← Murder, Mystery & Makeup
Murder, Mystery & Makeup
Murder By Mushrooms?? Or A Big Mistake? The twisted case of Erin Patterson
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- [00:00]
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Bailey Sarian
Hi friends. How are you today? My name is Bailey Sarian and today is Monday, which means it's Murder Mystery and Makeup Monday. If you're new here. Hi, my name is Bailey Sarian and on Mondays I like to sit down and talk about a true crime story that's been heavy on my noggin. And I do my makeup at the same time. Just kind of get ready for my day, you know. Now listen, okay. The other day I was filming a Dark history episode and I had brought up this story about a woman who like, poisoned a bunch of people with mushrooms. And for some reason I had this light bulb moment of why haven't I talked about this? So listen, that's what we're talking about today. Let's get into it. I kind of jumped the gun on that one. But I was excited. I'm not excited. But it was just different. Okay, it's different. Today's story is different. Today's story takes place in a quiet Victorian town of Leangotha, Australia. How'd I do? Australia. This one's for you. Yeah. So we're going to Australia today. So if I pronounce some things wrong, please try my best. So, Leongatha. So one woman, she became, oh my gosh, the center of a story like straight out of a true crime novel. Aaron Patterson. She was known, like, as a quiet private local until a single lunch party changed everything. It sure did. Because at that table sat family faith and a homemade beef Wellington. And by the end of the night, Three guests were dead. And then Aaron's name was all over headlines all around the world. I know, I was like, what in the clue is this? Now it got everyone talking. Was this a tragic accident involving deadly mushrooms? Or was it the perfect recipe for murder? Who is Erin? Because at the center of today's story is a woman named Erin Patterson. She was born erin Scudder on September 30, 1974. And you know, looking into her background, she was born into like a very smart family. Her mother, her name is Heather Scudder, she was a lecturer at Monash University and she was like, considered the children's literature expert. She wrote books, journal articles, she did interviews with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and she did well for herself. Her most famous work was a book called Displaced Fictions, Contemporary Australian Books for Teenagers and Young Adults. And I was like, what is this? Is this like Teenage Soup? Was it Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul kind of thing? No, not really. Actually, the book she wrote was like the critique of young adult literature in Australia from like the 20th century. And it examined different authors, it urged readers to question social norms, and it encouraged teenagers and even adults to read more critically. Now, for some reason, this book seemed to ruffle a lot of feathers. I haven't read it, so I apologize. Maybe it, I don't know. But people said that Heather Scudder, like, she came off overly harsh and she kind of came across as like full of herself. Now later on, Aaron would actually point to her mother's overbearing nature as part of her defense. Just saying. Now, Aaron's dad, his name was Eitan, he was more of like the business guy. He would like work director roles for companies in like, South Australia, New South Wales. Business guy. Aaron also had a sister named Kanewen who came to work as a scientist and in the Department of Earth Sciences. So what I'm getting at is that the family was very smart achievers. Erin, she grew up in Glen Waverly, which is like, I guess it's a middle class suburb of Melbourne. Melbourne, now that word is tricky because it looks like Melbourne. And I know I'll get, I'll get roasted if I say Melbourne. So. Melbourne. Yeah. So friends that grew up with Erin said that she was smart and she was witty, but underneath all of that, you know, she had some pretty intense struggles, especially with her self esteem. Erin later testified that her mom used to like weigh her every week as a kid, making sure that she wasn't gaining weight. And you know, Erin said that this kind of led her down a path of unhealthy eating habits and even her struggling with eating disorders. So at 18, she got into the University of Melbourne for science. But eventually she, like, switched over and started doing accounting. And then in her mid-20s, she pulled, like, a complete career pivot and she. She started training as an air traffic controller, which I was reading about it, and it's, like, one of the most stressful jobs and, like, one of the hardest jobs to get because of how hard it is. I know that was very vague, but I didn't. I didn't know I was educated on it. Anywho, it's not an easy job to get. Okay. Now it's like, at this point in her life when people's impressions of Erin, like, start to change. Her colleagues, they saw her as odd, abrasive, strange. She wasn't social, and she was considered, like, super blunt, sometimes even hostile. There was one person who, who knew Aaron, worked with her and said, quote, she was quite aggressive in the way she spoke to people. She wasn't necessarily always unpleasant to be around, but you tended to be wary that she could snap or say something unpleasant at the drop of a hat. End quote. Maybe, you know, someone like that. And, yeah, they're not fun to be around sometimes. Huh? Well, after three years of air traffic control, you know, she was. She decided she was done and she walked, she walked away. So then after that, Aaron started working for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or the rspca. And this is where she would meet her future husband, Simon Patterson. Simon Patterson was working as an engineer at the Monash City Council, which, from my understanding, like, was in the same building that Aaron had worked in. So, like, Simon was friends with co workers of hers, so they would oftentimes, like, cross paths at, you know, at lunch break or something. And then after work, a lot of the co workers would all go out for, like, drinks after work. So Aaron and Simon, they would hang out and connect there, you know. So over time, Simon became attracted to Aaron. He said it was her intelligence that really got him, that she could be quite funny and witty. So they were hanging out, they were doing all sorts of stuff, and they had known each other for, like, about a year. And then in 2005, they became official boyfriend and girlfriend. So they would end up dating for about three years or, like three and a half years, and then the two would end up getting married in 2007. Now, it was said that the wedding was a bit odd. Oh, yes. I was like, tell me more. Well, Erin, she didn't tell her family that she was getting married. And the reasons are really unclear in my personal opinion. This is not a fact, just my opinion. I think she didn't invite the family