I'm devastated. [laughter] I love them and I can't believe that this has happened and I'm so sorry. >> She said she was sorry, but she'd already thrown the evidence away. >> I did a big clean out of the pantry and fridge the last time that I was there cuz I want to sell that. >> Police say you're a suspect. Do you have anything to say about that? >> I say I didn't do anything. I love them. and I'm devastated that they're gone. >> She said she loved them, yet they all died after eating at her house with >> every fiber of my being that Don pulls through. >> Dong was fighting for his life and Aaron was fighting to keep her story straight. >> Where did [laughter] the mushrooms come from? >> That's what everyone wants to know. This is the Leon Gatha mushroom murders. Two people were already dead and two more were barely holding on. Just a week before they'd all sat together for lunch. >> Could you please state your full name and address for me? >> Darren Trudy Patterson, 84 Gibson Street, Land G. >> All right. >> Now, the host of that meal sat in a small room at the Wanthagi Police Station answering detectives as to how they got poisoned. Her name is Aaron Patterson from Glenn Waverly in Melbourne, Australia. I I live I I was born here and I live here and I'm a resident of Australia. Is that >> Yeah, that's fine. Okay. >> And are you of Aboriginal or to Stride Island descent? >> No. >> She was an air traffic controller but then switched to animal welfare work. All in all, a kind-hearted and wholesome person. That's the person a local councilman Simon Patterson fell in love with in 2004. They married 3 years later. >> Now, what is your age and date of birth? >> 48. 30th of the night 74. And >> are you an Australian citizen? >> Yes. >> Their first born was a boy and but when she was expecting their daughter, she and Simon left Western Australia and settled in Kunwara near her in-laws Donald and Gail Patterson. They both ate the deadly lunch and now Gail Patterson is [music] dead. Erin, I intend to interview you today in relation to the death of um two people being G Patterson and Heather Wilkinson. Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian Wilkinson were part of the same Baptist church Aaron attended. Ian was the pastor there and he too ate the same food and was in critical condition. >> Before continuing, I must inform you that you do not have to say or do anything for anything you say or do is being recorded and may be used in evidence in court. Do you understand that information? >> Yeah. >> All eyes are on Aaron because according to the toxicology report, the poison came from death cap mushrooms. It's extremely toxic and only found in the wild. It can shut down all the organs in your body, one organ after another. Following eating at your house, Donald, Ian, Gail, and Heather all become so ill that they ultimately ended up in the intensive care unit at both the Daniel Hospital and moved to the Austin Hospital. All right. >> In Leyon Gatha, where Aaron lived, death caps weren't something you'd normally find in the wild. Only in April and May a few might show up, but still they are extremely rare. and that they become so ill that their livers have failed. >> Two things could have happened. Aaron went searching for those mushrooms, fully aware of what they were. Or maybe she picked them without knowing. Just another day of casual foraging that turned into a disaster. That's what the detectives wanted to know, if this was intentional or an accident. We want to discuss the deaths of um Heather Wilkinson and um Gail Patterson today with you. Aaron and Simon had separated in 2015. Still, she hosted lunch for his family, Don and Gail, and Heather with her husband Ian the pastor. It seemed like a simple meal, but once police learned death cap mushroom were involved, they went straight to Aaron's house. Everything from that lunch was taken on the menu that day. Beef Wellington with gravy. >> Um gravy in the fridge in the pantry that you said was from the night you kept on um on advice from the health department. Um so thank you for that. You also pointed out a a recipe book on the counter and you referred me to page 250 odd. The recipe for beef Wellington that you indicated was the recipe that you caught. Okay. >> Investigators found no raw mushrooms in the kitchen, but they found leftovers from the lunch in the garage. Mushrooms were had been baked into the beef Wellington. On the Monday morning, police recovered beef Wellington remains from a bin outside your home, which were later found to contain death cap mushroom toxins. >> That morning, Aaron thought the mushroom filling for the beef Wellington tasted bland. She'd used fresh mushrooms from Woolworth, but wanted more flavor, so she added dried ones she'd picked up at an Asian grosser. That one choice destroyed Don Patterson's liver. >> Donald underwent transplant last