Australian triple-murder suspect accused of killing with ‘special' mushroom meal
An Australian woman promised a 'special meal' for her husband's family before dishing up a beef Wellington with death cap mushrooms that killed three of them, jurors heard on Wednesday.
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On the opening day of a trial that has drawn global attention, Erin Patterson, 50, faced a jury accused of three murders – including her parents-in-law – and one attempted murder.
She has pleaded not guilty to all counts, with her defence saying it was all 'a terrible accident'.
Patterson 'deliberately poisoned' her guests, Crown Prosecutor Nanette Rogers told the jury.
The accused cooked 'individual beef Wellingtons, mashed potatoes and green beans', with her guests eating from four large grey dinner plates, while she ate from a smaller, orange plate, Rogers said.
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Patterson invited her guests to lunch in late July 2023 at her home in the sedate Victoria state farm village of Leongatha, telling them she had a health issue to relate, the prosecutor said.
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