to the wedding because Simon's family was pretty religious and supposedly her family was not. Like her mom was known to be a pretty out there, like atheists and stuff. So I was thinking maybe that's why she didn't invite them because she didn't want to deal with that. You know what I'm saying? I could be completely wrong though. Either way, she didn't tell her family. Instead, Aaron told her family that she and Simon were on vacation in Russia and on a train, which was like a weird lie. A very weird, very weird lie. But okay, that's what she went with. I don't know. Why Russia? Why involve a train? I don't know. So I guess like Simon's cousin was the one that like walked Aaron down the aisle and it was like mainly his family that was there right before they got married in 2006. Aaron's grandmother, she had passed away and I guess Aaron's grandma was like well off. So Aaron would inherit some of the, some money from her grandma. Now it was a good amount of money and the inheritance would be paid out over like eight year, an eight year period. And that would start in 2007. So after the marriage, once the money started coming in, Aaron and Simon, they quit their jobs and they started traveling around Western Australia. I know, I was thinking like, I thought they would go to Russia and go on a train to at least make that story make sense, but they didn't. They just traveled around Western Australia. Okay, so they're kind of like going around all these places and they ended up settling down for a bit in a small rural town called Pemberton. So I'm looking up this town, Pemberton, and they're known to have some of the tallest trees on earth. Yeah, I mean it looks really pretty based on the Google images I saw. It's very naturey, very green, rural. They decided to buy a home and Aaron, she, she's like living her romcom dreams. She ends up opening a secondhand bookshop in town. And then Simon, he started working with local council. So throughout the years, with Aaron's steady inheritance coming in, the couple, they were able to purchase properties and they were able to give Simon like some of his family members, his siblings and stuff, money and help them buy their own homes and you know, just giving them out loans essentially. Then in 2009, the couple they had their first child, it was a boy. And Aaron said that the birth was like an extremely traumatic experience. So Simon's parents, they came out and like, stayed with them just to help her adjust to, like, being a new mom. So then in 2014, Erin got pregnant again, and this time with the baby girl. And her and Simon decided to move to Corumburra, where Simon's parents, Don and Gail lived so they could be closer to family. You know how it is, Karambara. I think I got it. Simon later testified, saying that Aaron had formed like a really close relationship with his parents during this period, especially his father Don, and that his parents were really active in maintaining, like a good relationship with Aaron. And, you know, from all that, it sounds like things are good, but good things don't last forever. And we're here, aren't we? There's been a few times in my life where the only thing that got me through it was therapy. And whenever I talk about it, the first thing my friends ask me is like, how'd you even find a good therapist that takes your insurance? And that's when I tell them about Rula. Rula partners with over 100 insurance plans, which means the average copay is just 15 per session. 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Visit rula.com makeup to get started. After you sign up, you'll be asked how you heard about them. Please support my show and let them know I sent you. That's rula r ula.com makeup. You deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget. So even though things sounded positive, I guess Aaron and Simon's relationship was not going well. It was said right after the birth of their Son. Things just got really. Things got rough. Aaron and Simon had several short term separations and then in 2015, they made the decision to split permanently with like financial agreements and everything. But technically it was not a divorce. It was said that they tried to keep things like, friendly, you know, sharing custody of the kids, going on holidays together, and trying to keep a good communication, at least for a while. Also a little side note that I didn't know where to put it in, but here it is. Aaron would spend a lot of her free time, like, lurking on true crime forums and discussion groups. I know she joined groups on Facebook where they would talk about local cases that were going on in the area. Local cases, Bailey, Yes. She was also invested in the Jeffrey Epstein case, as many are, slash still are. She even had her true crime Internet friends that she would talk with. So I hate to say it, but she's one of us, damn it. No girl. But then in 2022, there was a turning point that seemed to like, just trigger everything. It had to do with Simon and Aaron's taxes. Simon had filed his tax return listing himself as single. Now later, Simon would say that this was an accident made by his accountant. But this little mistake, it pissed Aaron off to another level, okay, because it ended up messing with her, receiving certain family tax benefits. On top of that, there were ongoing disputes and disagreements over child support payments in general. I guess Simon was advised to like, stop paying certain expenses for the kids until like, the precise amount he was required to pay was settled. Now if you have to deal with child support and all that mess, you know how like, upsetting and stressful and annoying all that can get. And so like, this was just deeply upsetting to Aaron. She's believing, you know, he's not thinking about, like, what is best for the kids. So to Aaron, he's coming off as just a deadbeat. He's trying to claim certain tax benefits he's not helping with, like, child support. She was pissed off. So what did she do? She did. She did what a lot of people these do. They go on social media and complain to anyone who will listen. So in court, they brought up Aaron's Facebook group chats that she had with some of her online friends where she would vent her frustrations about Simon and his family. And she was saying things like, these are quotes like, this family, I swear to effing God, I'm sick of this shit. I want nothing to do with them. She was criticizing her in laws for not backing her in the child support dispute, saying, quote, his mom was horrified I had claimed child support. Why isn't she horrified? Her son is such a deadbeat that I had no choice but to claim end quote. I've heard worse from people, but I mean, okay, she's mad. She is mad. So Simon and Aaron's son, in a police interview that was later played in court, described the relationship between his parents as very negative, saying, his father does a lot of things to try and hurt mom. And that was like, the one quote I could find. But it was said