Energy News
FARM NEWS
Australian woman charged with murder over mushroom meal deaths
Australian woman charged with murder over mushroom meal deaths
by AFP Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) Nov 2, 2023

Australian police charged a woman with murder Thursday over a mushroom meal that left three people dead and a local preacher fighting for his life.

Erin Patterson, 49, faces three counts of murder and two of attempted murder over the meal, Victoria state detectives said in a statement.

She has publicly denied any wrongdoing.

The charges were laid just hours after detectives had arrested her and searched her home in the small rural town of Leongatha, southeast of Melbourne.

In addition, police said they had charged Patterson with another three counts of attempted murder over three earlier incidents in 2021-2022 when a 48-year-old man "became ill after meals".

It was the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the nation.

Patterson allegedly served a beef Wellington meal on July 29 to her estranged parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, local Baptist pastor Ian Wilkinson and his wife Heather.

Later that night, the two couples were taken to hospital with food poisoning symptoms as their health rapidly deteriorated.

Within a week, three of them were dead.

Of the four, only 69-year-old pastor Wilkinson survived after spending nearly two months gravely ill in hospital. He was released on September 23.

He appeared for the first time in public in early October at a memorial for his wife, with a local newspaper describing him as "frail-looking" and "using a walking frame".

- 'Devastated' -

Police have said their symptoms were consistent with those caused by eating highly toxic death cap mushrooms, though they made no reference to the ingredient in their latest statement.

"Today's charges are just the next step in what has been an incredibly complex, methodical and thorough investigation by Homicide Squad detectives," said Detective Inspector Dean Thomas of the Victorian police homicide squad.

"I think it is particularly important that we keep in mind that at the heart of this, three people have lost their lives," he said.

In smaller communities, "a tragedy such as this can reverberate for years to come", he added.

Police had named community newsletter editor Patterson as a suspect soon after the fateful meal.

Patterson always insisted she was innocent, reportedly saying in August that she had unwittingly bought the mushrooms from an Asian grocery store and that the poisonings were accidental.

"I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones," she said in a statement provided to Australian media at the time.

"I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved."

Death cap mushrooms sprout freely throughout wet, warm parts of Australia and are easily mistaken for edible varieties.

They reportedly taste sweeter than other types of mushrooms but possess potent toxins that slowly poison the liver and kidneys.

Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FARM NEWS
Australian woman arrested in lethal mushroom mystery
Sydney (AFP) Nov 2, 2023
Australian police on Thursday arrested the woman at the centre of a mushroom meal mystery that left three people dead and a local preacher fighting for his life. The arrest of 49-year-old Erin Patterson is the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the nation and thrust the spotlight on the small rural town of Leongatha, 110 kilometres (70 miles) southeast of Melbourne. Police said they arrested Patterson in the morning and began a search of her home with the help of "technology detector dogs", ... read more

FARM NEWS
Six trends to watch in commercial Earth observation

2023 Ozone Hole Ranks 16th Largest, NASA and NOAA Researchers Find

AWE launching to Space Station to study atmospheric waves via airglow

Gearing up for EarthCARE

FARM NEWS
Satnav test on remote island lab

Trimble and Kyivstar to provide GNSS correction services in Ukraine

Galileo becomes faster for every user

Present and future of satellite navigation

FARM NEWS
Oman revives CO2-busting mangroves as climate threat lurks

New study finds hidden trees across Europe: A billion tons of biomass is overlooked today

Reclaiming land stolen in heart of Guatemalan reserve

International summit in Congo mulls future of tropical forests

FARM NEWS
Engineers develop an efficient process to make fuel from carbon dioxide

Unlocking sugar to generate biofuels and bioproducts

Breakthrough 3D Printing Technique Doubles Solar Fuel Efficiency

Cow manure to synthetic gas: How can we optimize the process?

FARM NEWS
Decades of Solar Mirror Research Now Accessible in New Database

Quantum Dot Breakthrough at DGIST Promises to Revolutionize Solar Cell Efficiency

Iraq inches toward solar-powered future

Solar mini-grids offer clean-power hope to rural Africa

FARM NEWS
Biden approves largest offshore wind project in US history

NREL analysis identifies drivers of offshore wind development

Floating offshore wind could bring billions in value to the west coast, report shows

Samis block Norway govt offices over illegal wind farms

FARM NEWS
Cheap electricity and jobs keep Serbia tied to coal

German finance minister casts doubt on 2030 coal exit

S.Africa risks 15,000 deaths by 2050 if green transition delayed: study

EU climate talks at loggerheads over fossil fuel language

FARM NEWS
Flags at half-mast as China mourns late premier

HK students jailed for 'glorifying' attack on police; Local parties shut out of elections

Flowers laid at former home of late Chinese premier Li Keqiang

Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies at 68

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.