RedHanded - Bonus Patreon Upcycle - Erin Patterson: Mushroom Murder Mystery

Episode Date: December 26, 2024

As RedHanded takes a festive pause, we've picked two of our favourite Patreon Bonus episodes from 2024. To get a full-length, bonus episode of RedHanded every month – plus weekly video episodes of Under the Duvet and much more besides – head to Patreon.com/redhanded and sign up. Or, head to patreon.com/redhanded/gift to buy a membership for someone else!--The world was gripped in the summer of 2023 when a 49-year-old Australian woman was accused of poisoning four members of her own family via a toxin-laced Beef Wellington. On the 29th of July that year, Erin Patterson served four of her ex-husband’s family members a dish containing Amanita phalloides, also known as “death cap” mushrooms; three of them tragically died.Patterson still claims to this day that the whole thing was a complete accident entirely out of her control. However, her previous history of potentially poisonous plots begs to differ, especially when it comes to her ex-husband, Simon.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramXVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Red Handed early and ad-free. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. So, get this. The Ontario Liberals elected Bonnie Crombie as their new leader. Bonnie who? I just sent you her profile. Check out her place in the Hamptons. Huh, fancy. She's a big carbon tax supporter, yeah? Oh yeah. Check out her record as mayor. Oh, get out of here.

She even increased taxes in this economy. Yeah, higher taxes, carbon taxes. She sounds expensive. Bonnie Crombie and the Ontario Liberals. They just don't get it. That'll cost you. A message from the Ontario PC Party. Alice and Matt here from British Scandal.

Matt, if we had a bingo card, what would be on there? Oh, compelling storytelling, egotistical white men and dubious humour. If that sounds like your cup of tea, you will love our podcast, British Scandal, the show where every week

we bring you stories from this green and not always so pleasant land. We've looked at spies, politicians, media magnates, a king, no one is safe. And knowing our country, we won't be out of a job

anytime soon. Follow British Scandal wherever you listen to your podcasts. I'm Afua Hirsch. I'm Peter Frankopan. And in our podcast, Legacy, we explore the lives of some of the biggest characters in history. This season, we're looking at the life of the most famous Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. Her death is seemingly more well known than her life, but her journey from the daughter of the Austrian Emperor to becoming the most hated woman in France is just as fascinating. So we're going to look at the ways in which her story was distorted

during the French Revolution and dig deeper into her real experiences in a troubled, difficult time. Marie Antoinette is one of the most well-recognised but least well-understood names in history. And we talk about how her death led to the way that she was spoken about in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Follow Legacy now from wherever you get your podcasts. Or binge entire seasons early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. I'm Hannah. I'm Saruti.

And welcome to your Patreon bonus episode for month question mark. Month of August. Okay, well done. I'm glad you're on top of it. I don't know my name or where I live. It's all right. We're not in August yet, but we soon will be. And the people listening to this will definitely be. So let's get on with it. People often talk about what they would choose as their final meal.

According to data from experts on this pretty niche topic, the most popular contenders among death row prisoners in the US are steak, pizza and ice cream. All together, on top of each other. Yum. What would be yours? As morbid as this all is. People ask me this often and I just don't have a good answer. I know.

It really depends how i'm feeling oh actually no i do know what i want fried chicken from barbecue fried chicken in chanwon south korea that's what i want get it for me what about you i really depends on how i'm feeling i i went and had a chinese hot pot last night because i was telling you under the duvet and people can probably hear my nose is incredibly bunged up and i couldn't taste anything all weekend and it was making me feel very frustrated and i was like i need something as spicy as i can possibly get blow your mouth up exactly so i went to halido hot pot in covent garden and had the spiciest hot pot they would do for me and i was i was weeping but it was glorious. And I'm already thinking about when

I can find an excuse to go back because it is just so, it's a very like labor intensive meal, but it is worth it. And I'm already salivating. So one of them. However, on Saturday, the 29th of July, 2023, I think you probably know where this is going. Oh, I hope. You guys have been asking us to do this case for so long and it's happening. Yes, we're doing it because we do what we're told and also we're going to Australia. Three members of an Australian family had no idea that the delicious beef wellington they met up for would turn out to be theirs. As in their last ever meal. Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, along with Gail's 66-year-old sister Heather Wilkinson,

were tragically poisoned by what medics believed to be the aptly named death cap mushroom in their food. I said this at the time. Beef Wellington is incredibly labour intensive. Uh-huh. Yeah. Never made one. It's hard, man. And so I presume the death cap mushroom is chopped up into the...