that, like, he, he being Simon, liked to do petty things to get under her skin. And again, like, that was really as much info as I can find. But it seemed that both parents were not being great here, you know, so there was obviously tension between the two in, like, Simon's family knew it. So it was a little surprising when one day after church, Aaron invited Simon and his family over to her place for lunch. Now, she told them that she had, like, received some bad news about her health and that she wanted to talk about it, you know, with them. Now, whatever it was, it sounded serious. So the family agreed to meet her for lunch at her place and, and talk. So Aaron invited Simon, his parents, Don and Gail, plus Simon's aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian. Heather was Gail's sister and Heather's husband, Ian, he was the pastor at the church that they all went to. Now, the day before the family lunch, Simon had texted Aaron, canceling at the last minute. He texted Aaron saying, quote, sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch with you, Mom, Dad, Heather and Ian tomorrow. But I'm happy to talk about your health and implications at another time. If you'd like to discuss on the phone, just let me know. Well, this was upsetting to Aaron. She texted back, that's really disappointing. I've spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow, which has been exhausting in the light of the issues I'm facing, and spent a small fortune on beef. I filet to make beef Wellington because I want it to be a special meal as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time. It's important to me that you're all there tomorrow and that I have the conversations that I need to have. I hope you'll change your mind. Your parents and Heather and Ian are coming at 12:30. I hope to see you there. Simon, he didn't respond after that. On Saturday, July 29, 2023, errands in laws, Gail and Don, plus Simon's aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian, they show up for lunch at Aaron's home. Now, because, you know, they were going to have a serious conversation. Aaron thought it'd be best if the children were not at the house. So she sent them out to, like, go see a movie. So when the family showed up, Aaron, she, you know, greeted them outside and then they all headed in inside together. Heather, she brought like a cake with her for dessert. So Erin led them into the kitchen to set it down while everyone made like a little, little small talk. Since none of them had actually, they've never been to her place before. Erin gave like, I guess, a quick little tour. She's like, here's the kitchen and the dining room and then the living room, you know, the usual here. And then they stepped outside for a moment before coming back in to eat. So when it came time to serve, Aunt Heather and Gail, Aaron's mother in law, offered to help, but Aaron kind of waved them off like, you know, no, no, I've got this. You know, go sit down. I'll be right there. So Erin served everyone their own personal beef Wellington. And with it was like a mashed potatoes and green beans on the side. Now, normally, beef Wellington is made as like one big log of beef tenderloin and slathered in mushroom paste. That's what I read. And it's wrapped in a pastry and then baked. And I realized, I don't think I've ever had beef Wellington before. I don't think I've ever eaten beef Wellington before. It sounds. It sounds okay. Yes. But Aaron decided to step it up. So normally, again, it's one big unit and you, like, cut it up. Aaron decided to make smaller individual Wellingtons for each guest. And then so they all got like their own personal pan pizza, essentially, but Wellington's, she served them all on gray plates. Her plate was served on an orangey tan plate. And like, it was noted, but, you know, maybe she just ran out of gray plates. Maybe it was nothing. But still, she was the only one at the table with a different colored plate. So they all start eating, and then finally, Erin, she drops the big news. She tells the family she has ovarian cancer. I mean, they're shocked and sad. They're sad for her. That's awful. So Erin tells them, like, she wasn't sure how to break the news to the kids, but that she was going to get treatment and she would like the family support through the process. They're supportive and understanding at the table. They prayed for her. They prayed over Aaron and prayed for just a healthy recovery. They ate Their meals, had a bit of cake, talked in the living room, and then, you know, they took off for the day. About 10 hours later, Simon's family starts getting sick one by one. Heather and Ian were the first ones to, like, really feel it. I guess both of them got up in the middle of the night, you know, and, like, we're vomiting non stop. I guess it was pretty violent. And then shortly after, Simon's parents, Don and Gail, they were in really bad shape. Same thing, very violent, you know, so sick that it's coming out of, you know, both ends. And it was so bad that they decided to go to the hospital. But no matter what the doctors gave them, they were not getting better. And they just, like, couldn't keep anything, anything down. So Don and Gail, they ended up getting transported to another hospital in hopes to, like, get them better treatment. So when Don arrived at the other hospital, his organs were failing, starting with his liver. I mean, it was so bad and it seemed to just be happening so fast. So Don was placed in an induced coma and was on life support. So when Gail arrived at the hospital, the second hospital, her organs too were starting to fail. And she also received the same treatment as Dawn. So when Simon found out about his parents, he had talked to Ian and Heather and told them that, like, they should go to the hospital asap. So Simon ends up picking them up, Ian and Heather, and he ends up driving them to the hospital. So, you know, they get there, they're being treated, but similar to dawn and Gail, like, nothing was made making them feel better. So Don and Gail are at one hospital and Heather and Ian are at a different hospital, but they are experiencing similar symptoms. And this led the two hospitals to get in contact with each other. Their goal was to, like, figure out what was going on, believing that this was some kind of poisoning. But, like, what kind? So when the family, like, first arrived, you know, doctors were able to ask questions and realized that they all had something in common. They had eaten beef Wellington. So the doctors, you know, they're comparing notes and their symptoms were in line with mushroom poisoning, specifically a very deadly mushroom called the death cap mushroom, which just sounds terrifying in itself. I guess it should sound terrifying. It kills you, so you don't want it to sound friendly. That makes sense. Bailey. Yeah, solve that mystery. Mushroom poisoning symptoms, it really depends on, like, the type of mushroom that you eat. But in