night. Okay. And his condition is still extremely critical as of last report. >> Heather and Gale passed away. >> Even with a liver transplant, Don Patterson didn't make it. >> In relation to Ian, I don't have a current prognosis in relation to where he's at. Um, as of late yesterday, diagnosis isn't great for him either. Ian was the only one who survived, and what he told the cops was worrying. At most dinners, a big beef Wellington is sliced and passed around the table. But Aaron hadn't done that. She'd made five small ones, one for each plate, one for each person. >> We're trying to understand what has made them so ill. >> You understand? >> Yeah. >> Why we're asking these questions? Yeah, >> they are. Conversely, we're trying to understand why you're not that. >> Ian remembered how Aaron kept everyone out of the kitchen that afternoon. When lunch was ready, she handled every plate herself. Each Wellington with beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy. >> You served your four lunch guests individual beef Wellingtons, which were deliberately poisoned with death cap mushrooms. Another red flag came when Ian remembered that everyone else ate off gray plates, but Erin's was yellow. >> I find that you did this to ensure that you did not mistakenly consume a poisoned meal. >> The detectives had that suspicion from the very start. >> So, you understand why we're interviewing you today? >> Yeah, I do. Um, but I'm sure you understand too that like I've never been in a situation like this before and I've been very very helpful with the health department through the week because I wanted to help that side of things as much as possible because I do want to know what happened. So, I've given them as much information as they've asked for and offered up all the food and all the information about where the food came from. >> Erin said she hardly touched her own beef Wellington that day. What caught her eye instead was the orange cake Heather had brought. >> No, I fully understand that. All right. at the house. Um, and and I I must say for the record again, you you were very helpful at the house and you did point out a couple of things for us um that that will help us with our investigation. >> No one ate the fruit platter or the cake, so she went for it. Then she confessed she'd struggled with bulimia for years. She ate the entire cake, then made herself throw up. That's why she is alive. Detectives heard her out, but the story didn't line up. Little details rubbed against each other and soon they found cracks. Um, >> we didn't see a lot of food from Asian grocerers or Indian grocerers or those kind of stores. >> Look in my fridge. I've got a lot of Asian cooking >> stuff in my fridge. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Detectives zeroed in on the dried mushrooms. Aaron said they were shiakei bought from an Asian grosser, but she couldn't remember where. No receipt, no store name, just a rough area. She thought the death cap mushroom might be in a store. >> You were vague about the location of the Asian grocery, claiming you had purchased the dried mushroom several months before and that the shop could have been in one of a number of suburbs that fall within the boundaries of the city of ME. It sent investigators circling with nothing solid to chase. She also covered up a lot of evidence. >> Are we likely to find more of that kind of stuff in your Mount Wavely address, do you think, or >> No, because I did a big clean out of the pantry and fridge the last time that I was there cuz I want to sell that place. >> Okay. All right. So the pantry and fridge there. >> Yeah. >> Will be empty. >> Okay. So you want you want to sell that place? >> All right. No problem. >> Erin told detectives she'd been sick that weekend. So sick she needed a toilet every 20 minutes. But the next day, she still managed a 90minute drive to her son's flying lesson. You made a round trip of approximately 2 hours on Sunday afternoon to take your son to a flying lesson at Taup. >> It didn't make sense. She claimed she stopped at a convenience store to use the toilet. CCTV showed her walking into a store. She went in, grabbed a few things, and was back out within minutes. She claimed she'd stopped to use the restroom, but the footage showed she was in and out of the restroom in 9 seconds. Aaron also went to the hospital, but her stay at the hospital was very short. The others never came back home. Detectives wanted to know what made her different. It it's we've been told that on the 31st of July, so 2 days after the lunch, you went to the Leather Hospital. Okay. And you were only there for about 5 minutes and then you left. And can you explain why you went there for 5 minutes? >> Yeah. Because I just went there thinking I needed a couple of bags of saline cuz I was really dehydrated. And they said, "We want to admit you and send you to