Australian Mushroom Killer Convicted Murder, Attempted Murder In-Laws, Husband

Erin Patterson, an Australian woman convicted last month of murdering three of her in-laws by poisoning them with death cap mushrooms in Beef Wellington, was also revealed to have allegedly attempted to poison her estranged husband multiple times between 2021 and 2022. The attempted murder methods reportedly included a pasta bolognese, chicken curry, and a sandwich wrap, which made her husband seriously ill, resulting in temporary paralysis and part of his bowel being removed. These additional charges were initially part of Patterson's indictment but were dropped before trial, meaning the jury never heard about these attempts. Evidence such as her husband's detailed record of illnesses after consuming her cooking and searches for poisons on her computer was excluded from the trial. Patterson maintains her innocence, arguing the mushroom contamination was accidental, while a sentencing hearing is scheduled to determine her prison term. The case has captivated Australia, highlighting the extreme toxicity of death cap mushrooms and the severity of the alleged poisoning attempts within the family.