this case with Gail, Dawn, Heather and Ian, everything that they were going through lined up almost perfectly with, you know, the death cap mushroom, or if you want to get Fancy. Amanita, phalloids. Mushroom poisonings. Like, it's tricky because at first you feel totally fine. Anywhere from like 6 to 12 hours, you feel fine. You're like, wow, that mushroom pasta, that was so good. But meanwhile, the toxin is already deep in your body doing the most. And then when the symptoms, they finally show up, they hit hard. Stomach cramps, violent vomiting, diarrhea, sweating. Your body's just like, going through hell. And then after all that, some people, like, actually start to feel better, which can be very confusing, right, because you're probably thinking, okay, that was just some, like, gnarly food poisoning. But nae nay, that was just the honeymoon period. What's really happening is the toxin, called amatoxin. Yes. Is now silently destroying the liver and the kidneys. Yes. So within 48 to 72 hours, the second wave hits. So it's like jaundice, confusion, internal bleeding. And without aggressive treatment, death usually follows just from total, like, organ failure. And that, my friends, is why the death cap is one of the most dangerous mushrooms in the world. Because it looks all cute and harmless, but it kills quietly. And then by the time you realize, it's too late. Usually. But over the next few days, things went from bad to worse. I mean, Heather was, she was the first to decline. And it just again, it felt like it happened so fast. Doctors said she was too sick to even qualify for like, a liver transplant. So they tried other treatments, but nothing worked. And sadly, Heather ended up passing away on August 4th. That same day, Gail, Heather's sister, her health was also collapsing. Like her sister, she was considered too unwell for like, a transplant. And just hours after Heather had passed, Gail passed away. And then Don was next. His condition kept getting worse. And by August 4th, doctors were able to perform a liver transplant on him. But sadly, like, it failed. Don ended up passing away the following night on August 5th. And then there was Ian. He was in critical shape. They put like a breathing tube in his throat. His heart was struggling and his body was just like barely holding on. But unlike the others, he started to slowly improve. And then on August 14, doctors were able to remove his breathing tube and things were just looking, looking good for him. And by September, yeah, he was in the hospital for quite some time. But by September, he was able to be moved into like a rehab center. Now, aside from Aaron, Ian Wilkinson was the only survivor of that frickin lunch, okay? Trauma. It's so sad. Like, the whole family was just taken out and like, quick too. I was reading something the other day. People are calling us the FOMO generation. Honestly, I don't get it. Maybe. 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Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for you for less and save more than 50%@SelectQuote.com makeup save more than 50% on term life insurance and SelectQuote.com makeup today to get started. That's SelectQuote.com makeup so Simon, obviously devastated. He lost his freaking family. On August 31, he held like a public memorial service for his parents. Hundreds of people, they, you know, they showed up, they came to pay their respects. And during the service, Simon shared his mother's final, like, text message to him. She sent it from, like, her hospital bed. It's so sad. Her text said lots of love to you all. It was just devastating. Okay, so you're probably thinking, okay, but where was Aaron in all this? Yeah, where was Aaron in all this? Well, you know, Simon just lost his whole freaking family. He's a major loss. And where the hell was Aaron? Well, the lunch was on Saturday, right? And on that following Monday, I guess she had texted Simon asking if he could take her to the hospital because she wasn't feeling well. In my personal opinion, I think she knew what was going on with the family and kind of wanted to get on the record that she was sick too. That's just my opinion. So she texts us to Simon and he basically tells her, like, get yourself to the hospital, okay? I'm a little busy with my family. So Aaron, she ends up going to the Lingatha Hospital, one of the hospitals, and she walks into urgent care and she tells him she's not Feeling well, she has diarrhea, she's vomiting, all that stuff. And at first it was just kind of normal routine, but then she gave her name. Dr. Chris Webster. He was like on duty that day. He later testified that the moment he heard her say Aaron Patterson, things clicked. Now, he had already been treating Ian and Heather, so he was like, oh, shit. Like he knew what they ate, where they ate. And then suddenly here is Aaron standing in front of him saying she wasn't feeling well. So the doctor, like, tells her straight up, two of your family members are here, they ate at your house. They've been diagnosed with death cap, mushroom poisoning. This is serious. You need to be admitted right now. And instead of like panicking or even looking shocked, Aaron was like, no, it's okay. I've got errands to run and I have to feed my pets. And against doctor's orders, she walks out. Of course, before leaving, she had to sign like a document saying that she was refusing care. And this was like, captured on cctv. But, you know, they were like, really trying not. They didn't want her to leave. This is serious. Now, most of us, I would think, you would think if you were told by a doctor that you, you might have eaten poisonous mushrooms and you're probably gonna die, you would freak out, right? And you'd be like, oh, my God, help me. I'm at the hospital. This, help me. But not Aaron. She dipped right out of there. And her reaction, honestly, is like, what? Raised eyebrows. So When Aaron left, Dr. Webster, he started calling her non stop, like her cell phone, you know, hello, like, trying to get her to answer. And she wasn't answering his calls. So he left voicemails begging for her to come back. And when he got no response, he then called Triple Zero, which is Australia's 911, and he was asking police to do a wellness check.
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Dr. Chris Webster
This is Dr. Chris Webster calling from Leongassa Hospital and I have a concern regarding a patient that presented here earlier. Earlier, but has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning. And I've tried several times to get hold of her on her mobile phone. And what happened when she presented? She just got up and left? No, she. There was time for the nurse to begin observations and I was, was managing the other critically unwell patients. So I had a brief chat to her about where the mushrooms were obtained. And after that, while I was attending the other patients, the nurse informed me that she had discharged herself against medical advice.