Little duxelles. Yes, exactly. That you roll the meat in before you put the pastry on which you know points for effort i mean yes points for effort nil boire for killing all of your guests yes also that yeah yeah but you know you could have just done a risotto or something oh really is that an option like i said i don't eat beef so it's not particularly high on my list of things to learn to make but i believe you get some pastry you have some crepes the crepes involved no oh i thought it was like a duck cell with some crepes and then you wrap the beef in it and then you wrap it in the pastry i might be wrong it's beef and

the chopped up little tiny mushrooms um so you put the mushrooms on the beef and then you wrap it in like parma ham or equivalent oh okay um and then well that's how gordon does it and then you put pastry on it i see and then you will never ever ever ever ever do it correctly because it is an impossible dish is it worth it no i suspected as much okay stop laughing me because don gail and heather all died in hospital within a week of eating the deadly Wellington. Heather's husband, Ian, was left fighting for survival and he needed an emergency liver transplant. But one person at that table that day miraculously seemed to come out of the whole ordeal unscathed. Never a good look.

Uh-huh. And that was, of course, 48-year-old housewife Erin Patterson. Look, like we said in our collaboration episode that we did with Wine and Crime, where we talked about the teacup poisoner, if you're going to run around poisoning people, you've got to poison yourself a little bit. You've got to have a little nibble of the mushroom. At least a lick. Or not be there. Or not kill people you know. Erin was the victim's former daughter-in-law and just so happened to be the one who'd cooked the Wellington.

As a media frenzy rose, the eyes of the world were suddenly on a tiny town in Australia and the apparent female poisoner at the centre of the case. Naturally, the question we all have is, did Erin deliberately poison her ex-relatives? Yes. The end. Or was she perhaps just the unluckiest hostess in the world? I wouldn't say she's the unluckiest because she didn't die and neither did her daughter.

Unlike all those people in Hong Kong. Today we're going to analyse the case against Erin Patterson, Australia's accused mushroom murderer. And we're also going to talk about our absolute fascination with toxic women because cannot get enough. Now, as this is an ongoing legal case at the time that we're recording this, at the end of July 2024, we're going to use the word alleged a lot. But when it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, tastes like a duck, well, you get the picture. Tastes like a death cat mushroom. I know, if we were smarter, we would have done something like,

looks like a normal mushroom, smells like a normal mushroom, but tastes like a death cat mushroom i know if we were smarter we would have done something like it looks like a normal mushroom smells like a normal mushroom but tastes like a death cat don't know yeah make your own jokes we can't do it all for you so let's get to our alleged murderous erin patterson and her life leading up to the fateful events of july last year as of mid 2023 erin had been separated from her husband, Simon Patterson, for a couple of years. But she had chosen to keep his name. She was living with their two school-aged children in the small town of Learngather, in Australia's rural Victoria region, around 84 miles southeast of Melbourne.

The town has a population of just under 6,000, and is known for its dairy farming and agriculture, hosting an adorable-sounding daffodil festival every single year. That is adorable. It is. And its name, Leongatha, is a Boonmarung Aboriginal word

which is thought to have meant teeth. Less adorable. But it is quite fitting because it seems that Erin was hiding some pretty sharp teeth of her own. Not that you'd know that just to look at her. A mumsy-looking housewife, Erin usually wore cosy fleeces,

with her brown hair thrown up in a messy ponytail. I won't hit anything against that look. The fleece and the messy ponytail. It's my life. Just like any other ordinary stay-at-home mother. Except I have no children. And no one's called me mumsy yet. Erin had also previously edited a local newspaper called The Borough Flyer,

which Simon and the rest of his family had also been deeply involved in. Because you've got to know when that daffodil festival's happening. You hate to miss out. And you've got to review it. Uh-huh. Those who knew Erin locally have described her as harmless,

but somewhat distant, with a blunt manner and just not into small talk. A wallflower, not a butterfly. This came across in stark contrast to her ex-husband Simon and his relatives, who were more well-known popular figures in their corner of the world. Simon's uncle, Ian Wilkinson, was a pastor at Corumbora Baptist Church, the centre of the close-knit religious community that they all belonged to. His parents, Don and Gail, had spent much of Simon's childhood on missionary trips around the globe, alongside their jobs as schoolteachers,

and they frequently volunteered to work in their local area. Erin, a quiet and awkward atheist, as far as her online acquaintances were led to believe, hardly seems like a natural fit in this Christian, community-minded family. And if screenshots shared by one online friend are any indication, Erin also didn't share her in-laws' patience and appreciation for her fellow townspeople. In one message, Erin apparently slammed local contributors to the Borough Flyer as, quote, illiterate motherfuckers. And while Simon coached kids basketball and played bass guitar in a band,

Erin's only friendships were found on the internet. One of these connections said about Erin, You have to imagine the most extreme introvert you've ever met. Reclusive, only online friends. Interestingly, Erin forged these friendships on a forum for fans of true crime. Now obviously we're not saying that if you're into true crime. Now, obviously, we're not saying that if you're into true crime, that makes you a murderer.

