Erin Patterson, 50, found guilty of murdering her estranged husband\u2019s parents and aunt with poisonous mushrooms.<\/p>\n
An Australian woman has been found guilty of murdering her estranged husband\u2019s parents and aunt by serving them a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms.<\/p>\n
Erin Patterson was on Monday convicted of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder following a 10-week trial.<\/p>\n
Patterson, 50, showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out in the courtroom in Morwell, a regional town located about 152km (94 miles) east of Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Patterson\u2019s parents-in-law, Donald and Gail Patterson, and Gail\u2019s sister, Heather Wilkinson, died after eating a lunch of beef Wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms on July 29, 2023.<\/p>\n
Heather\u2019s husband, Ian Wilkinson, was also poisoned but survived after spending seven weeks in hospital.<\/p>\n
Patterson, 50, had pleaded not guilty to all charges, with her lawyers arguing that she had unintentionally served her relatives the tainted food in a \u201cterrible accident\u201d.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors\u00a0did not allege a motive for Patterson, but told the jury that her relationship with her estranged husband, who declined an invitation to the lunch, had become strained over his child support contributions.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors alleged that Patterson lied about being diagnosed with cancer to lure her guests to the lunch, and that she lied to police about owning a food dehydrator that was later found in a rubbish tip.<\/p>\n
Patterson, who spent eight days on the stand, was the only witness called for the defence.<\/p>\n