The homicide squad detective who charged Erin Patterson with murder following the death of three of her in-laws is set to face questioning from her lawyers.
Detective leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall will return to the witness box on Thursday for his third day of giving evidence at the triple-murder trial.
Earlier this week, the jury was told Constable Eppingstall would be the last witness called by the Crown in the case.
Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson intentionally poisoned a beef wellington lunch with death cap mushrooms on July 29, 2023.
Her lawyers, on the other hand, have asked the jury to find the deaths were a tragic accident and acquit Ms Patterson.
Her husband Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and aunt, Heather Wilkinson, died in the week after the lunch from organ failure attributed to mushroom poisoning.
Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, fell gravely ill but recovered after a long stint in hospital.
After prosecutor Jane Warren told the court she had no further questions for Constable Eppingstall on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Patterson’s barrister Colin Mandy SC began to probe the detective before the hearing was adjourned for the day.
His first question asked the officer if his client had no criminal history, with Constable Eppingstall responding: “Yes”.
Mr Mandy then turned to whether Ms Patterson was helpful in the initial stages of the investigation, advising police where to find leftovers of the lunch, giving her gate access code and permission to break into her home if needed.
Again the detective said “yes”.
Over the last 45 minutes of the day, Mr Mandy took Constable Eppingstall through a series of medical notes, phone messages and hospital records about Ms Patterson’s health.
Records shown to the jury in late 2021 and early 2022 indicate Ms Patterson was seeking medical advice for a host of health complaints including fatigue, weight gain and overactive bladder, pins and needles and clumsiness.
“Erin worries about ovary cancer, has been googling her symptoms, thinks her symptoms may suggestive of ovary cancer,” a doctor’s note from October 2021 reads, indicating follow up tests had been scheduled.
Another medical record outlining Ms Patterson’s self-reported family history, states that her paternal aunt and maternal aunt had ovarian cancer.
Messages on encrypted messaging platform Signal between Ms Patterson and Simon Patterson on January 4 and 5, 2022, record her complaining about her health while on a holiday to Tasmania.
“It’s my heart that’s troubling me,” Ms Patterson wrote.
“I’m struggling with the energy to do basic things like get in and out of the car and after I have a shower I need to lie down and rest.”
Ms Patterson later messages she’s “been doing some research” and her symptoms fit with right-sided heart failure.
Mr Mandy asks Constable Eppingstall if the records were “consistent with Erin Patterson being concerned about various health issues?”
“Yes, sir,” the detective replies.
Prosecutors alleged Ms Patterson orchestrated the lunch with the “false claim” of a cancer diagnosis, while her defence contents she only told the lunch guests she had a “suspected” diagnosis.
The trial continues.
