Erin Patterson, 50, is currently on trial for the alleged murder of her in-laws and the attempted murder of her estranged husband's brother, following the poisoning of four lunch guests with contaminated beef wellingtons served at her home in Leongatha on July 29, 2023.

The trial commenced on April 29, 2025, and is expected to last five to six weeks, with the jury now deliberating after Patterson's testimony concluded.

After eight days of testimony, Patterson expressed emotional distress about disappointing her son regarding a flying lesson, often needing tissues but remaining largely composed.

Patterson faces three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, pleading not guilty to the deaths of her estranged husband's relatives: Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson.

A central issue in the trial is whether Patterson intentionally included death cap mushrooms in the dish, which she claims was an accident during her mushroom preparation.

During her testimony, Patterson admitted to foraging for mushrooms and drying them before the lunch, while also acknowledging that she purchased dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer in Melbourne.

Patterson faced allegations of fabricating stories about the source of the mushrooms and denied that her children had accompanied her foraging.

Despite claiming she foraged for mushrooms only a handful of times between June 2021 and December 2022, she exchanged 4,000 messages with her estranged husband during that period without mentioning foraging.

Patterson's son testified that she appeared fine on the drive home and never actually stopped for a toilet break, which raised doubts about her claims.

The prosecutor concluded a rigorous cross-examination, challenging Patterson's assertions that she did not intentionally use death caps in the meal and suggesting she hid evidence from police by resetting a phone.

Throughout the trial, Patterson's evidence contradicted that of her children and other witnesses, raising significant questions about her credibility.

The prosecution suggested that Patterson may have misled her guests about her health status to gain sympathy and assistance with her weight loss surgery plans.