Erin Patterson Photo: Screenshot / ABC
The woman charged with murder over a mushroom meal served to relatives in Victoria's east is due to face court today.
Erin Patterson, 49, was last night charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.
She was remanded in custody overnight and is due to face the Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court at Morwell today.
Of the charges, the three counts of murder and two of the attempted murder charges relate to a lunch Patterson hosted at her home in the South Gippsland town of Leongatha on Saturday 29 July.
Her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson fell ill and later died in hospital after the meal.
Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, also fell gravely ill but made a recovery and was released from hospital in late September.
Police said the other three attempted murder charges related to separate meals in 2021 and 2022 that made a 48-year-old Korumburra man ill.
The ABC understands the Korumburra man is Simon Patterson, Erin Patterson's estranged husband.
Patterson has always maintained she did not intentionally poison her guests and has denied any wrongdoing.
In the days after the deaths, Patterson told reporters she was "devastated" by the loss of her relatives.
Police urge community to remember tragic loss of three 'beloved' people
The charges were laid after police arrested Patterson at her home just after 8am on Thursday.
Detectives spent hours scouring the 49-year-old's property with detection dogs and were observed bagging up items.
On Thursday, police made reference to the intense interest in the events both nationally and across the world.
The homicide squad's Inspector Dean Thomas urged people to remember that at the heart of the case were three people who had lost their lives.
"These are three people who, by all accounts, were much beloved in their communities and are greatly missed by their loved ones," he said.
"In smaller communities such as Leongatha and Korumburra, a tragedy such as this can reverberate for years to come."
How the investigation has unfolded
- July 29: Erin Patterson hosts a lunch at her Leongatha home. Her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Heather and Ian Wilkinson, are guests. Shortly afterwards, the four guests fell ill and were taken to hospital
- August 4: Heather Wilkinson and Gail Patterson pass away in hospital
- August 5: Don Patterson passes away in hospital
- August 6: Victorian health authorities report that three people have died from suspected mushroom poisoning
- Mid-August: Erin Patterson provides a statement to police, in which she says she bought mushrooms at a store and cooked a beef Wellington for the lunch. She says she was also unwell after the meal
- September 23: Ian Wilkinson is released from hospital, where he had been in a critical condition
- November 2: Police arrest Erin Patterson at her Leongatha home
This story was first published by the ABC
