Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand.
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Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023.
Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence.
She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5.
Cross-examination begins
'What does that emoji mean to you?'
The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not.
Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson.
The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems.
The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth.
Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes.
"I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said.
Screenshots raised amid cancer claim
The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer.
Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches.
"I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said.
"I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said.
Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023.
Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer.
"I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said.
"I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said.
Cancer claims challenged
Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused.
"I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said.
"I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said.
"You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said.
"Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said.
The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific".
Details of dehydrator disposal
Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it.
A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said.
Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms.
"You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said.
"I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said.
Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home.
"You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said.
"No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said.
Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning.
"You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said.
"No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said.
The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill.
She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit.
"And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said.
"I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said.
Wild mushrooms
Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023.
"On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said.
"I did," Ms Patterson said.
She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home.
Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital.
The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said.
Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time".
Simon skips lunch
Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch.
"You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said.
"If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said.
The trial is continuing.
Anna Houlahan
Anna Houlahan is a journalist for the Courier, dedicated to uncovering the stories that shape the city. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
