Deadly Mushroom Poisoning: Australian Woman Convicted for Killing Three People
(MENAFN) A woman from Australia has been found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to kill a fourth by intentionally poisoning them with toxic mushrooms.
In a unanimous verdict on Monday, a Supreme Court jury in Victoria convicted 50-year-old Erin Patterson for the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, her husband’s parents, along with Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson.
The three victims died several days after consuming beef wellington prepared by Erin at her Leongatha residence, a town located about 110 kilometers southeast of Melbourne, back in July 2023.
The jury also convicted her of the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband, who survived despite spending weeks hospitalized.
Throughout the 10-week trial, evidence showed all four guests suffered from amanita mushroom poisoning after eating death cap mushrooms in the meal.
Charged in November 2023, Patterson denied all accusations, claiming the toxic mushrooms were accidentally included in the dish.
However, the prosecution, without suggesting a motive, argued that Patterson deliberately harvested death cap mushrooms, dehydrated them, ground them into powder, and concealed the poison in individually wrapped beef wellingtons served to her family.
Court proceedings further revealed allegations that Erin Patterson fabricated a cancer diagnosis to coax the guests into attending the lunch, falsely claimed she became ill from the meal to deflect suspicion, and tampered with evidence while misleading investigators during the police inquiry.
Simon Patterson, Erin’s estranged husband, had been invited but canceled his attendance the day before the gathering.
Deliberations began on June 30, and sentencing is scheduled for a future date.
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