The murder trial of a woman accused of killing three people by serving them poisonous mushrooms has begun in the Victorian Supreme Court this week.
Erin Patterson was charged with murder after three people died following a meal at her home in July 2023.
Patterson maintains her innocence and has pleaded not guilty.
The trial starts today and is expected to run for the next six weeks.
Poisoning
In July 2023, Erin Patterson hosted her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and her husband’s aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, for lunch.
Patterson served a beef Wellington, which she said contained dried mushrooms.
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Following the meal, all four became critically ill. Don, Gail, and Heather died, while Ian spent several weeks in hospital.
In November 2023, Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Trial
The trial will be held in the town of Morwell, about 45 minutes from Patterson’s home in south-east Victoria.
The first step is jury selections.
Members of the public are randomly drawn from a ballot and presented to lawyers on both sides, who can object to their selection. This process repeats until a panel of at least 12 jurors is agreed upon.
The court is expected to hear opening statements this week, with the trial scheduled to run until June.
