A woman who poisoned relatives with death cap mushrooms burst into tears in court
A woman from Australia, accused of killing three elderly relatives of her ex-husband with a dish laced with toxic mushrooms, cried during her court testimony. The 50-year-old Erin Patterson is charged with the murders of her former mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson in July 2023, as well as the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, writes https://xrust.ru/. The prosecution alleges that she knowingly served her guests beef Wellington containing deadly death cap mushrooms. The incident occurred in the town of Leongatha, home to about 6,000 people, located 84 miles from Melbourne. Patterson denies the charges, and her defense claims the deaths were a “horrible accident.” She faces life imprisonment if convicted.
Testifying in her defense, Erin Patterson was questioned on Tuesday by her lawyer, Colin Mandy, regarding a series of explicit messages she had sent to friends about the Patterson family. Earlier, the court heard that the relationship between the accused and her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, had deteriorated shortly before the alleged murders due to disputes over alimony. Erin Patterson became the first witness for the defense after the prosecution concluded their case on Monday following a month of testimony from witnesses, including relatives, medical and forensic experts, and mushroom specialists.
The accused began giving her testimony on Monday afternoon. It is not yet known how long she will testify or whether she will face cross-examination by the prosecution. The trial, which began on April 29, has garnered significant attention from both Australian and international media.
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