A court in Australia on Monday convicted Erin Patterson of murdering three elderly relatives of her estranged husband with a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms as one of the biggest criminal trials gripping the country concluded.

Patterson, 50, was found guilty of murdering three people and attempting to murder a fourth person. She was charged with killing her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband.

Patterson gave her estranged husband’s parents and his aunt and uncle beef wellington at her Leongatha home in July 2023. The next day, all four guests were hospitalised with symptoms of death cap mushroom poisoning, and later, three of them died.

The accused, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying the deaths were accidental, will be sentenced at a later date. She faces the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the murder charges.

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