Australian Woman on Trial for Triple Mushroom Poisoning Murders

Erin Patterson is on trial in Victoria, Australia, accused of deliberately poisoning three of her ex-husband’s relatives by serving them a beef Wellington meal containing toxic death cap mushrooms, resulting in three deaths and one severe illness. Patterson denies the charges of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, maintaining that the poisoning was a tragic accident and that she also fell ill, vomiting after eating dessert. She admitted to lying about having cancer to coax her guests to the lunch, instead planning gastric bypass surgery, and stated she consumed only a small portion of the meal before eating most of a cake and vomiting. The prosecution argues that the poisoning was intentional, while the defense emphasizes the accidental nature and Patterson’s own illness. The trial has drawn significant attention, with over 50 witnesses testifying and a detailed account provided by Patterson about the preparation and events of the fatal lunch. If convicted, Patterson faces life imprisonment for the murders and 25 years for the attempted murder charge.