- [33:58]
Bailey Sarian
So after all, like, the phone calls and whatnot, Erin doesn't call back, but she ends up coming back. She returns to the hospital and that's when Dr. Webster tells her, like, you need to bring in your kids, like right away. Because Aaron had told him that the kids ate some of the, the Wellington leftovers. And he's like, well, you need to bring them in. Like, what are you doing? And Aaron was like, well, I don't want to scare my kids. Like, I don't want to worry them. And, you know, Dr. Webster was like, look, they can be scared and alive or dead. Like, what's the deal here? Like, her being so kind of like, whatever about it was just bizarre. So Dr. Webster, he ends up calling the police and he lets him know, like, hey, Aaron, actually she came back and with her approval over the phone, he asked police to grab some of the leftover beef Wellington out of her trash bin so they could test it and fully confirm that, you know, it contained the death cap mushrooms. So they do that and Simon is the one who ends up picking up the kids and brings them to the hospital. So doctors, they end up checking the kids and Aaron, and there are no signs of poisoning, so they all get discharged. Meanwhile, a full blown investigation into the origin of the mushrooms has started. The police, the Department of Health, and even Child Protective Services were now involved. So investigator Sally Ann Atkinson from the Department of Public Health, you know, she calls up Aaron to kind of hear her story. Aaron tells her that she started feeling sick around midnight on Saturday, but she was feeling better by Sunday afternoon. But she still went to the hospital on Monday just to get checked. So Sally Ann, she asked Aaron, like, where did you get the mushrooms? Okay. Aaron said that she bought them way back in April from an Asian grocery store because she was making pasta at the time. She said they smelled funky, so she just kind of left them in the cupboard for another time. Now, she couldn't remember, you know, what store she got them from. She couldn't remember what the packaging looked like. She couldn't remember the brand, but what she could remember was that they were dried mushrooms. Aaron also said that she only used them in the beef Wellington because she didn't buy enough fresh ones at Woolworths, a grocery store. And she didn't realize she didn't have enough until she already started cooking. So she like went to her cupboard and she like grabbed what she had available. So meanwhile, Child and Youth Protective Services got involved because mushroom poisoning and there's kids in the house, so they had to get involved. A social worker, Katrina Cripps, she goes and interviews the family. Erin told Katrina that she felt Simon was isolating her from his family. And she described him as controlling and emotionally abusive. And she said that the whole point of the lunch was just to reconnect with everyone because she missed being around them. I know. I was like, what about the cancer? Okay, so then on Wednesday, Katrina, the social worker, she has to. She has to go to Aaron's house for, like, a welfare check. She goes, Aaron's house? Sally Ann, the health investigator. Now, she was frustrated because Aaron was, like, ignoring her call. So when Sally found out that Katrina was going to Aaron's house, she was like, hey, put Aaron on the phone. Like, I need to talk to her. So Katrina, you know, she gets there and she calls up Sally Ann and she puts her on speaker and she hands it to Aaron, because Sally Ann's like, I just have a couple questions, you know, like, yeah, I just have a couple questions. So Sally Ann, she asked Aaron, can you, like, can you check your bank records? Like, maybe give me a store name, something? Erin said, no, because she had paid cash, but she did give, like, a few possible neighborhoods that she might have shopped in. Aaron just had, like, no answers. When the phone call ended, I guess Katrina just straight up asked Aaron, did you pick the mushrooms yourself? And it was said that Aaron didn't even answer. She just kept scrolling on her phone. So police were very suspicious of Aaron's behavior, so they started tracking her movements and her purchases. I mean, they're like, something ain't right here. Okay, so they're digging around and they find something very interesting. A purchase that Aaron made in her bank account. There was a charge on Wednesday, August 2, and at the Coonwarra transfer station. What's that, you ask? Well, listen, it's the local dump, or tip, as the Aussies call it. Well, I also read people in the UK call it the tip too. But either way, Erin was at the tip. What was she doing there? Well, police were able to get CCTV footage, and guess what they see? Aaron was dumping a Sunbeam dehydrator. Yes, a food dehydrator. You know, that home appliance that removes moisture from food just a couple of days after the lunch at cvs.
