Australian lady charged with poisoning husband and his family with mushrooms seems in court docket
MELBOURNE, Australia — A lady accused of serving her ex-husband’s mother and father and an aunt toxic mushrooms with lunch appeared in an Australian court docket on Monday charged with three counts of homicide and 5 of tried homicide.
Erin Patterson, 49, appeared briefly within the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Courtroom by video hyperlink from a Melbourne jail the place she has been held since she was arrested in November final 12 months.
Justice of the Peace Tim Walsh mentioned he would announce on Might 7 whether or not Patterson will face a committal listening to in the identical court docket in Morwell or in Melbourne. Morwell is a rural city close to Patterson’s residence about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of Melbourne, the Victoria state capital.
Committal hearings decide whether or not prosecutors have adequate proof to place expenses earlier than a jury in a Victorian Supreme Courtroom trial.
It was Patterson’s second court docket look on the costs. She has but to enter any pleas and has not utilized to be launched on bail.
She is accused of killing her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, each 70, and Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66.
All three died in a hospital days after consuming a meal at Patterson’s residence in July final 12 months.
She can also be accused of the tried homicide of her ex-husband, Simon Patterson, at that lunch and on three earlier events relationship again to 2021. Simon Patterson didn’t settle for an invite to attend the lunch.
She is also charged with the tried homicide of Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68.
Ian Wilkinson spent seven weeks in a hospital following the lunch.
Police say the signs of the 4 sickened members of the family have been per poisoning from wild Amanita phalloides, often known as loss of life cap mushrooms.
The potential most sentence in Victoria for homicide is life imprisonment, and for tried homicide is 25 years in jail.
Patterson appeared in court docket on Monday sporting a blue jail sweater.
Walsh requested if Patterson might hear on the outset of the listening to, and he or she replied, “Sure, thanks.”
Her lawyer, Colin Mandy, mentioned his consumer wished the committal listening to held in Morwell, even when that meant a delay till subsequent 12 months.
“If it occurs subsequent 12 months, then Ms. Patterson’s content material to attend for that,” Mandy advised the Justice of the Peace.
Mandy mentioned she wished the listening to to happen near her residence.
Protection legal professionals have supplied prosecutors with an inventory of anticipated witnesses to be known as on the committal.
Mandy mentioned he anticipated the listening to would final three weeks.
