<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A poison expert found and removed </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-trial-murder-trial-told-how-death-cap-mushrooms-become-lethal/bc691a94-b9ce-417e-b687-8f842b6a99ae" rel="" target="_blank" title="death cap mushrooms"><span>death cap mushrooms</span></a><span> growing near a regional sporting oval three months before a deadly beef Wellington lunch was served, a jury has been told.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Christine McKenzie, who worked as a Victorian Poisons Information Centre specialist for 17 years, told the Victorian Supreme Court she found the mushrooms growing in Loch in April 2023.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The regional town is about 30km northwest of Leongatha, where Erin Patterson is accused of murdering her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-education-school-student-biometric-data-collected-for-weeks-before-department-became-aware/ceb9e264-caee-4f4e-af9e-ab437513be9a" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Biometric data collected at schools for weeks before NSW Education was aware</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's alleged she deliberately served them a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms on July 29, 2023.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Heather's husband Ian also ate the lunch but survived, and Patterson has been charged with his attempted murder.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-mushroom-poison-trial-enters-final-weeks/c600748a-a521-430d-a458-7b03a58fa8e2" rel="" target="_blank" title="on trial in the Supreme Court"><span>on trial in the Supreme Court</span></a><span> sitting at Morwell.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-trial-how-poison-expert-found-death-cap-mushrooms-before-deadly-lunch/17fc0179-23b5-4865-b453-1656b16d4a87" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>McKenzie told the jury she was walking with her husband and grandson at the Loch Memorial Reserve on April 18, 2023, when she saw mushrooms growing under an oak tree.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Upon closer inspection, she realised they were death cap mushrooms and pulled them out of the ground to photograph.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-landsborough-campground-volunteer-group-leader-allegedly-charged-for-entering-tents-and-stealing-childrens-underwear/79f1a593-8876-42dd-acc0-84afbddca20c" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Volunteer group leader charged after allegedly stealing children's underwear</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>McKenzie then removed all of the death caps she could find and placed them into a dog poo bag, she told the jury.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I feel much more confident about (identifying toxic mushrooms) but as far as the wider fungi kingdom, I'm often as much in the dark as anyone else," she said in evidence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>McKenzie confirmed she did not return to the oval in the days or weeks after spotting the death caps, although there was a risk more could have grown back.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I feel much more confident about (identifying toxic mushrooms) but as far as the wider fungi kingdom, I'm often as much in the dark as anyone else," she said in evidence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>McKenzie confirmed she did not return to the oval in the days or weeks after spotting the death caps, although there was a risk more could have grown back.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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