THE SQUIZ
Erin Patterson – the woman who served a meal believed to include highly-toxic death cap mushrooms – has given a new sworn written statement to police outlining what happened at the fateful lunch. She says her beef wellington contained button mushrooms purchased from a major supermarket and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer in Melbourne – although she didn’t specify which one. Patterson says she’s “devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed” to 3 deaths and the severe illness of another guest. “I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved,” she wrote.

DID SHE SAY MUCH ELSE?
Plenty, and you can read more here. But Patterson – who remains a suspect in the ongoing homicide investigation – says she ate the same meal as her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian on 29 July. Don, Gail and Heather died following the lunch, and Ian remains in critical condition. Patterson says she was also hospitalised with stomach pains and diarrhoea but was later released. She also confirmed her estranged husband Simon was supposed to be at the lunch but had cancelled. And at odds with early police reports, Patterson says her children weren’t at home on the day, but they ate the leftovers minus the mushrooms, because you know kids and anything vegetable-related… As for the food dehydrator police seized from a local tip, Patterson admitted to initially lying to police about dumping it “a long time ago”.

ANYTHING ELSE TO NOTE?
The Wilkinson family released their own statement saying 70yo Ian is in a stable condition. They thanked the staff at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne’s northeast for their “expertise, dedication, and compassion”. And they said they’ve been “deeply moved by the outpouring of kindness, prayers, and support” for the pastor at the Korumburra Baptist Church, with many people sending get-well cards. And on the investigation… Victorian Police are waiting on toxicology reports to confirm the mushrooms were poisonous death caps. Yesterday, they said in a statement that they are “not commenting on specific details of the case or what actions police will undertake as part of the investigation”.