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The Australian Beef Wellington Recipe with a touch of Mens Rea

In July 2023, Erin Patterson invited her in-laws and estranged husband to lunch under the pretense of a made-up Cancer diagnosis. Supposedly luring the majority of guests with the shocking news, Patterson prepared a homemade beef Wellington for the upcoming luncheon. Now, in no way is the Justice Education Project an expert in cuisine. Yet, it’s important to assume Patterson’s beef Wellington was prepared in the classic manner —1 pound of thick beef tenderloin; Kosher salt ;1 pound of mushrooms; 1 sheet of Puff Pastry. While serving her children leftovers, Patterson scraped off the mushrooms and puff-pastry, as news soon arrived that her guests were admitted to the hospital with poisoning symptoms. Within a week of the luncheon, three of her guests were found to have died from poisoning by death cap mushrooms. These lethal mushrooms are known to grow in several Australian forests and were a short drive away from the Patterson home. However, as Mrs. Patterson allegedly portrayed similar poisoning symptoms, the debate revolving around her case centered on whether Patterson knew the mushrooms were poisonous or not. 


It’s Criminal Law 101 that the intent to commit a crime is different from taking action. It’s best described in the two notions of Actus Reus  ( the act of the crime ) and Mens Rea ( the motivation behind the crime ). Together, Actus Reus and Mens Rea constitute the two elements needed to find someone guilty of a crime. Without one element, it’s hard to prove the other. The absence of Mens Rea could completely change the aggravation of the Actus Reus. For instance, Patterson couldn’t be found guilty of murder solely for picking poisonous mushrooms. Vice versa, without Actus Reus, Patterson cannot be punished only for wishing harm to her in-laws and estranged husband. Thankfully, the development of 18th-century human rights avoided punishing someone for their thoughts alone. It’s why the elements of Actus Reus and Mens Rea are crucial to find when charging someone with a crime. 


In the span of two years, the Victoria prosecution built a case, unraveling Patterson’s web of lies before the jury. According to the BBC, the prosecution demonstrated the following :  photos of death cap mushrooms on kitchen scales, forcing Patterson to admit a hidden foraging hobby ; a dumped dehydrator Patterson denied owning until her fingerprints and traces of lethal mushrooms were uncovered; recordings of a doctor’s suspicions toward her quick recovery. You may be wondering what is the evidence shown to demonstrate her intent, her mens rea, the most crucial ingredient of all. After all, the Defense argued the prosecution wasn’t able to prove her motive to kill her relatives. 


There’s no denying the Patterson case led to the tragedy of four lives lost. The trial wasn’t to assess their cause of death nor deny the circumstances; it was to ensure the system of justice is only finding the guilty, guilty. Justice Christopher Beale even instructed the jury that her lies and disposal of evidence mustn’t be a cause of prejudice against Patterson. Promoting the unbiased standards of justice needed for future similar cases in Australia or the United States. Beale pays homage to the old saying, justice is blind for all, with a following : “This is a court of law, not a court of morals…. The issue isn’t whether she is in some sense responsible for the tragic consequence of the lunch, but whether the prosecution has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she is criminally responsible for those consequences,”. 


As of July 2025, a twelve-member jury unanimously agreed Erin Patterson had the intention to kill all four guests present at the luncheon. Thankfully, one sole survivor remains to tell the tale as Patterson awaits her sentencing and a potential appeal. 


Works Cited : 


Kim, V., & Albeck-Ripka, L. (2025, July 7). Australian Woman Is Convicted of Murder in Mushroom Poisoning Case. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/world/australia/mushroom-poisoning-trial-verdict.html


Turnbull, T., & Khalil, S. (2025, July 7). Live Reporting : Erin Patterson & the deadly Mushroom case gripping Australia - and much of the world. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cm26eq093myt


Whiteman, H. (2025, July 7). ‘Mushroom murder’ trial: Jury finds Australian woman deliberately killed lunch guests with poisoned Beef Wellington. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/07/australia/australia-erin-patterson-mushroom-trial-verdict-intl-hnk



 
 
 

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