What a pointless comment that would be to make. And it would also cause some awkward conversations for all of us. But it is certainly interesting that Aaron was apparently a huge fan of Agatha Christie books, which are famous for their poison plots. And what we can tell

is that Simon and Aaron are very different people. So was their marriage and subsequent divorce a recipe for disaster? I mean, I probably would have called it. Leading up to the day of the fateful lunch in July 2023, the estranged couple had been doing their level best to co-parent their son and daughter as civilly as possible. I just can't even imagine what a nightmare. I feel like Simon was. I don't believe that Erin was.

Yeah. And that's why, on the surface, Erin's decision to invite her ex's family over for a home-cooked lunch doesn't seem that unusual. According to Erin, her relationship with her in-laws had continued in a fairly amicable way after she'd split up with Simon, and she never held any ill will towards them. Don't believe you. She was keen to maintain ties between her children and their grandparents, or so she said. But on that particular Saturday, Erin's children were out at the cinema with their mates. And Simon, the only other link between Erin and her invitees,

was supposed to attend but dropped out for unknown reasons. And that might be enough for most people to cancel plans, but not Erin. She went ahead with the Wellington lunch as apparently planned. As I said, they're difficult. Just serving Simon's parents, his aunt and his uncle. Whether Erin knew what was about to unfold, just serving Simon's parents, his aunt and his uncle. Whether Erin knew what was about to unfold is still yet to be officially proven in a court of law. Listen, we would give anything to have been a fly on the wall

at that weird family lunch. But sadly, we weren't. So we've got to fill in the gaps from what is known to the public. And obviously throw in a little bit of speculation too. It was a cool and cloudy day in Leongatha. The Paterson home probably smelled amazing, from the hot beef wellington baking in the oven, mingling with the fresh scent of the eucalyptus trees that grow in the local woodland. The same woods where, earlier in the year, innocent-looking white mushrooms would pop their heads above the grass in the wet autumn season.

Mushrooms, just like humans because they are more closely related to us than they are plants, are crafty little fuckers. They're just as likely to make a delicious stew or get you high as a kite as they are to kill you. And since the dawn of time, humans have been playing Russian roulette with them. I was actually reading an article this morning about how there's a paper that's just been published with the theory that psilocybin is why humans have consciousness. Oh, wow. Because we've been fucking at it man we've been at it for millennia and that's like another thing i'm researching drugs a lot at the moment

and it's just what like we just need to accept that humans are always always always going to attempt to modify their consciousness of course we're not going to stop. Nah. Anyway, as their nickname suggests, death cap mushrooms, officially called Amanita phalloides, are no joke. Anything with death in the name. Don't laugh at it. Yes.

Death cap mushrooms are responsible for 90% of mushroom poisoning deaths worldwide, mainly of unsuspecting dogs and inexperienced foragers who mistake them for their edible cousins. Even the smallest bite of a death cap mushroom can kill you. In one anecdotal case we read, a six foot two man is said to have eaten a tiny little weenie bit of a mushroom

that he picked off the grass and he was dead within three to four days. Don't pick them up. Don't put them in your mouth don't do it you can buy mushrooms at the supermarket and yes cost of living crisis but they are one of the cheaper vegetables and you know that they're not going to kill you i also don't like this idea of amateur foragers or inexperienced foragers picking mushrooms. Go out with a very experienced forager if you're going to pick mushroom because they will kill you. The toxins in a death cap mushroom are resistant to cooking or boiling. No!

You can even die from drinking the water that they've been plopped in and plopped out. Oh my God. And whilst these evil shrooms are not native to Australia, they are known to grow freely across rural Victoria, prompting the state government to issue multiple warnings over the years to warn residents of their dangers. I wonder how many people have actually been murdered by these. Ah.

Especially if they're growing wild everywhere. Erin Patterson, the housewife cooking up a storm for lunch inside her house for her ex-relatives, probably would have known all about death cat mushrooms. The newsletter that she'd edited previously once published an article teaching readers how to grow their own mushrooms. And perhaps, most pertinently, one of Erin's neighbours revealed to the press that Erin was good at foraging for mushrooms and regularly did it as a seasonal activity with her family. From Wanderie, I'm Raza Jafri and this is The Spy Who. This series, we open the file on Eamon Dean, the spy who betrayed Bin Laden. In 1994, 16-year-old Eamon wants to die.

He heads to Bosnia to join the Mujahideen and save his fellow Muslims. He hopes to become a martyr. Instead, he's about to be confronted by a cruel and bloody reality. Follow The Spy Who now, wherever you listen to podcasts. I'm Jake Warren, and in our first season of Finding, I set out on a very personal quest to find the woman who saved my mum's life. You can listen to Finding Natasha right now, exclusively on Wondery+. In season two, I found myself caught up in a new journey to help someone I've never even met.

