A jury in Morwell Australia has found Erin Patterson guilty of cooking a deadly mushroom lunch that killed three of her relatives and left another seriously ill
Patterson’s in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all fell ill and died days after the lunch
The prosecution claimed Ms Patterson knowingly put toxic death cap mushrooms into the home-cooked meal, before lying to police and disposing of evidence
The defence had argued that she accidentally included the poisonous fungi in the dish and only lied because she panicked.
Two weeks before the lunch
Erin invites her estranged husband Simon Patterson, his parents Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson – a local pastor – for a lunch on Saturday 29 July
24 hours before the lunch
Simon cancels as he feels “too uncomfortable” given recent tensions between the estranged couple
29 July, day of the lunch
Everyone, including Erin, eats the homemade meal and hours later, they all report feeling ill
30 July
All four guests are admitted to hospital with severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea
1/2 August
Within days of the lunch, all four guests are on life support with advanced multiple organ failure. Erin is discharged from hospital and dumps the dehydrator she used to dry wild mushrooms at a local tip
4/5 August
Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson all die from mushroom poisoning. Police recover the dumped food dehydrator from the local tip
22 September
Ian Wilkinson is discharged from hospital after weeks in an induced coma
2 November
Erin is charged with the three counts of murder and one of attempted murder. Four other attempted murder charges are dropped before her trial
