A 50-year-old Australian woman, Erin Patterson, has told a court that she accepted the fatal mushrooms in her beef Wellington dish were death caps, but claimed most came from local stores. Patterson is on trial for murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives and attempting to murder his brother, who survived. The poisoning occurred at her home in July 2023, and the family had been experiencing marital issues. Patterson said she began foraging mushrooms during the COVID-19 lockdown and even fed them to her children. She has denied deliberately seeking out death cap mushrooms and claimed they were part of a “safe venting space” conversation with friends. The prosecution alleges that Patterson lied about eating the same meal as her guests and feeding her children the leftovers, and says she fabricated evidence to avoid suspicion.
Source: https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/woman-who-denies-mushroom-murders-of-her-in-laws-accepts-that-she-served-them-death-caps-for-lunch