But a couple of years ago, I came across a social media post by a person named Loti. It read in part, Three years ago today that I attempted to jump off this bridge, but this wasn't my time to go. A gentleman named Andy saved my life. I still haven't found him. This is a story that I came across purely by chance, but it instantly moved me and it's taken me to a place where I've had to consider some deeper issues around mental health. This is season two of Finding, and this time, if all goes to plan, we'll be finding Andy. You can listen to Finding Andy and Finding Natasha exclusively

and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. But in Erin Patterson's account of that day, she insists that she didn't use any wild mushrooms to prepare the meal that killed her estranged relatives. Instead, she claims to have included a mixture of fresh button mushrooms from the supermarket and dried shiitake mushrooms from an East Asian grocery shop to add flavour to her homemade beef wellington. Once it was ready, Erin called, plating up portions and letting her guests choose their

own before serving herself from the cooking dish. Oh, what a detail to include. Uh-huh. But regardless of where Erin says the mushrooms came from, one thing is known for certain. Death caps were present in the beef wellington meal that the victims ate. So there's absolutely no doubt what killed these poor people. And while Don, Gail, Heather and Ian

soon found themselves battling severe poisoning symptoms, Aaron was surprisingly unaffected. And from here on, it all becomes about who you want to believe and how much reasonable doubt you can find. I think I'd be like, oh, I feel awful. Oh, have you got stomach cramps? I've got terrible cramps. Fuck you, now.

According to a physician mysteriously going by Dr. L, who spoke to the Daily Mail about this case, the fate of someone who's ingested death cap mushrooms is not a pretty one. Ironically, typical case, someone might say, this is the most delicious mushroom I've ever eaten. That's the first sign. Oh no, you've been poisoned by a dead cat mushroom. It's too delicious.

No person can taste this and survive. It's the mushrooms of the gods. It's the forbidden mushroom. Oh no, what have we done? You shall be smote before midnight. And smote you will be because torment begins at about six to eight hours after the mushroom has been scoffed. Enjoyed.

We don't know if Erin's guests commented on the flavour of their poison, but they did start experiencing symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea at about midnight. Oh, you'd be pissed, wouldn't you? You made a fucking beef wellington with this delicious forbidden mushroom and nobody even says that was the most delicious mushroom duxelle i ever tasted before they died she's such a fucking twat i know alleged alleged alleged but these poor people i know we're laughing because it's such a ridiculous case but these poor people were such good people in their community such nice people not that anybody deserves to die like this

and so much of this story just makes so little sense as to why she even bothered doing this, but we'll come back to that. Each of them went to hospital the next day with what they thought was a common case of gastroenteritis. But medics came to suspect the much darker truth as their conditions deteriorated rapidly. And it's awful to imagine what the victims went through as their bodies battled the toxins attacking them. Dr. L describes how the death cat poisonous agent, which is called amatoxin, I'm sorry, I'm a toxin.

Amatoxin! Amatoxin! Oh my god. Stay away! But I am delicious! Despite its comical name, apparently amatoxin is a very clever poison in the way that it catastrophically attacks a person's body and essentially melts down a person's liver. And sadly, despite attempts to save them, including induced comas

and administering a milk thisthistle-based drug called silobanin, it wasn't enough for the three victims. Sisters Gail and Heather tragically passed away on the 4th of August, and despite being given an emergency liver transplant, Don followed them when he succumbed to his illness the next day. In his eulogy in August, Simon tearfully thanked the hospital staff for allowing his parents, Don and Gail, to have one last goodbye before Don was taken for surgery and Gail slipped into a coma, which she never woke up from. Her last text to her family said,

Lots of love to you all. I hate her. Miraculously, Simon's uncle Ian Wilkinson survived the poisoning. Yes, Ian. But only fucking just. He spent 21 days in a coma. He had a liver transplant and faced a gruelling recovery after eventually being released from hospital on the 24th of September.

Jesus fucking Christ. Nearly a month in a coma and a liver transplant from eating a mushroom. And you wake up and all your family's dead. Ugh. In the immediate aftermath of the poisonings, all eyes were on Erin as the self-appointed cook that day. But investigators were initially reluctant to point fingers. The police chief in the case, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas,

told the press that while Erin was a suspect, she could also be, quote, very innocent. You can't be a little bit innocent, I'm afraid. Very innocent. And he warned the public and the media not to speculate further, which obviously they totally listened to. No, they didn't. Of course, this case absolutely blew up and became global news, with a frenzied mob of reporters following Erin everywhere she went. And remember, she was at this point still a free woman. But Erin gave them a hell of a show. There are a plethora of videos out there on the internet of Erin weeping on her doorstep that went viral, as she sobbed that she quote didn't do anything and insisted she had absolutely no reason

to hurt these people whom she loved now look we've said it before we'll say it again on this show doorstepping tormenting people who've been accused of crimes it's not a good look we should allow our justice system to you know follow through we should have due diligence etc etc but after everything that's come out I find it very difficult to have any sympathy whatsoever for Erin Patterson and she's so fake as fuck when she's crying with her little mumsy face I'm like Erin shut up my god now look the point she makes about having absolutely no reason to poison her estranged family her ex's family I think that is one that is worth commenting on because i do think it's weird like obviously simon pulls out of the lunch so

