MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A woman accused of serving her ex-husband’s family poisonous mushrooms pleaded not guilty in an Australian court on Tuesday to three charges of murder and five charges of attempted murder. Erin Patterson, 49, appeared briefly in Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court by video link from a Melbourne prison, where she has been held since her arrest in November last year. She is accused of killing her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. All three died in a hospital days after consuming a meal at Patterson’s home in July. She pleaded not guilty to all charges and will appear at Victoria state’s Supreme Court in Melbourne for the first time on May 23. Proceedings have been fast-tracked after Patterson dispensed with a committal hearing where a magistrate would have examined the prosecution’s case to ensure there is sufficient evidence to warrant a jury trial. |
Katie Price's Mucky Mansion is surrounded by her huge car collectionJets trade defensive lineman John FranklinEagles GM Howie Roseman is confident in his earlyAustralians Grace Kim and Hannah Green tied for lead in LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA ChampionshipLuka Doncic and defensiveDavid Pryor, former governor and senator of Arkansas, is rememberedVanessa Feltz's love interest StefanBaltimore bridge collapse: Loved ones await recovery of 2 bodies from wreckageAnne Hathaway shares details about 'explicit' intimate scenes in her upcoming Prime Video romJets' Brenden Dillon day