Lawyers representing Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of fatally poisoning three family members with deadly death cap mushrooms, have told the jury that the deaths were a "terrible accident" rather than deliberate murder. Patterson is standing trial for allegedly serving a beef Wellington containing toxic mushrooms to her former in-laws and relatives during a lunch at her home in July 2023.
The poisonous meal resulted in the deaths of her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, 68, was hospitalized for nearly two months but survived. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.
In opening statements at the Supreme Court in Melbourne, defense attorney Colin Mandy argued that Patterson had no motive to kill her guests and was devastated by their deaths. The defense maintains that Patterson accidentally used death cap mushrooms, mistaking them for edible varieties she had previously foraged.
Prosecutors, however, allege Patterson deliberately poisoned her guests and attempted to cover up her actions by disposing of a food dehydrator and deleting security camera footage. They claim she had researched death cap mushrooms extensively before the fatal lunch.
The trial continues as both sides present their evidence in what has become one of Australia's most closely watched murder cases in recent years.