Australian woman appeals murder convictions in poison mushroom case
Triple-murderer Erin Patterson appeals convictions for poisoning four of her estranged husband's relatives with death cap mushrooms.
Three judges of the Victoria state Court of Appeal are hearing her appeal over two days against her convictions on three counts of murder and one of attempted murder relating to a lunch of beef Wellington pastries she prepared at her rural home in Leongatha, in south-east Australia, in July 2023.
Last July, Patterson was found guilty of the murders after a nine-week trial that gripped Australia .
Prosecutors, meanwhile are appealing her sentence, which they argue was too lenient. The 51-year-old was sentenced in September last year to life in prison, and she must serve at least 33 years behind bars before she can apply for release on parole.
Prosecutors will argue at the hearing Thursday that she should be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Prosecutor Brendan Kissane said.
Patterson's defense attorney Richard Edney made the first ground for their appeal on Wednesday an error that resulted in jury members being sequestered in the same hotel as a police witness and members of the prosecution team.