An Australian woman is charged for the murder of three members of her ex-husband’s family after allegedly feeding her in-laws poison mushrooms in their Beef Wellington. Erin Patterson served four of her in-laws the death cap mushrooms at a luncheon six months ago, three of them dying. Police raided her East Victoria home November 1 and charged the 48-year-old suspect with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. Two of the attempted murders are from the fateful day of the toxic Beef Wellington, the other three are for “separate instances” from 2021 and 2022, according to Victoria police. Police used "technology detector dogs" and removed several items from Patterson’s home, though details have not been specified as to what those items were. Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said the investigation “is not over yet.” “Today’s charges are just the next step in what has been an incredibly complex, methodical and thorough investigation by homicide squad detectives,” he said. “I know that people will no doubt have many unanswered questions about this matter, however I urge people to be especially mindful of unnecessary speculation and not sharing misinformation.”Patterson’s mother and father-in-law, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70 years old and Gail’s 66-year-old sister Heather Wilkinson died in hospital following the event. Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, became critically ill and was hospitalized for months, as per The Sun. The publication reported doctors said the victim’s symptoms were consistent with poisoning found after death cap mushrooms have been ingested. The wild strand of mushrooms is allegedly abundant in the region. Erin Patterson’s husband, Simon Patterson, who police say she has tried to murder several times prior to this event, was scheduled to be present at the lunch scheduled on July 29 2023, but cancelled at the last minute. He reportedly got sick on three occasions following meals cooked by his wife in 2021 and 2022. The police investigated the matter August 5 and Erin Patterson immediately became a person of interest because she didn’t get sick, though she claimed she ate the Wellington. There were also contradicting reports regarding where she got the mushrooms, when she ate the food later and whether her children had any. After the fatal luncheon, Patterson said “I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones.”Erin Patterson denies any wrongdoing. She is in custody and will appear in court Friday morning.
An Australian woman is charged for the murder of three members of her ex-husband’s family after allegedly feeding her in-laws poison mushrooms in their Beef Wellington. Erin Patterson served four of her in-laws the death cap mushrooms at a luncheon six months ago, three of them dying. Police raided her East Victoria home November 1 and charged the 48-year-old suspect with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. Two of the attempted murders are from the fateful day of the toxic Beef Wellington, the other three are for “separate instances” from 2021 and 2022, according to Victoria police. Police used "technology detector dogs" and removed several items from Patterson’s home, though details have not been specified as to what those items were. Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said the investigation “is not over yet.” “Today’s charges are just the next step in what has been an incredibly complex, methodical and thorough investigation by homicide squad detectives,” he said. “I know that people will no doubt have many unanswered questions about this matter, however I urge people to be especially mindful of unnecessary speculation and not sharing misinformation.”Patterson’s mother and father-in-law, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70 years old and Gail’s 66-year-old sister Heather Wilkinson died in hospital following the event. Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, became critically ill and was hospitalized for months, as per The Sun. The publication reported doctors said the victim’s symptoms were consistent with poisoning found after death cap mushrooms have been ingested. The wild strand of mushrooms is allegedly abundant in the region. Erin Patterson’s husband, Simon Patterson, who police say she has tried to murder several times prior to this event, was scheduled to be present at the lunch scheduled on July 29 2023, but cancelled at the last minute. He reportedly got sick on three occasions following meals cooked by his wife in 2021 and 2022. The police investigated the matter August 5 and Erin Patterson immediately became a person of interest because she didn’t get sick, though she claimed she ate the Wellington. There were also contradicting reports regarding where she got the mushrooms, when she ate the food later and whether her children had any. After the fatal luncheon, Patterson said “I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones.”Erin Patterson denies any wrongdoing. She is in custody and will appear in court Friday morning.
