An Australian woman accused of causing the deaths of three people with a poisonous mushroom lunch has entered a plea of not guilty to murder. Erin Patterson, 49, is facing three murder charges and two counts of attempted murder over the fatal beef Wellington meal in July last year.
Police also allege she attempted to kill her estranged husband on three other occasions.
Ms. Patterson has consistently maintained her innocence.
She has repeatedly stated that she did not intentionally poison her guests. On Tuesday, in the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court, she formally entered pleas to the charges against her.
"Not guilty, your honour," she said, appearing via video link.
The peculiar case has captured worldwide attention and left a tight-knit regional Victorian community in shock. Ms. Patterson hosted a lunch at her home in Leongatha - a two-hour drive south-east of Melbourne - on 29 July. Attending were her former in-laws Gail and Don Patterson, along with Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and Heather's husband Ian. Police have said Ms. Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson was also invited but could not make it at the last minute.
Hours after eating the meal, all four guests fell ill with what they initially thought was severe food poisoning. Within days, the Patterson couple, both 70, and Ms. Wilkinson, 66, had died. Mr. Wilkinson, 68, survived, after spending almost three months in hospital.
Police say they believe the four ate death cap mushrooms - which are highly lethal if ingested.
Ms. Patterson was named as a suspect by police after she appeared unharmed after the lunch.
After months of investigation, detectives allegedly uncovered another three murder attempts Ms. Patterson made against her estranged husband between 2021 and 2022, and in November she was arrested and formally charged with eight offenses in total.
Her case will now be fast-tracked to the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne for trial, with her first hearing scheduled for 23 May.
