Australian prosecutors demand life in prison for mushroom killer

Australian prosecutors have urged judges to impose a life sentence without parole for Erin Patterson, the woman convicted of murdering her husband's parents and an elderly aunt by serving them a meal laced with death cap mushrooms. The 51-year-old, who was found guilty last year, sought to overturn her triple-murder conviction during a two-day Melbourne court hearing.

Patterson's crimes, prosecutors argued, involved betrayal and represented the worst-case offending, making a 33-year non-parole period inadequate. The Director of Public Prosecutions Brendan Kissane stated that the 33-year sentence did not reflect the seriousness of her crimes and that life without parole was demanded by the nature of the offending.

Patterson's trial, which drew national and international attention, remains shrouded in mystery regarding the motive behind the killings. Patterson watched the proceedings via a live video link from her maximum-security prison. Her lawyers urged the judges to quash her conviction, alleging a miscarriage of justice and irregularities during the trial. The judges will announce their decision at a later date.