Erin Patterson appeals 3 murder convictions in Australia over death cap mushroom lunch

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Erin Patterson, a convicted triple murderer, appealed her convictions in a Melbourne court on Wednesday. Patterson was found guilty of poisoning four relatives of her estranged husband with death cap mushrooms during a lunch she prepared in July 2023. The appeal hearing, spanning two days, involved three judges from the Victoria state Court of Appeal. Prosecutors, however, are contesting the leniency of Patterson's life sentence, aiming for a life term without the possibility of parole.

The defense argued three grounds for appeal during the hearing. The first ground claimed a sequestration error, where jury members were placed in the same hotel as police witnesses and prosecution staff. The second ground alleged no evidence that Patterson read online posts about death cap mushrooms in the vicinity of the towns of Loch and Outtrim, despite phone records suggesting she was in the area.

The third ground questioned the fairness of prosecutor Nanette Rogers' cross-examination of Patterson over five days, while also arguing that trial judge Christopher Bale's admission of evidence from Patterson's Facebook "friends" was unfair.