Australian woman faces trial over alleged mushroom murders
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Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY – The trial of a woman accused of murdering three elderly people after serving them a lunch of poisonous mushrooms began in Australia on April 29, in a case that has gripped the nation.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with three murders – including both of her parents-in-law – and one attempted murder.
All four people became ill after a lunch hosted by the accused in July 2023 at her home in Leongatha, a town of around 6,000 people some 135km from Melbourne.
Prosecutors allege that the mushrooms were served to the victims as part of a baked pastry-and-beef dish.
Her estranged parents-in-law, Mr Don Patterson and Mrs Gail Patterson, and local pastor’s wife Heather Wilkinson, died in the days after the meal.
Mrs Wilkinson’s husband, Mr Ian Wilkinson, recovered after nearly two months in hospital.
Jury selection began on April 29 at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court in nearby Morwell, with the opening arguments expected to begin on April 30 morning.
Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges
A jury of 15 people was selected on April 29 and will be whittled down to 12 via ballot as the verdict nears.
Justice Christopher Beale told the jurors that prosecutors had dropped separate charges against Patterson alleging that she had also attempted to murder her estranged husband.
The case has generated huge interest both in Australia and internationally, with the six seats in the courtroom reserved for media allocated in a daily ballot. Dozens more are expected to watch proceedings in an overflow room set up at the court.
State broadcaster ABC is producing a daily podcast during the trial, which is expected to run for five to six weeks. Streaming service Stan has commissioned a documentary on what it says is “one of the highest-profile criminal cases in recent history”. REUTERS, AFP
