When homicide squad detectives came knocking with a search warrant in hand to seize items from accused killer Erin Patterson’s home, they say they arrived prepared.
The warrant listed electronic devices as items of interest after two guests who ate lunch at her Leongatha home days earlier had died and two others lay critically ill in hospital with their organs shutting down from mushroom poisoning.
“We seized everything we saw,” Detective Leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall told a jury in Patterson’s triple-murder trial in Morwell, in Victoria’s south-east, this week.
During their four-hour search of Patterson’s home, police seized devices, including computers and mobile phones, and SIM cards. They also found a RecipeTin Eats cookbook, which included a food-spattered page for a beef Wellington recipe.
Erin Patterson’s house and car in Leongatha in August 2023.Credit: Joe Armao
Raking over many aspects of the accused’s life, police collected CCTV footage, banking records, purchases made with a Woolworths rewards card, web browser history, medical records and messages to friends and family.
The mobile phone messages
Patterson, 50, frequently messaged her in-laws – Don and Gail Patterson, parents of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson – in the year leading up to their alleged murders, speaking regularly with them about health matters and her two young children.
“Happy Mother’s Day to the best mother-in-law anyone could wish for,” Erin wrote to Gail on May 8, 2022.
“Very kind of you xo,” Gail replied.
In Signal messages, police also found conversations between Erin, Don and Simon about various health concerns Erin had.
In messages between Erin and Simon, they chatted about their children’s basketball games. Erin expressed the desire for Simon to come and watch the games even if that meant he missed his Bible study classes.
Don, the court heard, had also been tutoring his teenage grandson in mathematics.
In messages between Don and Erin between January 1 and 15, 2022, they discussed Erin’s health.
Erin Patterson, her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson (bottom right), and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson (top right).Credit: Matthew Absalom-Wong
“Sorry to hear about your back problems. Hope and pray it gets better quickly. It was great to chat with the kids this morning,” messaged Don, who was a member of the local Baptist church, along with his wife and other family members.
Erin thanked him and said she had had a terrible day the day before.
“We will keep praying that He keeps you all in good health,” Don replied.
She also messaged Don about COVID-19 cases in the area and warned him to be careful when out and about. “There’s so much virus in our community right now,” she said.
In another message, Don inquired after Erin’s health again: “Hope your health is OK and that they get to the bottom of your problem. Love Don and Gail.”
It was August 3, 2023, when Eppingstall and his team of homicide detectives formally took over the case. This, he told the jury, was once they had learned of a mass food-poisoning event at a Leongatha family lunch on July 29, 2023.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall gave evidence this week.Credit: Jason South
Within hours of taking on the case, he said, Heather Wilkinson, Gail’s sister, had died, and Gail and Don soon followed. Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband, survived.
The medical records
Police allege Patterson falsely claimed to have cancer to lure her guests to lunch.
Officers scoured medical records, including the Victorian cancer database and doctor and hospital records, to confirm she had never been diagnosed with cancer.
Text messages show Gail inquiring about a medical appointment Erin said she had.
“Hi Erin, just wondering how you got on at your appointment today. Love Gail and Don”.
Erin replied: “Hi Gail, sorry I had taken [her daughter] to see a movie last night, we saw The Little Mermaid, the appointment went OK … I had a needle biopsy of the lump and am returning for an MRI next. Will know more after that.”
Members of the homicide squad arrive at court.Credit: Jason South
Eppingstall said there were no records of medical appointments on that day.
The following day, June 29, 2023, Gail replied: “That’s a test of patience isn’t it. Praying you’ll know God’s peace.”
The following week, the two women further discussed the lump.
The accused said there was “a lot to digest” and she might talk to her mother-in-law about it when she next saw her in person.
The grocery receipts
Detectives knew what Patterson and her family had eaten, her Woolworths supermarket purchases and even her fast-food buys in the hours and days after the fatal lunch.
Eppingstall said CCTV footage that police had collected showed Patterson driving, stopping at stores and Leongatha hospital in the 48 hours that followed the cooking of the fatal beef Wellington meal.
The homicide detective said bank records also revealed Patterson bought food at a doughnut van and service station after the lunch.
The records capture $15.10 spent at a BP service station in Caldermeade, where a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich, and a sweet chilli chicken wrap were bought.
A second record, dated in the bank records as August 1, shows $13.10 was spent at a doughnut van in Koo Wee Rup.
Even receipts for a family meal ordered from the Korumburra Top Hotel – garlic bread and chicken parmigianas – were collected into evidence.
On her Woolworths rewards card, police say they found Patterson’s recent grocery visits, where items including pastry, mushrooms, onions, meat, beans and potatoes were purchased in the days leading up to the lunch.
The phone records
Police then used Patterson’s phone records and local phone towers to try to track her movements, alleging her phone pinged a tower near a public sighting of death cap mushrooms, published on a nature website months before the meal.
Police trawled through several of Patterson’s devices, including computers, tablets and mobile phones – but say one of Patterson’s phones was never found.
And as one of her Samsung mobile phones lay inside an evidence bag in Eppingstall’s locked police station locker, it was remotely wiped, the prosecution allege.
Phone evidence given by the proseuction regarding a missing phone that was never found
PHONE 1 – Samsung Galaxy – called the ‘A23’ phone – found in son’s bedroom cupboard during August 5, 2023 search warrant.
PHONE 2 – Samsung Galaxy – called ‘Phone A’ – seen with Erin Patterson in footage taken from CCTV at Leongatha hospital. Pink case. Never found.
PHONE 3 – Samsung Galaxy – called “Phone B” – physically handed to police during a search warrant on August 5, 2023. Orange/red case.
PHONE 4 – Nokia smartphone – SIM card from ‘Phone A’ allegedly put into this phone during the house raid on August 5, 2023- at 1.45pm – and used afterwards.
The interview
On August 5, 2023, Patterson was interviewed by police, the recording of which was played to the jury this week.
In the interview room, Eppingstall and another detective asked her why she had not fallen ill while the other lunch guests had.
“I’ve never been in a situation like this before, I’ve been very, very helpful with the Health Department during the week … because I do want to know what happened. I’ve given them as much info as they’ve asked for,” she responded.
When told her ex-partner, Simon, had raised questions over why Erin had invited his parents to lunch, she said: “They’ve always been very good to me. I want to maintain those relationships, despite what’s happening with Simon. I love them a lot. They’ve always been really good to me and always said they would support me.
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“I really appreciated that because both my parents are gone, my grandparents are all gone, they’re the only family that I’ve got.
“I think Simon hated that.
“I love them. Nothing he’s [Simon] ever done to me will change the fact they’re good, decent people.”
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder.
The trial continues.
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