Australian woman on trial for alleged mushroom poisoning that killed three relatives

An Australian woman has gone on trial, accused of killing her former in-laws and an aunt by allegedly serving them a beef Wellington tainted with poisonous mushrooms.

Erin Patterson faces murder charges over the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson, both aged 70, along with Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, who was 66.

She is also charged with the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Reverend Ian Wilkinson.

Initially, she was also accused of attempting to murder her ex-husband, but prosecutors have since withdrawn that charge.

CBS NEWS reports that the four alleged victims reportedly fell ill after eating a beef Wellington meal prepared by Erin Patterson at her home in Leongatha, a small town near Melbourne, on 29 July 2023.

By that night, all four were experiencing symptoms of illness.

Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson passed away nearly a week later, on Friday, 4 August. Don Patterson died the following day.

Reverend Ian Wilkinson, aged 68, was hospitalized for seven weeks but ultimately survived.

According to prosecutors, the meal was laced with poisonous mushrooms.

Authorities previously indicated that the symptoms displayed by the victims were consistent with poisoning from wild Amanita phalloides mushrooms—commonly known as death caps—which are responsible for the vast majority of mushroom-related deaths.

Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old mother of two, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Police had earlier interacted with the suspect in a car attack case in Vancouver, while in a separate incident, a student had to be rescued twice from a mountain after returning to retrieve his phone.

In August 2023, Erin Patterson provided a voluntary statement to police, saying she wanted to "clarify the record" as she was "deeply distressed and overwhelmed by the loss of loved ones."

She also said she had been hospitalized after consuming the same meal.

According to her statement, she prepared the beef Wellington, let her guests pick their own servings, and later ate from what was left.

Patterson insisted she had no motive whatsoever to harm people she cared about.

Fifteen jurors were sworn in on Tuesday at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court in Morwell, with the trial's opening statements set to begin on Wednesday morning.

Justice Christopher Beale advised jurors to disregard the previously dropped charge involving the alleged attempted murder of Patterson’s ex-husband.

"You must put that entirely out of your minds," he instructed.

A conviction on the murder charges could result in a life sentence. The trial is expected to last five to six weeks.