Divya 
In the Erin Patterson triple murder trial, the Victorian Supreme Court has heard that Patterson’s daughter ate leftovers from the deadly mushroom meal the day after the fatal lunch. A video interview recorded by police on 16 August 2023 was played in court, where the girl revealed that her mother served her and her brother steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans from the same meal that allegedly killed three guests and critically injured another.
Erin Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The victims, Don and Gail Patterson (her ex-husband’s parents) and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, died after a lunch at her home in Leongatha on 29 July 2023. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived after being hospitalized in critical condition.
The daughter, whose identity is protected by a suppression order, described how Patterson became ill with stomach pain and diarrhea the morning after the meal but still served the leftovers that evening. The court has previously heard that the lunch was allegedly organized to discuss a cancer diagnosis Patterson claimed she had, though no medical records supported such a diagnosis.
On the witness stand, nurse Cindy Munro testified that Patterson appeared far less ill than the Wilkinsons, who were in serious condition. Munro also recounted Patterson becoming emotional and saying, “I don’t want the children to be involved in this.” Despite being warned about the seriousness of the poisoning, Patterson discharged herself from Leongatha Hospital within five minutes of arrival, signing a “discharge at own risk” form.
Further testimony revealed tension between Patterson and her estranged husband, Simon, especially in the year leading up to the lunch, due to child support disputes and school changes.
Prosecutors argue the poisonings were deliberate, though they have not presented a clear motive. The defense maintains it was an accidental case of death cap mushroom poisoning.
The trial, presided over by Justice Christopher Beale, continues in Morwell.
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