The woman charged with murder over a beef wellington allegedly containing poisonous death cap mushrooms is about to face court.
Erin Patterson, 49, was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. The murder charges relate to a lunch she allegedly served to members of her ex-husband’s family at her home in Leongatha in July.
She was arrested during a police raid of her home at 8am on Thursday after a three-month investigation into the deaths.
Ms Patterson spent the night behind bars and will appear before Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning.
The murder charges relate to her parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, who all died from symptoms consistent with death cap mushroom poisoning that emerged after the lunch.
Erin Patterson cooked a beef wellington dish, which is alleged to have contained deadly death cap mushrooms, on July 29, and served it to four people at a lunch at her home.
Ms Wilkinson’s husband, Ian, survived after spending two months in hospital but is still recovering from severe injuries.
Three of the five attempted murder charges relate to “three separate incidents” in Victoria between 2021 and 2022, according to Victoria Police.
“It’s alleged a 48-year-old Korumburra man became ill following meals on these dates,” a spokesman said.
It’s understood the 48-year-old man is Ms Patterson’s ex-husband, Simon Patterson.