Erin Patterson was found guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband's relatives and attempting to murder a fourth by serving them a dish with poisonous mushrooms. The jury determined that she deliberately included death cap mushrooms in the meal served to her guests. The prosecution did not specify a motive, although it highlighted declining relations between Patterson and her former partner. Patterson admitted to lying to police about her knowledge of mushrooms and a food dehydrator. She faces a potential life sentence and plans to appeal the verdict.
"A 12-person jury unanimously decided on Monday that Erin Patterson, 50, had deliberately included death cap mushrooms in a beef wellington that she fed her guests at her home in the rural town of Leongatha in the state of Victoria in July 2023."
"The prosecution did not specify a motive, but stressed that relations between Patterson and her former partner had deteriorated in the year leading up to the lunch."
"During her testimony, the 50-year-old defendant said she had lied out of fear. 'It was this stupid knee-jerk reaction to dig deeper and keep lying,' she told the court during the trial."
"Following the guilty verdict on Monday, Victoria Police requested privacy for the Patterson and Wilkinson families. 'Our thoughts are with the respective families at this time and we acknowledge how difficult these past two years have been for them.'"
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