Melbourne." >> Yeah. And when you've got animals at home, >> yeah, >> and children who have multiple after school activities, >> you can't just be told to drop everything and you're off to Melbourne for overnight. So, I had to go home and feed the animals and pack my daughter's ballet bag. >> Yep. >> And I did that and I went back. >> Okay. Everyone who ate the same meal ended up dead. Yet when doctors told her to stay, she chose to go home. >> Having learned from Simon on the Sunday that your parents-in-law had been hospitalized, you attended Leanatha Hospital on the Monday, complaining of diarrhea. You did not stay long. Shortly after a doctor indicated to you that deathcap mushroom poisoning was suspected, you left despite warnings by another doctor and nurse that your life was in danger. >> It didn't make sense, but Aaron did go to the hospital again in a few hours. >> Who who did you speak to? >> So, I walked in >> and there was like I don't think they were a nurse. It was like um I don't know. I could have been an enrolled nurse or it was like a helper person in the triage room, right? And she's just like, "Are you okay?" And I said, "Well, no. I have to run to the toilet. I've got diarrhea." And she then she wasn't quite sure where it was. And so she went and found out and showed me where it was. And then she said, "I'll go and find someone. I'll get a nurse or a doctor for you." Um, and so I went to the toilet. I came back out and I was waiting in the triage area. And then a doctor came out, Dr. Webster and he said to me, "Sorry, that we're going to be a little while because we've got a couple of pretty ill patients in the hospital." And I said, "That's fine. Don't worry about me. I'm just a gastro case. I'm not urgent, obviously." And he said, "Oh, what's your name?" And I said, "Earon." and he said, "Oh, we've been expecting you um because other people that you ate with on Saturday were sick." >> Yeah. >> And he said, "Can you come through?" And I said, "Sure." And I came in and then he said to me, I can't say the exact words, but he said something along the lines of, "We've got a concern. They've eaten death cat mushrooms." And I said, "What?" And he said, "Yeah, that's what we think they've eaten." >> Yep. And then he said started asking me about what food I served him and I told him >> after her treatment there she was shifted to another hospital in Melbourne. >> I understand you went down to the hospital and got treatment and that >> um what kind of treatment did you get? >> Oh they hooked me up. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> They said that cuz we're concerned. So Dr. Webster had to leave. I think he was at the end of his shift and he passed on to another doctor, Dr. Foot. And she said to me, "The concern is that everybody's eaten something that hurts your liver. We need to give you this >> protective medicine." >> Um, and so there was saline and >> a seat or something or other. I think it was but um she said we need to give you this and then put you in a ambulance up to Melbourne where they can give you >> more I don't know what the word is more >> where they can care for you better. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So I got saline and this other stuff and not ambulance stuff. >> Okay. Tests were run and the doctors found that her condition wasn't as serious as they believed. >> How long were you in the hospital for any other day? >> Detectives were skeptical of her story. So they pushed a little harder and when they did, she started to falter. when you went to the um to the L gap hospital and you said you were in there um and >> uh you got shown to the toilet >> uh but you you said you had to go home to pack stuff >> um and your daughter's bag and that sort of thing and feed the animals. When you had the conversation with Dr. Webster, >> was that when you first went there or afterwards? >> I don't remember. >> I don't remember. Detectives warned her that if she was lying about her medical history, it would come out sooner or later. >> How long were you in the hospital for >> Tuesday? Monday, Tuesday. Um, and again for full disclosure, so you understand um we we've obtained warrants in relation to medical records for everyone involved in this. So we will get medical records in relation to your treatment there as well. >> Sure. Okay. Ian Wilkinson told police that Erin found a lump on her elbow and had undergone a biopsy and a scan. And when Gail asked about the results, Erin suggested explaining it all over a family meal. >> There's a bit to digest with everything that's come out of it all. I might talk more about it with you both when I see you in person. >> That's why they were there that day. On the 16th of July 23, you attended the Sunday service at the Kak Corinborough Baptist Church where Ian Wilkinson was and is the pastor. After the service, you invited Gail and Don Patterson