it's only his parents and aunt and uncle who come to this lunch why does she go through with the poisoning what does she have to gain if it's a custody thing she doesn't want simon to have you know anything to do with these kids which i already don't really understand why does she go through it is it literally because and i don't mean to sound crass it's really hard to make a beef wellington she's like i'm not throwing it away they're eating it like i said it as a joke in the beginning but now i they take a long time yeah i honestly can't think of another reason for why she did this because, look, if you are trying to kill somebody who is the main target of your murderous rage, and I assume that that's probably Simon, we could be wrong though, we could be wrong, maybe it's the grandparents. I just think why waste an opportunity by taking a shot at people when you're not going to get the target you wanted?

It's just going to draw attention to you. Don't know. Though anyway, Erin vehemently denied any deliberate intent in the poisonings, claiming that she was, quote, devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by her loved ones. But people were quick to notice that Erin's pain seemed to be largely focused on herself. Le classique. Uh-huh. She was filmed growing angry with the reporters camping outside her house branding them vultures and moaning that she had been painted as an evil witch with the media frenzy making it impossible for her to live in this town i know this is a very unfair comparison

make it anyway she looks like rose west she does look Rose West. That's all I think of when I look at her. She looks like Rose West in a modern day adaptation of the West. Yes. And again, look, she's allowed to make those complaints that the press are ruining her life. She's allowed to dress like Rose West. She's allowed to dress like Rose West wearing a fleece. She's allowed to complain that these people are ruining her life, etc, etc. But I think it did make a lot of people feel like Erin was playing the victim, which only harmed her case in the court of public opinion even more. But it wouldn't harm her case quite as much as the bombshell that police were about to uncover.

On the 4th of August, the very same day that Gail and Heather passed away, investigators seized a food dehydrator from a local tip. Oh my god. It appeared that Erin had dumped it only days after the fateful lunch. And apparently, it appeared that Erin herself had dumped this Thermomix only days after the death lunch. Police joined the dots, which I'm sure was not hard, believing that the machine may have been used to dry out mushrooms picked earlier in the year, which would have been in season, and they were added to the Wellington on the 29th of July. Just eat seasonally, that's the motto. And any time that death cat mushrooms are

in season, don't eat beef wellington. Maybe that's something we can all take away from this. The wellington is the problem. Lock him up. So police grilled Erin about this incriminating move, throwing away her food dehydrator. and Erin's responses weren't exactly convincing. She's also such a twat. Why didn't she just freeze them? Why did she need a little food dehydrator to preserve these mushrooms out of season? She takes foraging very seriously, that's why. Would it also not infect that food dehydrator?

Why do you think she chucked it away? Fucking hell, Erin. In a later statement, she admitted to lying about throwing out the food dehydrator months earlier, which is what she originally said. She explained that she disposed of this device in a panic after her ex-husband Simon accused her in hospital of using it to poison his family members. I doubt that's what Simon said. No, I don't think that's what Simon said.

But if someone were to accuse me of murder, the last thing I would do is... Throw my Thermomix away. Throw my Thermomix away. I'd throw it at a panda. The last thing I would do is throw away the incriminating evidence in a public tip. Throw it in the sea or something. I don't know. Throw it in the sea. No, you don't know. Throw it in the sea.

No, you're right, though. You are right. But then how many times have we seen on this story people just throwing bodies in bins, end up at the landfill, never get caught. Work smart, not hard. Erin claimed that she had thrown away the dehydrator because she was afraid of being implicated in the poisonings and losing custody of her children. Which is not really how logic works, but fine. Adding even more fuel to this dumpster fire of a defence,

Erin insists she didn't even use her own picked mushrooms in the preparation of the dish. As previously mentioned, Erin claims that she had used fresh mushrooms from a chain supermarket as well as dried ones she had bought several months earlier from a mysterious Chinese grocery store somewhere in Melbourne. You can see where this is going. Erin recalls that the package was handwritten, adding to its exotic mystique and supporting the implication that maybe it wasn't totally kosher. Not cool, Erin. But it seems clear that the Victoria Police saw through Erin's deflection, as zero product recalls were done on mushrooms anywhere in Australia. Can you imagine?

Just like a taped-up poster outside this Asian supermarket doing a product recall on mushrooms that are killing people left, right and centre across the suburbs of Melbourne. She's so full of shit. And if it was ever truly felt that there was a risk to public health, you can guarantee that every mushroom in the country would have been whisked away for testing and pulled from shelves. Australia doesn't even let you bring a fucking apple seed into the country, presumably. I don't know. I've watched Australian Apple.

