On Monday, July 7, an Australian woman, Erin Patterson, was convicted of murdering three elderly relatives of her estranged husband by serving them a meal poisoned with deadly mushrooms. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth person, in a high-profile case that has captured national attention.

Patterson, aged 50, faced charges for the deaths of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson. She was also accused of trying to kill Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson. The four victims had gathered at Patterson’s home in Leongatha, a small town located about 135 kilometers southeast of Melbourne, where she served them individual portions of Beef Wellington later found to contain death cap mushrooms.

Despite pleading not guilty and claiming the poisonings were accidental, Patterson was convicted on all four counts after a jury reached its verdict. Sentencing is yet to be scheduled, but she faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The trial, held in Morwell at Patterson’s request, lasted ten weeks and drew significant international attention. Courtroom 4 at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court was packed with local and foreign media, and national broadcaster ABC’s daily coverage of the case became one of Australia’s most-followed podcasts. Several documentary productions about the case are also underway.

According to lead prosecutor Nanette Rogers, Patterson carried out a complex plan involving multiple layers of deception to execute the murders. She allegedly faked a cancer diagnosis to persuade her guests to attend the meal, served them food laced with poison while eating a separate, safe portion herself, and later pretended to be ill to divert suspicion. When police began investigating, she attempted to cover up her actions by destroying evidence and misleading authorities.

During the trial, Patterson testified as the sole witness in her defense, represented by a legal team led by prominent Melbourne barrister Colin Mandy. Over eight days on the stand, including five under cross-examination, she spoke about her long struggle with weight issues, low self-esteem, and an eating disorder. She claimed the false cancer story was not intended to lure her relatives but was a misguided attempt to seek their support in telling her children she was planning weight-loss surgery.

Patterson also explained that she didn’t fall seriously ill like her guests because she had secretly eaten a cake brought by her mother-in-law and later purged due to binge eating. The jury, consisting of seven men and five women, began deliberations on June 30 and reached a decision after a week. Justice Beale acknowledged the trial’s emotional toll and complexity by exempting the jurors from future jury duty for the next 15 years.