Justice Christopher Beale will select a jury for the trial of Erin Patterson, the woman accused of deliberately serving beef wellington containing poisonous death cap mushrooms to four lunch guests in July 2023. 

In early August 2023, three guests including her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Don Patterson and aunt-in-law Heather Wilkinson, died in hospital from suspected mushroom poisoning.

Wilkinson’s husband was the only survivor of the lunch and was released from hospital in September after an extended period of recovery. 

In a statement to Victoria Police a week after the deaths, Patterson attempted to “clear the record”.

“I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people,” she said. 

Patterson was arrested on the 2nd of November 2023 at her Leongatha home where the lunch took place.

The Victorian Supreme Court will begin proceedings at the Latrobe Valley Law Court in Morwell this morning, and its jury pool will consist of locals from the surrounding area. The six-week process is expected to proceed on the grounds that the accused sustains a not-guilty plea. 

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