Erin Patterson, Accused Of Murdering In-Laws With Death Cap Mushrooms At Dinner Party, Goes On Trial In Australia
On the eve of her trial for allegedly killing three relatives with poisonous mushrooms, Erin Patterson had additional murder attempt charges dropped for when she was accused of trying to kill her estranged husband, Simon Patterson.
In July 2023, Patterson, 50, was accused of poisoning her husband’s family by way of a Beef Wellington laced with toxic mushrooms. Patterson’s former in-laws – Don Patterson and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson – died in the hospital following the meal. Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived after weeks of hospital treatment. Patterson was arrested in November 2023.
Patterson’s trial began on Wednesday in the Supreme Court of Victoria, an Australian state. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges. On Tuesday, the jury was informed that the prosecutors were not pursuing the charges that Patterson had tried to kill Simon on the occasion with his family, nor the previous incidents in 2021 and 2022. Patterson now faces four total charges, three for murder and one for attempted murder.
The jury was instructed by Justice Christopher Beale to overlook the previous charges of attempted murder. “In other words…you must put them out of your mind.” He also urged them to view the evidence “dispassionately.”
Given the publicity the case has garnered, Victoria’s Supreme Court imposed strict limitations on reporting to ensure Patterson receives a fair trial. Though the court is open to the public, the trial will not be televised.
The jury for her case is made up of 10 men and 5 women. The trial is expected to last six weeks.
Patterson allegedly used wild amanita phalloides, or death cap mushrooms, in her dish. The mushrooms grow freely in Australia and are known to be easily mistaken for their edible counterparts. They are responsible for 90% of lethal mushroom poisonings globally.
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