The Australian mom of two on trial for allegedly killing three of her in-laws with poisonous mushrooms bragged on Facebook about lacing her dishes with the powdered fungi — including brownies for her kids, according to testimony Monday.
Erin Patterson, 50, was known to frequent a Facebook group obsessed with the case of convicted infant killer Keli Lan, with her pals testifying Monday that she touted her ability to cook mushrooms into any dish without anyone being the wiser, the Guardian reported.
“I’ve been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything. Mixed it into chocolate brownies yesterday, the kids had no idea” Patterson wrote in a message to the group.
Patterson, a mother-of-two, is accused of the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband.
The victims all fell ill after being served beef Wellington, with prosecutors claiming Patterson knowingly laced the meal with deadly death cap mushrooms.
Facebook friends and fellow armchair detectives Christine Hunt, Daniela Barkley, and Jenny Hay said Patterson often shared photos of the dishes she prepared for her family, including pictures of a dehydrator in her kitchen that was exclusively used for mushrooms.
Patterson had denied ever owning a food dehydrator, but police traced one that she owned to a nearby garbage dump containing death cap mushrooms.
Barkley told the court that Patterson had once asked the group for advice on preparing beef Wellington, with Hay giving the online friend some tips to make sure it wouldn’t come out soggy.
The online friends also claimed Patterson often complained about her husband, Simon, accusing him of being “controlling” and “coercive” in their relationship.
Hunt, who described Patterson as a “really good researcher” and a “super sleuth,” said Patterson also complained about dealing with Simon and his family’s religious beliefs given she was an atheist.
Patterson has denied the allegations that she deliberately served poisoned food to her guests, with her defense attorney saying the deaths were a “terrible accident.”
The court previously heard how Simon’s family ate individual portions of beef Wellington off four large grey dinner plates, while the accused ate from a smaller, tan-colored plate.
Prosecutors also claimed that Patterson faked a cancer diagnosis to lure the victims to her home for the deadly meal.