and Heather and Ian Wilkinson to lunch at your home at Gibson Street Lang Gather on the 29th of July 23. >> She'd even urged Simon to come, but Simon refused with this text message. Hi Aaron, thank you for your kind lunch invite together with mom and dad. I'm sorry, I'll decline as I feel too uncomfortable about it. >> Near the end of lunch, Ian said she announced she had ovarian cancer. >> I'd like to understand why um you had his parents and his uncle and auntie over for lunch the 29th of July >> because I've gotten out of the family. So, they're the only support I've got, >> okay, >> left and they've always been really good to me. >> Yeah. >> And I want to maintain those relationships with them >> in spite of what's happened to Simon. >> Okay. >> I love them a lot. have always been really good to me and they always said to me that they would support me with love and emotional support even though Simon and I were separated and I really appreciated that. >> Yeah, >> cuz I my parents are both gone. >> My grandparents are all gone. They're the only family that I've got. >> Yeah. and they're the only grandparents that my children have and I want them to stay in my kids life. >> Yeah. >> And that's really important to me. >> But when police reviewed Erin's medical records, there was no cancer, no scans, no biopsy, nothing. Aaron made up the story to bring Simon's family to the table. that at the conclusion of the meal, you falsely told your guests that you had been diagnosed with cancer and sought their advice as to whether and how you should break the news to your children that you had a life-threatening illness. >> She seemed to be cooperating, but her lies were starting to catch up. By then, no show of goodwill could shake the suspicion around her. >> Police went around your house on that morning. Y on the 31st, >> right? >> Yep. And um they were obviously responding to the hospital call to check up on you. >> Yeah. >> And they spoke to you on the phone and you gave them the pin code for your gate. >> Correct. >> And directed them to the bin where there was some leftovers. >> Correct. >> What What are those leftovers that you directed them to? >> Probably the uneaten food from the lunch. >> Okay. So you helped them in getting that so it could be sampled >> because my kids ate the meal too. >> Yeah. >> But there was stuff that was left over and it went straight in the bin. >> And so when I went to the hospital and they said they were concerned that everyone ate some contaminated food, I said, "Well, >> there's the leftovers in the bin. You can have it. Feel free to look through it." >> And um I said, "I'll go and get it if you want." And they said, "That's fine. You need to go on a drip. Um, we'll call the police." And I said, "Well, that's fine. Just let them know. I need to give them the pin code." >> So, they did that and they a bag of food appeared a bit later. >> Yep. >> So, yeah. >> So, thank again, thank you for helping us locate that. >> When detectives searched Erin's home, they didn't stop at the food. They took dozens of devices, too. Each packed with personal messages. Going through them, they learned she and Simon had separated in 2015, but they were on good terms. They shared parenting and finances without much tension. Aaron had money from her grandmother's inheritance and had even helped Simon's family with loans. Still, Simon hated that she was still in contact with his parents. >> I think Simon hated that I still had a relationship with his parents. But I I love them. >> Nothing that's ever happened between us. Nothing he's ever done to me will change the fact that they're good, decent people that have never done anything wrong by me again. >> Money was what finally broke them late in 2022. Simon filed his taxes as single, not married. It cut off the tax breaks Eron depended on, and she was furious. She demanded child support. If Simon was calling himself single, then everything, finances, property, the kid's expenses needed to be sorted properly. The arguments piled up fast. Aaron turned to Simon's parents, hoping they'd step in. But they stayed out of it, telling her to settle things with Simon, maybe even pray about it. That made her even more furious. Detectives found the motive. Detectives already had a sense of why. Now they needed to know how. So they traced her movements. Her phone data led them out of Lee and Gartha. Two stops, one in lock, the other in outtrim. >> Obviously, we've got concerns in relation to these mushrooms and where they've come from. >> Is that something you've done in the past, foraging for the mushrooms or anything like that? >> Never. >> Never. You preserve food. >> But that was a lie. Aaron was active on a site called I Naturalist where a micologist had reported sightings of death cap mushrooms in the same two towns her phone pinged Lach and Outrim. The next day her data showed