court she reported that she had since Saturday night diarrhoea and abdominal pain but
00:55no vomiting. Dr Foote says she measured blood pressure, temperature and pulse and that Erin
01:01metrics were within normal ranges but her pulse was high hitting 140 beats per minute at 10am.
01:06Over time it settled and it was approximately 100 beats per minute on the last observations. Then
01:13saying stress and anxiety can make your heart rate go up and then go down. Don and Gail Paterson,
01:19Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and husband Ian Wilkinson all became gravely ill after the lunch. Ian
01:25Wilkinson is the only guest who survived. Dr Chris Webster says he told Erin Paterson she could
01:31die without urgent care but Erin Paterson discharged herself from hospital against medical advice.
01:37He says he then called police to bring her back and when he found out her children had eaten
01:41leftovers insisted they be checked out but she resisted. She was concerned they would be frightened,
01:47he said. I said they could be scared and alive or dead. He also said Heather Wilkinson described the
01:53beef Wellington as delicious and the court was told Ms Wilkinson had also raved about the meal to friends
01:58before falling ill. The sole surviving guest of the deadly lunch Ian Wilkinson also gave evidence
02:04saying he was surprised but happy to be invited to lunch. He said the group talked about Erin Paterson's
02:10recently built home and she was reluctant to show guests her pantry. He told the court,
02:15I thought maybe the pantry's a mess. Ian Wilkinson also said Erin Paterson rejected offers to help
02:21plate the food and this is how he remembers everyone sat at the table. He also reiterated that all the
02:26guests had grey plates but Erin Paterson's food was on an orange plate. Friends Erin Paterson made on
02:33an online true crime group were also called to give evidence and told the court she seemed to really
02:38like mushrooms. A Facebook message she sent the group showed Erin Paterson had been hiding powdered
02:44mushrooms in everything including chocolate brownies. The court heard Erin Paterson also asked the group
02:50advice on how to cook a beef Wellington two weeks before the fatal lunch. Erin Paterson has pleaded not
02:54guilty to three charges of murder and one count of attempted murder. The trial resumes next week.
03:02Adam.
03:08Commissioners next week.