Not even Johnny Appleseed is allowed. It's strict. apple seed into the country, presumably. I don't know. I've watched Australian Airport. Not even Johnny Appleseed is allowed. It's strict. I couldn't think of anything less consequential. But yeah, I'm just like, they would have taken this far more seriously if there was ever even the mildest threat that it had come from some sort of shop. And of course,

there were no other reported incidents of accidental poisonings either, despite Erin claiming that she'd bought the mushrooms months earlier. Again, if you're going to do this, and I'm not trying to give out tips, you've got to kill a bunch of people. Or poison yourself, and poison yourself a little bit. It's like that guy, what was his name? The one that went around shooting other people,

because he actually wanted to shoot his wife. We did the case. Sean Alan Mohamed. Right. And the kid, Malvo, that he grooms to do the DC Snipers. Never mind. Okay, I believe you.

If you guys want to remember that case, it's episode 293, the DC Snipers I just looked up. He's always the one that jumps to mind when I'm like, that was a good idea. Not condoning it, but he did still get caught. Erin not thought things through. Conveniently, Erin also seems to have come down

with a nasty case of amnesia when it comes to where exactly she bought these dodgy Chinese shrooms from, despite it being a surefire way to exonerate her if she was telling the truth. Something stinks here, and it's not just the fungi. Another big question is how Erin managed to walk away from the lunch in relatively good shape if she had, in fact, eaten the same meal as the others. Erin's got her own explanation for this. After lunch, Erin claims that she fell ill and that she went into hospital the next day with food poisoning symptoms, where she was put on a saline drip and given some kind of anti-liver damage medication.

Her admission to hospital seems to check out with what local healthcare services have confirmed. But our favourite homeboy, Dr Todd Grande, questions whether Erin's symptoms were actually treated or whether they were just self-reported, like what I was saying I would do. And anyway, Erin's minor symptoms really don't tally with exposure to death cap mushroom toxins, even when you factor in her younger age

compared to the rest of the party. We told you about the havoc that even trace amounts of ametoxin can do to your body. And also interesting to note that Erin's two kids were totally unaffected when she reportedly fed them leftovers of the Wellington with the mushrooms scraped off because they don't like them. Oh. A camel? How did they not get sick though? Was she just scraped the fucking mushrooms off? I'm shocked like them. Oh. What? How did they not get sick, though?

Was she just scraped the fucking mushrooms off? I'm shocked by that. Yeah. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wondery Show American Scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in U.S. history. Presidential lies, environmental disasters, corporate fraud. In our latest series, NASA embarks on an ambitious program to reinvent

space exploration with the launch of its first reusable vehicle, the Space Shuttle. And in 1985, they announced they're sending teacher Krista McAuliffe into space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, along with six other astronauts. But less than two minutes after liftoff, the Challenger explodes. And in the tragedy's aftermath, investigators uncover a series of preventable failures by NASA and its contractors that led to the disaster. Follow American Scandal on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season only on Wondery+. You can join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Start your free trial today. He was hip-hop's biggest mogul, the man who redefined fame, fortune, and the music industry. The first male rapper to be honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sean Diddy Cone. Diddy built an empire and lived a life most people only dream about. Everybody know ain't no party like a Diddy party, so. Yeah, that's what's up. But just as quickly as his empire rose, it came crashing down. Today I'm announcing the unsealing of a three-count indictment,

charging Sean Combs with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, interstate transportation for prostitution. I was f***ed up. I hit rock bottom. But I made no excuses. I'm disgusted. I'm so sorry. Until you're wearing an orange jumpsuit, it's not real. Now it's real. From his meteoric rise to his shocking fall from grace, from law and crime, this is The Rise and Fall of Diddy.

Listen to The Rise and Fall of Diddy exclusively with Wondery Plus. Now if you're an optimist, you might be forgiven for thinking that maybe this whole thing has just been blown out of proportion and it was just a tragic accident after all. Obviously, our souls are dark and shriveled from years of researching true crime, so we're pretty cynical. Also, we've seen the videos of Aaron Patterson. But for balance, let's just for a second consider the alternative. After all, Erin Patterson doesn't seem like the type of person to deliberately murder her relatives. But then again, nobody really does, because if you did, they wouldn't eat lunch at your house.

She doesn't have a criminal record, and she is described by those who know her as a harmless, if slightly eccentric, member of the community. A dairy farmer who knew the family told the Telegraph that people in the small farming town of Leongatha, quote, always think the best of everyone. He said that most locals thought it was just one of those terrible accidents and the police were just going through the motions. Perhaps Erin just made a terrible mistake with mushrooms that she had foraged in an attempt to make a nice meal for her family, and then got in over her head in the aftermath.