her at those locations for nearly an hour. >> You preserve food or anything like that? >> Have you ever dehydrated food or anything like that? That small detail changed everything. Erin's trip to Loach was in April, months before the lunch in July. To keep the mushrooms from spoiling, she'd preserved them. Her credit card showed a purchase that same day. A Sunbeam food dehydrator from a hardware store in Lach. We've received kitchen farm drawer instruction manual for a Sunbeam food lab electronic dehydrator. Um, what's that information? >> Do you know anything about a dehydrator in your house or do you own a dehydrator? >> No. I've got manuals of lots of stuff I've collected over the years. I've had all sorts of appliances and I just kept them all. >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. >> When did you own a dehydrator? >> Um, I don't know. I might have had one years ago. >> Okay. What do you use that for? Like when I first got the Thermomix, I got really excited about like making everything from scratch, you know, and I did a lot of um you know, like everything from scratch ingredients and I did a lot of that. So >> could have had something like that. >> Okay. >> Kitchen bench located against the wall. Recipe tin eats book. Okay. I'm not sure. >> That's that recipe book. >> That's that um same book that we >> the way recipe come out of >> from the fridge. We got the fruit salad platter which you pointed out. >> Then um in the fridge in the butler's pantry, we got the white jar container. >> On Aaron's phone, detectives found photos of mushrooms drying in a dehydrator. timestamped May 2023, just a few months before the lunch. It was compelling, but still only circumstantial. The real break came later when they traced what Aaron did right after she walked out of that Melbourne hospital. She drove straight to her local dumpster. CCTV showed her tossing out a Sunbeam dehydrator. The same one she'd used to dry the mushrooms. The same one like the photos on her phone. Weeks later, when detectives checked the dumpster, the Sunbeam dehydrator was still there, practically untouched. They pulled prints off of it and her fingerprints were there. And then they tested the trays inside and it came back positive for death cap mushroom toxins. >> Any questions at the moment? All right. Er, do you agree the time is now 5:30 p.m. by my watch? All right, I'm going to suspend the interview now. >> Aaron Patterson was arrested and charged with three counts of firstdegree murder. After her arrest, she realized her lies had only made things worse. Maybe she could explain everything else. But the dumpster footage, there was no way around that. It was the nail in her coffin. Months later, she tried to explain her actions. She said that while she was in the hospital, she had a long talk with Simon. During that talk, mushrooms came up. Aaron claimed Simon suddenly accused her of using them to kill his parents. She said she panicked. [music] Social services were already looking into the children's situation, and she thought Simon truly believed she was a murderer. Out of fear, she decided to get rid of the dehydrator. A foolish move made in panic, she admitted. But by then it was far too late. She also admitted she had a Tupperware container of dried mushrooms in her kitchen. Some of the mushrooms in it were store-bought while others were foraged and dried at home. >> But testified that in May and June of 23, you had foraged for edible mushrooms in various places including the Corin Botanical Gardens. You testified that you had dehydrated these mushrooms and put them in a container which contained the dried mushrooms from the Asian grocery and that you used the dried mushrooms in that container along with the fresh mushrooms from Woolworths in the beef Wellingtons. >> She believed that's what poisoned her guests. She wanted people to think it was a tragic mistake, but her story had already run its course. The jury had made up their minds. You famed illness. You disposed of the dehydrator soon after you were released from hospital. [music] You maintained the vague story about sourcing dried mushrooms at an Asian grocery and had the gaul to tell police in your recorded police interview that you had been very, very helpful to the health department. >> Aaron Patterson was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder. >> For the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, I sentence you to 25 years imprisonment. For the murder of Heather Wilkinson, I sentence you to life imprisonment. For the murder of Gail Patterson, I sentence you to life imprisonment. For the murder of Don Patterson, I sentence you to life imprisonment. All sentences are to be served concurrently. The total effective sentence is life imprisonment, and I fix a non-p parole period of 33 years. By the time she's eligible for release, she'll be in her 80s.