Erin Patterson “didn’t look unwell” compared with two of her seriously ill lunch guests, and was angry, flustered and teary while repeatedly saying “I don’t want any of this” in relation to her hospital treatment, a nurse has told the Victorian supreme court.
Cindy Munro, who was working at Leongatha hospital on 31 July 2023, gave evidence on Thursday in Patterson’s triple murder trial, which is being held in the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell.
Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to the lunch she served at her house in Leongatha on 29 July 2023.
She has pleaded not guilty to murdering or attempting to murder the relatives of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson.
Timeline
Erin Patterson: how Australia’s alleged mushroom poisoning case unfolded — a timeline
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Erin Patterson hosts lunch for estranged husband Simon’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Patterson serves beef wellington.
All four lunch guests are admitted to hospital with gastro-like symptoms.
Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson die in hospital.
Don Patterson dies in hospital. Victoria police search Erin Patterson’s home and interview her.
Ian Wilkinson is discharged from hospital after weeks in intensive care.
Police again search Erin Patterson’s home, and she is arrested and interviewed. She is charged with three counts of murder relating to the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.
Murder trial begins. Jury hears that charges of attempting to murder her estranged husband Simon are dropped.
Patterson is accused of murdering Simon’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, his aunt Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson, Simon’s uncle and Heather’s husband.
Patterson’s defence barrister, Colin Mandy SC, told the court last week that she accidentally poisoned her lunch guests with death cap mushrooms served in beef wellingtons.
The prosecution say Patterson deliberately poisoned them, but told the jury that they would not – and did not have to – present a motive for the alleged murders or attempted murder.
Munro, a registered nurse, told the court that it was her observation Patterson did not appear as unwell as the Wilkinsons, who were in the hospital the previous morning but had since been transferred to a larger hospital in Melbourne.
“She didn’t look unwell like Heather and Ian,” Munro said.
“Ian looked so unwell he could barely lift his head.
“She didn’t look unwell to me.”
Munro had been asked to cannulate Patterson, as it was expected she would need to receive fluids to assist with her reported diarrhea, but also to receive N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a liver treatment commonly used in suspected poisoning cases.
But Patterson said multiple times “I don’t want any of this” in relation to the treatment, Munro said.
Munro agreed that Patterson also became flustered, angry and teary.
About midday, Munro said she learned that Patterson’s children had eaten leftovers of the same meal, but with the mushrooms scraped off.
Munro said she told Patterson there was a risk death cap mushroom toxin had “seeped through the meat” and that her children also required urgent treatment.
“She didn’t want to cause any hassle, she didn’t want to take them out of school,” Munro said Patterson responded.
“And that’s when she became quite teary, and quite worried, and … said ‘I don’t want the children to be involved in this’.”
The court also heard from other medical professionals who spoke with Patterson when she presented to hospital earlier that same morning. The court heard on Wednesday that she left after five minutes, despite being warned about the seriousness of the suspected poisoning.
A “discharge at own risk” form signed by Patterson was shown to the court, which also noted that next to a section reading “capacity” she wrote: “Me”.
Kylie Ashton, the director of nursing and midwifery at Gippsland Southern Health Service, told the court she told Patterson during the short period she first presented to hospital that her heart rate was “dangerously high”, and that this, and her blood pressure, could be signs of poisoning.
She also emphasised the time critical nature of the NAC treatment, she said.
Patterson arrived at hospital about 8.05am and discharged herself at 8.10am, with the court hearing that Ashton and two doctors spoke with her during this time about how critical it was that she remain there.
The first police witness in the case, Senior Constable Adrian Martinez-Villalobis from Mirboo North police, also gave evidence about Patterson being cooperative during a conversation he had with her on the phone about trying to recover leftovers of the beef wellingtons from an outside wheelie bin.
Martinez-Villalobis had been called by the hospital to attend Patterson’s house after she discharged herself from hospital.
Tanya Patterson, who is married to Simon’s younger brother Matthew, also gave evidence on Thursday.
She said that while Simon and Patterson had a good relationship despite their separation in 2015, this had deteriorated in the 12 months before the lunch.
This was because of a dispute over child support, and because Patterson moved the children’s schools without telling Simon, she said.
Tanya also spoke about visiting Patterson in Monash hospital on 1 August 2023. She had been transferred there via ambulance on the afternoon of 31 July 2023.
“Erin asked me how everybody was, and I told her that things were going downhill quickly, but I didn’t have the latest information,” Tanya told the court.
Three of the guests were in a coma at that point, Tanya said.
After leaving Patterson, she went to visit Patterson’s children, who were in the same hospital, and then texted Patterson an update, Tanya told the court.
“She said thanks so much, and thanks for visiting,” Tanya said.
The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.