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- [40:57]
Bailey Sarian
So with that police, they were able to get a search warrant for her house. So they go in and they take her her phone, her iPad, computer, even a cookbook. And of course, they brought Aaron in for questioning. So detectives asked if she had ever forged for mushrooms. Like, is this a hobby of yours, Aaron? And Aaron tells investigators, never. And they asked her, like, do you preserve food? Have you ever dehydrated anything? And again, Aaron just says, nope. She was giving one word answers the whole time. Now they knew she was lying. They didn't tell her about the footage of her dumping the dehydrator yet. But they did tell her that when they were searching her home in like, one of her kitchen drawers, they found an instruction manual for a Sunbeam food dehydrator. They were like, I thought you've never dehydrated food before. They asked her, like, why would you have that if you've never dehydrated anything before? Well, Erin's response was, I have lots of manuals, just lots of stuff from over the years. I've had all sorts of appliances and I just keep them all. She told police that she owned a dehydrator like eight or nine years ago. And that's probably what it was from. So after questioning Erin, she went and she got herself a lawyer. Now the Department of Public Health, they had finished their their investigation and found that there were no death cap mushroom contaminations at any of the Asian grocery stores in the areas that Aaron had mentioned. Almost three months after the deadly lunch, police finally Felt like they had like enough to move in. And on November 2, 2023, they executed another search warrant at Aaron's house and this time arrested her. She was officially charged with three counts of murder for Don, Gail and Heather, and five counts of attempted murder. The five counts of attempted murder one was for Ian, the only survivor of the lunch, and the four others were for Simon. Prosecutors, they even alleged that there had been three earlier attempts where Simon became very ill, and they suspected that Aaron may have poisoned him those other times. So after the arrest, Aaron was taken into custody. But by March, her case was like such a media circus that officials had to move her into a secure unit at the Dame Phyllis Frost center to protect her from other inmates. One former inmate said, Aaron, quote, is super intelligent, likes to make people feel like they're dumb. She's very manipulative. She gets fixated on things and doesn't see the mistakes that she makes. She mimics and makes fun of people, looks down at people. Nobody gives a about what she's done. They hate her because she's entitled, arrogant, demanding, and rude. End quote. So, yeah, Aaron wasn't making friends behind bars, you could say. So her trial officially started on April 29, 2025, in the small town of Morwell. So Aaron, she was pleading not guilty. Now, the prosecution, they ended up dropping the four attempted murder charges against Simon, saying that there just wasn't enough, like, evidence to back them up. So that ends up getting dropped. But I'll bring it up again in a second. The press, of course, you know, they're going wild. So reporters were packing the courthouse, all desperate to get, like, a seat inside. And in Australia, cameras are not allowed in court. There's, like, a few rare exceptions, but this was not one of them. So journalists inside, you know, scribbling away, they're taking notes and just, like, rushing out updates. And from my understanding, Australia has pretty strict media laws about influencing public opinion during a trial. So reporters, they have to keep things as neutral as possible. So, like, no bias, no spin, just facts. You think that's how it should be everywhere, really. So prosecutors, they wanted the jury to see Aaron as angry, vindictive, cold, and calculating. You know, a woman who plotted to kill family members she thought had wronged her. And the defense, of course, pushed back. They argued that, you know, this was nothing more than a tragic accident, just a horrible, horrible mistake. Over the course of the trial, about 50 witnesses were called, including Simon Ian, the only survivor, and then eventually Aaron herself, who took the stand right at the end. So During Simon's testimony, he laid it all out. Their separation, the money battles, the custody struggles. He also said that Aaron seemed very disappointed when, like, he didn't go to lunch. But there were other details that were small things that stuck with him. Like when he was driving Ian and Heather to the hospital, Heather had mentioned to him that Erin, she had eaten her lunch on a different color plate than everyone else. Now, at the time, it was an odd detail, but knowing what we know now, maybe it was on purpose. Simon also testified that once his family was rushed to the hospital, Aaron never asked him how they were doing. Like, not once. And even when they passed away, Aaron did not attend the funerals. Now, later, Aaron said that she was advised not to. But, you know, it's just like, so during the pre trial hearing. So kind of skipping back a little bit. Simon revealed that he had gotten sick multiple times after eating meals with Aaron back in 2021 and 2022. Now, his doctor at the time told him to start keeping track of, of, like, the illnesses in a spreadsheet. So he did. So Simon had, like, a spreadsheet of possible poisonings. Now, in the end, the jury never heard this part. Like, the trial stayed focused on the mushroom lunch, not the spreadsheet. But this is where, like, the initial four attempted murder convictions was coming from. Unfortunately, it just all got dropped. But I think that's why, like, Simon didn't want to go to the lunch. I don't know. When Ian took the stand, he talked about the day of the lunch, saying that, quote, aaron seemed normal to me, that there was, like, nothing off about her. There was no warning signs. But there were little things that he found odd, like Aaron not allowing Heather or Gail to help in the kitchen or, like, even look in her pantry. Aaron insisted on plating everything herself and again, like, used a weird orange tan plate while everyone else got, like, the same gray ones. When Aaron took the stand, she had a lot to say. She admitted that the lunch must have contained death cat mushrooms, but insisted that, like, it was just a tragic accident. So remember how Aaron mentioned that, like, she never forced foraged for mushrooms before? Well, all that changed during her testimony. She got on the stand and basically admitted that she had lied, saying that she'd been foraging for mushrooms since 2020. She even joined Facebook groups to, like, learn all about the different kinds. She admitted to having and using a dehydrator for, like, quite some time. A fact that was even backed up by text messages that were sent between her and Simon that were shown in court. She even sent messages to friends saying she'd been sneaking dried mushroom powder into her kids baked goods for the nutritional benefits. So the, you know, when asked like, why'd you lie? She said that she panicked after a conversation she had with Simon at the hospital. Now, I guess at the hospital, Simon asked her