Recipe for Murder!

About this episode

The episode discusses the case of Erin Patterson, who was charged with murder after a lunch gathering led to multiple hospitalizations and deaths due to suspected poisoning.

On July 29th, 2023, in Leongatha, a smalltown in rural Victoria, Australia, family and friends of local woman Erin Patterson sit down for Saturday lunch. On the menu, Beef Wellington. The next day, four of the guests are hospitalized. Doctors suspect death- cap mushroom poisoning. Within a week, three of them will be dead. On November 2nd of that same year, Erin Patterson is arrested and charged with three counts of murder and five of attempted murder. Held in custody at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison until her trial began in April 2025, the case captured media attention around the world. Did Patterson deliberately poison her estranged husband's parents, aunt and uncle? Was the lunch a recipe for murder? Patterson insisted no. She was innocent of any crime. Not guilty, she declared to the court. A jury of her peers have now decided the answer to those two questions. So how did a respected country woman come to find her relationships and behavior dissected by police and prosecutors? Bestselling author, investigative journalist and former detective, Duncan McNab has sifted through the evidence, spoken to witnesses and attended the nine-week trial. And joins me now via ZOOM from…

People in this episode

Host: James Sulanowski

Guest: Duncan McNab

Topics covered

• murder
• poisoning
• trial
• investigation
• true crime

Keywords

• Erin Patterson
• Duncan McNab
• mushroom poisoning
• murder trial
• true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Leongatha, Victoria

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