EXCLUSIVE Erin Patterson: New Mail podcast launches to hear case against Australian mother-of-two accused of killing three family members with a Beef Wellington laced with deadly mushrooms
On 29 July 2023, Erin Patterson, 50, allegedly served sister Heather Patterson and her husband Ian Wilkinson as well as parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, a Beef Wellington containing Death cap mushrooms.
All four felt unwell by midnight that evening, with Gail, Heather, and Don Patterson all dying within a week of consuming the toxic dish.
Erin, an Australian mother-of-two from the small town of Leongatha near Victoria, has protested her innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges.
The Trial of Erin Patterson is available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Listen here
Her defence points to the fact that she was also poisoned by the Wellington in evidence of her not-guilty plea.
Another charge against her of the attempted murder of her ex-husband Simon Patterson was dropped just days before the trial began.
The stage is set for a case that will dominate headlines in Australia, with the Mail's acclaimed crime correspondent Caroline Cheetham and reporter in Australia Wayne Flower set to share every courtroom revelation as it happens.
With the trial getting underway on Tuesday, Flower told the podcast what the jury selection process was like having sat inside the busy Valley Latrobe Courthouse.
'There were 120 jurors that had to come into the small courthouse', Flower described.
'Each of them went in and Erin Patterson got to eyeball each one of them. They made sure that no juror knew any of the witnesses.
'By around 3 in the afternoon, they had a jury of about 15 – ten men and five women.
Don and Gail Patterson both died after the lunch
'The jurors go into the opening of the trial with some information about what lies ahead.
'They were told straight off the bat by the prosecution that these were not any ordinary mushrooms: they consumed deadly Death cap mushrooms.'
Tune in to 'The Trial of Erin Patterson' tomorrow as the prosecution lays out its case against the defendant.
New episodes will then be released every Wednesday and Friday. Search for The Trial of Erin Patterson, wherever you get your podcasts now.
Also watch out for The Trail's coverage of the proceedings of The Kim Kardashian heist in Paris, available now, and the cutting down of the famous Sycamore Oak, released on Thursday.
Become a member by clicking here, for ad-free access to every show across The Crime Desk network — including over 200 episodes of UK's No.1 True Crime series - The Trial and On The Case and so much more.
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