Erin Patterson found GUILTY of murdering three relatives with poisonous mushrooms

A woman has been found guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives after she served them a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.

On July 29 2023 Erin Patterson, 50, invited her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, over for lunch at her home in the town of Leongatha, the court heard.

The mother-of-two, from the state of Victoria in southern Australia, has now been convicted at the Supreme Court trial in Victoria state aftr the jury returned a verdict after six days of deliberations, following a nine-week trial. Patterson, who sat in the dock between two prison officers, showed no emotion but blinked rapidly as the verdicts were read.

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Patterson was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Mrs Wilkinson's husband Reverend Ian Wilkinson. All four guests fell ill following the lunch the town of Leongatha, which consisted of beef wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans the court was told. Prosecutors had alleged that the mother of two laced the meal with deadly death cap mushrooms, also known as Amanita phalloides.

Mrs Wilkinson and Mrs Patterson died on Friday 4 August 2023, while Mr Patterson died a day late Reverend Wilkinson spent seven weeks in hospital but survived. Her estranged husband Simon Patterson, with whom she has two children, was also invited to the lunch and initially accepted but later declined, the trial heard.

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