Nine’s new true crime documentary Murder by Mushroom will air Tuesday, July 8 at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now, marking the first television documentary on the sensational Erin Patterson trial since the guilty verdict.
Where and when to watch Murder by Mushroom
The one-hour special premieres on free-to-air and streaming via 9Now at 7.30pm AEST, Tuesday July 8. The documentary is produced by Perpetual Entertainment for the Nine Network.
Inside the trial that captivated Australia
Filmed over the course of the trial, Murder by Mushroom gives viewers an inside look at the courtroom proceedings surrounding the infamous lunch in Leongatha. Three guests died and a fourth was hospitalised after eating beef wellington allegedly laced with poisonous death cap mushrooms, leading to murder charges against Erin Patterson.
Exclusive interviews and courtroom insights
The documentary features the only person to have conducted a long-form interview with Patterson, Sam Cucchiara, investigative journalist for A Current Affair. Cucchiara revisits his viral exchange with Patterson and unpacks how it fits into the broader legal narrative.
Sam Cucchiara
Additional insight is provided by Amber Johnstone (9News court reporter) and Tita Smith (Daily Mail), who share their reporting from inside and around the courtroom.
FBI-style profiling and new motive theories
Adding psychological depth is Kris Illingsworth, an FBI-trained criminal profiler and former homicide detective.
Kris Illingsworth
Illingsworth explores whether the incident was a tragic accident or a calculated act of murder, examining potential motives including a theory around religious retribution, due to the victims’ ties to the local Baptist Church.
She also analyses the reported disposal of a food dehydrator, believed to be used in preparing the mushrooms, as a possible act of evidence disposal and emotional detachment.
Local voices and survivor accounts
The documentary also includes commentary from senior journalist Ashlea Hansen, Deputy Mayor of South Gippsland Nathan Hersey, local mushroom expert Scott Rae, and Simon Claringbold, a death cap mushroom survivor from Canberra.
Picking mushrooms
Global interest in Australian true crime
Murder by Mushroom has already been picked up by international broadcasters, with sales confirmed to Channel 5 (UK) and Three/Warner Bros Discovery (New Zealand). Global distribution is being handled by ITV Studios Global Partnerships.
Murder by Mushroom premieres Tuesday, July 8 at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.