The 48-year-old woman whose food took the lives of three people has admitted lying to officers about the meal that poisoned her guests.
Erin Patterson reportedly invited her parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, and also Gail’s siter Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian for lunch at her home in Leongatha.
But only days after their gathering, three of the four guests passed away from suspected mushroom poisoning.
Mr. Wilkinson, the only guest who survived, remains in critical condition.
Erin has now admitted that she was hospitalized with diarrhea and stomach pains after eating the beef wellington and that her ex-husband, Simon Patterson, accused her of poisoning her former in-laws.
She said that while talking about a food hydrator, her ex asked: “Is that what you used to poison them?”
Food hydrators are used for drying out mushrooms before putting them in beef wellingtons.
Erin also revealed that she lied to police about how she disposed of the food dehydrator long ago, which was discovered at a nearby landfill and police have since seized it.
Police are now reviewing CCTV from the pit to know exactly when it was thrown away.
“I now very much regret not answering some questions… given the nightmare that this process has become,” Erin expressed.
“I am now wanting to clear up the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones,” Erin said to police
“I am hoping this statement might help in some way. I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgement.
“I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones.
“I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.”
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