Australian Woman on Trial for Poisonous Mushroom Murders

Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old Australian woman, is on trial for allegedly murdering her ex-husband's parents and aunt with a beef Wellington dish laced with toxic death cap mushrooms. Her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, testified that he declined an invitation to the lunch, citing discomfort, despite his wife's urging him to attend, saying she had cooked a "special meal." Prosecutors claim Patterson invited the victims to her home under false pretenses, telling them she had cancer, which was later found to be untrue. The guests fell ill with symptoms consistent with death cap mushroom poisoning and three of them died. Patterson's defense argues that the poisoning was a "terrible accident," as she also ate the meal and suffered symptoms. The trial is expected to last six weeks.

Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old Australian woman, is on trial for allegedly murdering her ex-husband's family members by serving them beef Wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms. Patterson pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after her ex-in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, and her ex-husband's aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, were hospitalized with death cap mushroom poisoning following a lunch at her home. The victims died shortly after, while Ian Wilkinson survived after a seven-week hospital stay. The prosecution alleged that Patterson served the meal, made up an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and used a different plate than her guests, raising suspicions. Patterson's lawyer claimed the poisoning was a "terrible accident," while admitting she had foraged for wild mushrooms, contradicting her initial statement. The trial is expected to continue for six weeks.

Erin Patterson, 50, is on trial for murdering her husband's relatives by serving them a beef wellington laced with poisonous death cap mushrooms. Her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, testified that their relationship had become strained after he listed them as financially separated on a tax return, triggering child support payments. He declined Patterson's invitation to lunch, citing discomfort, which she found "really disappointing" as she had prepared a "special meal". The lunch, served to her in-laws and their relatives, resulted in four people falling ill, with three eventually dying. Patterson denies the charges, claiming the deaths were a "terrible accident".