That would make sense. If it wasn't for a certain sense of déjà vu. I remember this so clearly when this was revealed. Yeah. Because in November 2023, those following the case were stunned when Erin was charged not only with the murder, an attempted murder, for the lunch poisonings, but also for trying to kill her ex-husband Simon on at least three prior occasions in November This, it seems, wasn't Erin's first rodeo. In May 2022, Simon Patterson was struck down with a mysterious gut illness that left him in intensive care for almost a month. He spent time in an induced coma with three emergency operations and a further planned operation to save his life. A family friend

has said that Simon believed that he'd been poisoned through nightshade plants. And while his periods of illness seemed to coincide with when he had spent time with Erin, he never officially reported any suspicions. In statements to police, Erin reported reluctantly nursing Simon back to health for a period of three weeks after he fell ill in May 2022, although she insisted that she wasn't interested in reconciling with him. But Erin says a lot of things. For amateur sleuths, this opened a line of speculation that proved irresistible. Had Erin orchestrated her estranged husband's illness as an attempt to win him back?

And were the poisonings in July 2023 another dark escalation of this apparent goal? She's like, the foxgloves aren't cutting it. I need to go to the final boss. It's so weird. Are we saying it's some sort of romantically inspired Munchausen by proxy? Maybe. Maybe it's like a misery situation. Very strange. Since the Pattersons were a private family, the exact dynamics of Erin's and Simon's relationship pre- and post-divorce aren't totally clear. An alleged online friend of Erin's has since come out to claim that while Erin was with Simon, she frequently expressed her unhappiness in the marriage, lamenting that she, quote, felt like a single parent. You bloody are now. Erin described her resentment towards Simon for leaving her with all the childcare and cleaning, especially since he

was rarely at home. According to this online pal, Erin was the one to leave Simon and had zero plans to rekindle their relationship. But this is where the he said, she said really ramps up. Because, according to a friend of Simon's, the lunch in July 2023 was in fact a desperate bid by Erin to reunite with Simon and the family were there to intervene. In fact Simon's relatives only attended the lunch because they were worried about Erin's mental state and wanted to make sure she was in the right mental health to resume a relationship with Simon. Describing how Simon had pulled out of the lunch at the last minute, the friend made the bold claim that he, quote,

would be in that deathbed too if he had gone as planned. So, basically, the point here is that, is she like, if I can't have him, no one can have him, and I'm going to kill all of you. Yeah, that's what it feels like. So, let's get to the question everybody wants answered. Did Erin intentionally poison them all? Investigation into the case has focused mainly on whether Erin deliberately poisoned the food on the day of the lunch,

or did she do it by accident? But what we want to know is why she did it at all. Was her intent to kill, or did she just think her victims would get seriously ill? Did Erin plot to murder her ex-husband and his family members all in one fell swoop? But when Simon couldn't attend, she just went on with it anyway,

because Wellingtons are difficult. Or, as Dr Grande says, if the lunch really was about erin's fitness as a romantic partner for simon maybe she decided to eliminate the judges so she thinks that the family are telling simon not to get back together with her yeah and she can't handle the criticism at her own dinner table so she was going to give simon some of her bit yeah maybe she did want to kill two birds with one stone by removing her opposition and angling herself as a support for Simon through his grief.

There's a distinctly feminine angle to all these speculated motives and perhaps this holds the key as to why the public have been so enthralled with Erin's case. Female murderers, especially female poisoners, hold a morbidly special place in our collective imagination. As early as 54 BC, Agrippina the Younger was suspected of poisoning her husband, Roman Emperor Claudius, with a plate of mushrooms to put her son Nero in power. And the Victorian era was the heyday for murderesses like Mary Ann Cotton, known as the Dark Angel, to almost get away with poisoning 21 people with arsenic, which at the time was a readily available household drug.

Unsurprisingly, poison has developed a reputation as a woman's weapon. Whether that's because it's less messy than violent murders using knives or guns, or because it suits those in a position of feeding and caring for others, the old cliche is kind of supported by data. While more poisoning murders are committed by men, this is purely because 90% of all murders are committed by men. But according to studies, female killers are four times more likely than men to use poison as their weapon of choice. Even today, incidents of female-committed poisonings make global headlines and evoke gleeful comparisons

to the cases that have gone before them. Like Jessica Wansgo, an Aussie-Indonesian woman accused of poisoning her bestie's coffee in 2016 because she was jealous of her. I actually think that's a case worth covering. It is absolutely bonkers. And at the time of recording this, a Vietnamese-American

woman named Shireen Chong is the prime suspect in a murder-suicide incident at a Bangkok hotel just this month, where six teacups were laced with cyanide. We obviously talked about this on Under the Duvet, so you can go check out our full rundown on that. But yeah, I think

it is a very common one that is attributed to women and i do think it also makes sense not necessarily just because oh well women would do it because they don't want to get messy with knives and guns we also know women do that but i think it's because of the reasons why male killers kill versus why female killers kill men typically kill through some sexual motive and when there is a sexual motive a poisoning just isn't going to cut it. You want to be up there, you want to be stabbing, you want to be strangling. That's what gets them off. Women typically kill not for lust related reasons. That is very, very rare. Typically, women kill out of revenge, for jealousy, out of financial reasons,

