Did Erin Patterson leave hospital to cover her tracks?

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Erin Patterson Denies Leaving Hospital to Cover Her Tracks

Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of murdering three individuals with death cap mushrooms, has denied using a 95-minute period outside the hospital against medical advice to conceal her actions. Patterson stated that this time was spent attending to personal matters, including packing her child's ballet bag and feeding animals. The prosecution, however, suggested that Patterson's absence was intended to "cover your tracks" and to feign illness similar to her lunch guests.
Activities During Unexplained Absence

During her 95-minute departure from the hospital, which occurred two days after a fatal lunch she prepared, Patterson claimed her primary activities were domestic. She informed the court that she used this window to pack her child's ballet bag and to feed the animals at her residence. This account contrasts with the prosecution's assertion that the time was used to obscure evidence and maintain a facade of shared illness with the poisoned guests.
Online Search History and Mushroom Interest

The court heard that internet logs from Patterson's device showed access to a website detailing death cap mushroom sightings in May 2022, a year prior to the lunch in question. Patterson stated she had no recollection of visiting this specific website and rejected the implication that this indicated familiarity with the poisonous fungi. She maintained that her sole interest in death cap mushrooms was to prevent their proliferation in her local area of South Gippsland. The prosecution countered this by arguing that Patterson's interest was "death cap mushrooms generally," a claim she denied.
Vomiting as Explanation for Mild Illness

Patterson also testified that she has an eating disorder and induced vomiting after her guests departed, which she presented as the reason she did not experience the same severe illness as her lunch guests. When questioned by prosecution lawyer Nanette Rogers, who suggested she was "lying" about vomiting, Patterson responded that she wished that were the case, but it was not. This statement was made in the context of the trial where Patterson denies charges of murder and attempted murder related to the death cap mushroom poisoning incident.

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Did Erin Patterson leave hospital to cover her tracks?

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