Erin Patterson LIVE updates: Accused mushroom killer’s trial kicks off

Accomodation in the Gippsland town of Morwell, about 155km southeast of Melbourne, has been snapped up by the local and overseas media outlets whose interest was piqued after a deadly lunch claimed the lives of three people.

Patterson’s former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson (pictured), and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, died from suspected mushroom poisoning after eating a beef Wellington dish cooked by Patterson at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023.

Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only one to survive the deadly lunch, with an attempted murder charge related to his alleged poisoning remaining.

Mr Wilkinson spent almost two months being treated a Melbourne hospital.

Witnesses are scheduled to give evidence at the Supreme Court of Victoria sitting in Morwell, 155km east of Melbourne, on Wednesday morning

The trial for accused mushroom murderer Erin Patterson is underway in the Victorian town of Morwell. The trial is expected to last at least six weeks while the world turns its attention to this country town in the state’s southeast. Reporters Wayne Flower and Paul Shapiro are on the ground ready to update as the big news breaks.

Multiple attempted murder charges against accused killer Erin Patterson have been dropped. Patterson, who appeared before the jury in a pink striped shirt, had been charged with attempting to murder her ex-husband Simon Patterson but the prosecution has discontinued the charges. Mr Patterson (pictured) will be the first witness in the trial on Wednesday morning.

A 15-person jury has been selected to decide Patterson’s fate. Justice Christopher Beale is presiding over the trial. He has given the jury instructions before it determines if Patterson is guilty of murdering three people with a poisoned Beef Wellington dish which allegedly contained deadly death cap mushrooms. The 10-men and five-women jury has been charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Members of Patterson’s legal team (below) including Sophie stafford (right) arrived at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court for the trial.