due to reasons around custody, etc, etc. When it's not sexually motivated, you just want the cleanest in and out. What's particularly scary about poisoning is that it cuts right into the core of trust. Those who we rely on to nurture and care for us could turn on us if they wanted to. And maybe that's why what happened in Lyonga Fair has caused such a global stir. Is there something darkly delicious about the idea of a seemingly ordinary housewife having a hidden malicious streak and serving up a cold dish of revenge to those closest to her? Even without all of the evidence against Erin, I think a part of us wants her to be guilty so she can take her place in the toxic hall of fame and i really again

want to stress how awful it is that these people died for that at all let alone for any good reason in erin's deluded mind allegedly but i think it comes back to that kind of cozy crime right she's a fan yes agatha christie lots of people are. I think that idea of like, oh, a family lunch. They all sit down together. There's a beef wellington on the table and three of them end up dead. It's the kind of perfect domestic, cozy crime, familial murder that people just go nuts for. Whether Erin will follow in the footsteps of other convicted poisoners remains to be seen. Having been held in a Melbourne prison since her arrest in November 2023,

Erin has ultimately opted to face the Victorian Supreme Court in a fast-track process that skips a committal hearing where a local magistrate would assess the evidence. Erin has appeared in court just the once to submit her plea of not guilty to all of the eight charges that she faces. She showed no emotion. She just stated her name and her plea. Whether by murder or misadventure,

three people lost their lives after the lunch on the 29th of July last year. Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson. Don, the former maths and science teacher, would stay up late reading his bible every night, all the way up until his death, and he was beloved by his many Chinese students that he voluntarily tutored in English. His wife Gail is remembered for her years of service editing the borough flyer, supporting those in her local community. The pair were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs

and remained inseparable until their deaths only a day apart. Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, taught English to newly arrived migrants and was known to welcome any new faces on her street with freshly baked cookies. She was was of course survived by her husband, Ian Wilkinson, the local pastor, who eventually returned to his post in February 2024, weakened severely by his ordeal, but alive. In August last year, over 450 people

attended a vigil for the victims despite wet and cold weather. While the police were present, guess who wasn't? Aaron Patterson. And just to be clear, this vigil was held before Aaron Patterson was arrested. Speaking at the memorial service, Simon recalled that his parents would always wave goodbye when they parted because, quote, one day would be the last wave. That last wave just came a hell of a lot earlier than it should have. There's still a lot we don't know, of course. Maybe that will come out during the trial, which was due to begin in May, but hasn't started yet.

Details of the investigation have been sparse since the initial whirlwind of media interest last year, most likely to preserve the evidence for a potential jury. Which, good. Key results of testing will likely play a huge role in the upcoming trial. For example, whether the dehydrator Erin tried to dump does in fact contain traces of death cap toxins, which it absolutely will if they were ever

in there. And that could be a significant factor in Erin's eventual sentencing. If she's thought to have dried out the death cap mushrooms foraged earlier in the year, that obviously indicates premeditation. We also know that in searches of Erin's home following her arrest, items of interest were found by technology detector dogs, including a USB stick, a micro-secured digital card and a SIM card that were not recovered in initial human searches. We don't know what's on any of these things, but they could reveal pretty damning evidence. Finally, the testimony of the only surviving guest, Ian Wilkinson, will most likely be the smoking gun for prosecutors. He is, after all, the only person who can corroborate or disprove Erin's story about what happened at that lunch. So I think Simon holds the key to Erin's fate. Now, of course, all of this is speculative, and Erin Patterson could very well be acquitted at the end of her trial. Proving monstrous intent will be a challenge, and even our boy Dr. Grande

admits that he isn't convinced of her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. While it's clear that death cap mushrooms cause the victim's illnesses and deaths, will it even be possible for a court to prove that Erin put them there? All of this will be debated at the trial over the next few months. We and the rest of the world will certainly be watching. But even if Erin does walk free, we don't think we'll be accepting a dinner invitation from her anytime soon. So there you have it. You asked, we did it. And you're welcome. I'm a taxi. And I'm delicious. And we'll see you next time for something else. Bye. Bye. Harvard is the oldest and richest university in America.

But when a social media-fueled fight over Harvard and its new president broke out last fall, that was no protection. Claudine Gay is now gone. We've exposed the DEI regime and there's much more to come. This is The Harvard Plan, a special series from the Boston Globe and WNYC's On the Media. To listen, subscribe to On the Media wherever you get your podcasts. You don't believe in ghosts? I get it. Lots of people don't. I didn't either, until I came face to face with them. Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits, and the unexplained have consumed my entire life.

I'm Nadine Bailey. I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years. I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that linger in the darkness, and inside some of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons, and more. Join me every week on my podcast, Haunted Canada, as we journey through terrifying and bone-chilling stories of the unexplained. Search for Haunted Canada on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.