point blank, is that how you poisoned my parents? And like that I guess sent her spiraling. She admitted she had a quote, stupid knee jerk reaction to just dig deeper and keep lying and that she felt really worried because child protection was now involved. And all this led to her getting rid of the dehydrator. She said she made that decision just based out of fear, thinking that the mushrooms were the reason everyone got sick. So Aaron talked about why she was having lunch that day with everyone. Remember that? Yes, she invited the family over to talk about her ovarian cancer, but that was a lie. She did not have cancer. Now the truth, according to Aaron, was that she was going to have gastric bypass surgery and was too embarrassed to tell them that. I'm not judging, but like I'm judging, you know, like why? Okay, you could have just made anything else up. I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Like why cancer? Geez. So Aaron told the court that she, she had booked an appointment for gastric bypass at a certain clinic, Enrich Clinic, in September of 2023 and that she only already had like the pre assessment. Well, prosecutors were like, oh, interesting. Like let's look into this clinic and fact check her, you know. And it turns out this lion ass bitch, the clinic that she mentioned didn't even offer gastric bypass surgery. It wasn't on their menu list. Yeah, no. So they mentioned this to Aaron and then she just tells the court like, oh, I must just be misremembering the name of the clinic. But to the court she was just kind of looking like a liar kinda. She was, she was looking like a liar. But the biggest twist in Aaron's whole testimony came actually I think like the cancer part is kind of the biggest twist in my opinion. But many people were wondering one thing, why wasn't she sick? So remember how Ian had said that she was the only one with like a different colored plate? Well, the prosecution argued that this was her way of making sure that she got the non poisoned beef Wellington. But Erin, she had an explanation and it went way deeper on the stand. Erin admitted that, you know, since she was young she had struggled with eating disorders, a result of like her mother's criticism about her weight. Aaron said after the family had left that day. She was alone, and she devoured, like, the entire cake that Heather brought over. And then after that, she went to the bathroom and she purged. And that was the reason why she didn't get as sick as everyone else, because the mushrooms didn't get a chance to, like, fully digest. Erin told the court that she definitely did get sick, like, the day after lunch. She said she was driving her son to a flying lesson and she had diarrhea. And I guess it was so bad that she had to, like, pull off on the side of the road so she could use the bathroom, you know? So she said she pulled over to the side of the road, she had diarrhea, and, like, luckily she had wet wipes with her, so she was able to clean up. And then she said on the way to drop her son off, she made a pit stop at a gas station to throw away the wet wipes and, like, use the restroom because she had diarrhea so bad. So the prosecution, they showed the CCTV footage of her at the gas station, and then they just, like, tried to pull apart her story, because in the footage, it shows her going into the gas station. She goes into the bathroom for a whole nine seconds. And the prosecution was saying, you know, nine seconds is barely enough time to, like, wash your hands, let alone have diarrhea. So her reasoning really didn't do her any favors. It's kind of a good answer because at first I was like, oh, if she, like, threw up and stuff, like, I could see that. I'm not trying to excuse her what she did, but I'm saying if she threw up and stuff, it would make sense. Like, that kind of made sense. But the whole her, you having diarrhea and using the bathroom and stuff, her lot, she just lies about everything. So I don't. I don't know. I don't know. She's just a liar. So there was, like, lots of shocking moments during the trial. Okay, so another one came when the prosecution pulled out Aaron's phone data. Now, this was everything. Okay, this ruins her. Turns out Aaron had been using an app on her phone called Inaturalist, which is basically like Instagram for nature people, kinda. Yeah, that's fair. You take a picture of, like, a plant, an animal, a mushroom, you upload it, and the app, plus, like, a bunch of experts, they help you figure out, like, what is it? What is that? What is this plant? What is this mushroom? Is it safe to eat? So, like, if you're camping and stuff, and you're like, can I Eat this. You know, that app would be super helpful. Investigators discovered that back in May of 2022, a year before the fatal lunch, Erin had searched for death cap mushrooms on that app, specifically searching for these mushrooms. And then it gets worse. Her phone's location data placed her in two areas. Outram and Lock. Both spots are known to have death cap mushrooms. She even spent about 25 minutes wandering around Outram just one day after someone logged a death cap sighting in that location on the Inaturalist app. So someone logged it in, and literally the next day, she's out there wandering around. Coincidence? Give me a break. Come on. But then there's more. Investigators also found a photo on her phone. It was a photo of mushrooms laid out, being dehydrated and weighed on a scale. So a mushroom expert later testified that with, quote, a reasonable degree of certainty, the mushrooms in the photo were death caps. What was she doing taking pictures of them? You know, weed people. This is what made me think of weed people. You know, when they take out their weed, they take photos of it, and then they put the weed on the scale and they. They take photos of it. I don't know why. I'm sure there's a reason, but they do that. That's what it was reminding me of. Like, she was doing that, but with the mushrooms. You know what I'm talking about? So she had those on her phone. Why? I don't know. The prosecutor argued that Aaron weighed the dehydrated mushrooms to make sure that she was using a lethal, lethal amount. But the defense, they fought back, saying that if she really wanted to kill them, she would have done it, like, a lot sooner. Like, why would she wait months later? They were saying that the long gap of time from her getting the mushrooms to when it happened was a sign of her innocence. I was like, all right, okay. So then another important piece of evidence came out in regards to her phone were her actual phone records. So when police, like, originally performed a search warrant, they took a bunch of her stuff, including her cellular devices. And Aaron admitted in court that she swapped the SIM cards and performed a factory reset on, like, the devices before police took them. Girl. She told the court that she was in a state of panic about potentially being in trouble. But it was also shown in court that one of the factory resets happened remotely after police had already taken the device. So, of course, in court, they ask her, like, hey, Erin, why'd you do that? And she said she wanted to see if police had been, quote, silly enough to leave the devices on and connected to the