SYDNEY, April 29 — An Australian woman accused of murdering three people with a toxic mushroom-laced beef Wellington faces trial on Wednesday in a case that has grabbed global attention.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with three murders — including both of her parents-in-law — and one attempted murder.
She has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Patterson is accused of hosting a July 2023 lunch at which she served the baked pastry-and-beef dish, which police said was laced with poisonous mushrooms.
Her estranged parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and a local pastor’s wife, Heather Wilkinson, died in the days after the meal.
Wilkinson’s husband Ian recovered after nearly two months in hospital.
Patterson will be tried in the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell, south of Melbourne — about an hour’s drive from Leongatha, where the allegedly fatal meal was eaten.
A jury of 15 people was selected on Tuesday 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 she had also attempted to murder her estranged husband.
The trial is expected to run for six weeks and will begin with opening statements from the prosecution and defence, each side giving a summary of their case and detailing the witnesses and evidence they plan to rely on.
The case made headlines worldwide, sparking a string of podcasts and a television documentary series on Australian streaming service Stan.
Victoria state’s Supreme Court has imposed strict guidelines on reporting about the case to ensure Patterson receives a fair trial.
While the court is open to the public, the case will not be televised. — AFP