Berliner Tageblatt - Australian mushroom murderer accused of poisoning husband: police

Home cook Erin Patterson was found guilty in July of murdering her husband's parents and elderly aunt by lacing their beef Wellington lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms.

A series of potentially damning allegations about Patterson's behaviour in the lead-up to the 2023 meal were withheld from the jury in an effort to give the mother-of-two a fair trial.

Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale on Friday rejected an application to keep these allegations suppressed.

Patterson tried to kill her estranged husband Simon on three occasions between 2021 and 2022, police alleged in one of the major claims not heard during the trial.

She was accused of serving him poisoned dishes of pasta bolognese, chicken korma curry and a vegetable wrap, Australian media reported.

Prosecutors dropped those charges before the start of Patterson's trial, with tight restrictions preventing media from revealing any details.

Patterson will return to court on August 25 for hearings that will determine how long she spends behind bars.

Her legal team has 28 days after sentencing to appeal both her criminal convictions and her sentence.

A 12-person jury found the 50-year-old guilty of murdering Simon's parents Don and Gail Patterson, as well as his aunt Heather Wilkinson.

She was also found guilty of attempting to murder Heather's husband Ian, a well-known pastor at the local Baptist church.

Patterson's trial drew podcasters, film crews and true crime fans to the rural town of Morwell, a sedate hamlet in the state of Victoria better known for prize-winning roses.

Newspapers from New York to New Delhi followed every twist of what many now simply call the "mushroom murders".

Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world's most-lethal fungus.

Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties, and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity.

J.Bergmann--BTB