Australian Erin Patterson convicted of mushroom murders

The Star

Australian Erin Patterson was on Monday (July 7) convicted of murdering three elderly relatives of her estranged husband with a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms, and attempting to murder a fourth, in a case that gripped the country.  Read more at https://tinyurl.com/wm6hzsef  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00An Australian woman was found guilty on Monday of murdering three elderly relatives of her estranged husband

00:08and attempting to kill a fourth by serving them a meal laced with deadly mushrooms,

00:12a sensational case that has captivated the nation.

00:21Following a week of deliberations, a jury convicted 50-year-old Erin Patterson

00:26of fatally poisoning her former in-laws.

00:30Gail Patterson, Donald Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson,

00:35during a lunch gathering at her home in Leongatha,

00:38a small town about 135 kilometers southeast of Melbourne.

00:43She was also found guilty of attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson,

00:48who survived the July 2023 meal after falling critically ill.

00:54I think it's very important that we remember that we've had three people.

00:58Three people have died, and we've had a person that nearly died and was seriously injured as a result,

01:06and that has led to these charges.

01:09I ask that we acknowledge those people and not forget them.

01:13I ask also that the Patterson family and Wilkinson family have asked for privacy during this time,

01:20and I ask that the media please respect that.

01:23Prosecutors told the 10-week trial that Patterson deliberately served each guest a portion of beef wellington

01:29laced with death cap mushrooms while reserving an untainted portion for herself.

01:34They allege she devised the plan using four major deceptions,

01:39including faking a cancer diagnosis to lure the victims, lying about falling ill herself,

01:45and destroying evidence to avoid suspicion.

01:48Patterson, who maintained her innocence and claimed the deaths were accidental, was the sole defense witness.

01:55She spent eight days on the stand, including five under intense cross-examination.

02:00She will be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

02:07She retains the right to appeal the verdict.

02:09Neither Patterson's legal counsel, Colin Mandy, one of Melbourne's top criminal barristers,

02:14nor a spokesman for her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, offered public comment following the verdict.

02:20The trial, held at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in Morwell,

02:35drew widespread local and international media attention,

02:39with court forepacked throughout the proceedings.

02:41Did you think that Erin was capable of something like this?

02:44She's a triple murderer.

02:46Were you expecting your friend to be found not guilty?

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