Australian woman pleads not guilty to murdering her ex-husband's family with poisonous mushrooms

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Life sentence sought for former Titans scout accused of poisoning pregnant girlfriend

The man accused of poisoning his pregnant girlfriend made his first court appearance on Wednesday.

• Erin Patterson, 49, has pleaded not guilty in an Australian court to three charges of murder and five charges of attempted murder.
• Patterson is accused of killing her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66.
• Police believe the symptoms of the sickened family members were consistent with poisoning from death cap mushrooms.

A woman accused of serving her ex-husband’s family poisonous mushrooms pleaded not guilty in an Australian court on Tuesday to three charges of murder and five charges of attempted murder.

Erin Patterson, 49, appeared briefly in Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court by video link from a Melbourne prison, where she has been held since her arrest in November last year. She is accused of killing her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66.

All three died in a hospital days after consuming a meal at Patterson’s home in July.

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She pleaded not guilty to all charges and will appear at Victoria state's Supreme Court in Melbourne for the first time on May 23.

In this courtroom sketch, Erin Patterson appears in Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court, Victoria, on Nov. 3, 2023. Patterson, who is accused of serving her ex-husband’s family poisonous mushrooms, pleaded not guilty in an Australian court on Tuesday to three charges of murder and five charges of attempted murder. (Anita Lester/AAP Image via AP)

Proceedings have been fast-tracked after Patterson dispensed with a committal hearing where a magistrate would have examined the prosecution's case to ensure there is sufficient evidence to warrant a jury trial.

She has not applied to be released on bail during any of her four court appearances.

Erin Patterson is also accused of the attempted murder of her ex-husband, Simon, at that lunch and on three previous occasions dating back to 2021. Simon Patterson did not accept an invitation to attend the lunch.

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She has also been charged with the attempted murder of Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.

Ian Wilkinson spent seven weeks in a hospital following the lunch.

Police say the symptoms of the four sickened family members were consistent with poisoning from wild Amanita phalloides, known as death cap mushrooms.

Erin Patterson could face up to 25 years in prison for each attempted murder charge, while murder in the state of Victoria carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.