Internet and they had. So she reset the devices. Okay. Some people were saying that her response was meant to impress the jury, like see how dumb the police are. But really it didn't go well for her. It didn't help her at all actually. It just made her look more guilty. Sorry, girl. I think the biggest question a lot of people had, there's a lot of questions here, but like one of the biggest is really like what was the motive? Why would Aaron do this? Now the theory came back to her split from Simon in 2022, like the fights over child support, money and property and like maybe if she just got rid of the problem it would be easier. And during Simon's testimony it became clear like I guess how bitter things had gotten between them. Aaron had even tried to like pull in her in laws into like the disagreements as mediators but like they didn't want to take sides. So it was just maybe, maybe she's just pissed. Prosecutors suggested that resentment might have been like the reason and that Aaron just wanted to get rid of them all. It wasn't the strongest motive, but it was like the closest that they got to one. So as the trial came to a close, it was time for the lawyers, you know, to have their final say. So Aaron's team was trying to get the jury to see that if there was like any doubt, any doubt at all about her guilt, then she should be found not guilty. For example, her attorney was like quote, if you think it's possible that this was an accident, you must find her not guilty. If you think that maybe Aaron deliberately poisoned the meal, you must find her not guilty. But the prosecutor was having none of it. Their closing argument centered on one simple thing. The lies. Oh yeah, all the lies. The prosecutor laid them all out. The lies Aaron told police, the lies she told witnesses, the lies she told to the jury. And the prosecutor said Aaron told lies upon lies because she knew the truth would implicate her. In their view. There was no other reasonable alternative explanation besides the fact that Aaron had deliberately pointed poison the meal in hopes to kill them all while sparing herself. So after closing arguments, the jury was given an 86 page document to review. They looked through all the facts and after seven days of deliberations, on July 7, 2025, they found Aaron Patterson guilty on all charges. It was kind of ironic that the like very forums that Aaron loved to visit, you know, the true crime ones would soon be like dissecting her own case. And people, they really had a lot to say. Most seem to believe that Aaron was guilty. You know, pointing out her lies, her fake tears during interviews, and a lot of her testimony just not making sense. But to be fair, there are some people out there that think it was just like a. An accident. That maybe she just, like, wanted to make her guests sick and not necessarily kill them. But it's like she still did it, though. You know what I'm saying? Like, so, Aaron, her plea hearing will take place on August 25 and 26. So literally, like, right when I'm uploading this. I know I should have just waited. My bad. But that's when her. That's when her plea hearing is. Is taking place. And at the plea hearing, that's where, like, people. People affected by her crimes will speak to influence the sentencing. And then the prosecution and the defense will enter their suggestions for sentencing. News outlets have speculated that Aaron could get life in prison. But we will. We will see. Hi, friends. Fresh off the press, Aaron Patterson, the Australian mushroom murderer lady. She has officially been been sentenced. I did a murder mystery makeup episode on it, remember? And at the time, she hadn't been sentenced yet, so she now has. And I was like, oh, I need to tell you. Okay, listen, a little refresher here. Aaron was found guilty on three counts of murder and one count for attempted murder for poisoning her in laws with death cap mushrooms. Yeah. That she, like, snuck into some beef Wellington Dingden's. On September 8, Aaron was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 33 years. She'll be like, 82 years old in 2056 when she can apply for her freedom. The judge said that even though he doesn't know the motive and he wouldn't speculate, he does believe that this was premeditated. So, yes, Ms. Aaron will be spending essentially the rest of her life in Dame Phyllis Frost center unless her team files for an appeal by October 6th and wins that appeal. But they haven't stated if they would file or not. We'll see. If they did file, I don't think they'd win, but you never know, you know. So that is the update to Ms. Aaron Patterson. Simon and the kids are just trying to stay out of the spotlight and trying to move on, you know, as best as they can at this time. Ian started preaching again and celebrated his 70th birthday. And he seems to continue to be a, like, a pillar in his community. And of course, this case was everywhere. And apparently, like, a miniseries is already in the works. Yeah, listen, at the end of it, I think she did it. She's Guilty. But I guess what's missing in my mind is a clear motive, right? I mean, yeah, like, maybe she really didn't like them all, but she didn't like them that much. To kill them all. It just. I don't know. You want answers and you're just not going to get answers. But the fact that like, she tried to. She may have tried to kill Simon previously is wild. And that I don't like what the hell was really going on, you know? Oh yeah. And then something I kept asking myself is like, why did she take photos of the mushrooms? I know that's like a random thing to get hung up on, but why'd she do that? And then last but not least, even if it was a horrible accident, girl, you still killed three innocent people. You don't just get a couple years in prison and that's it. No, no, you killed three people and you need to be put away anyways. That is the whole situation with Aaron Patterson. If you think she's innocent. Get out of here. There is the door. Get out of here. I guess this case probably interested a lot of people because you just don't hear about someone poisoning some. Like you haven't heard of a food like a. A poisoning in a long time. It's a very like old school, cool, Aqua Tofana kind of feel. No, it's not Aqua Tofana because at least with Aqua Tofana, she was doing it in a way to like help women get out of shitty situations. I don't know, it just feels so like old school. Trying to poison people with mushrooms. I don't know, maybe that's why people were so into it. That's what I'm thinking. And also Australia. Invite me over. I want to come to Australia. I've never been before, so invite me. I want to come. I hope you have a good day. You make good choices. Be safe out there, okay? And I'll be seeing you guys later. Goodbye. Did you know you can opt out of winter with VRBO? Save up to 1500 dollars for booking a month long stay with thousands of sunny homes. Why subject yourself to the cold? Just filter your search by monthly stays and save up to $1,500. Book now@vrbo.com this time of year, most.
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Bowen Yang
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Bright Eye Berries got a feisty receiver.
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