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. |
Prince Harry opts for a 'quiet luxury' style in a grey TUS judge tosses out lawsuits against Libyan commander accused of war crimesThunder rout Mavericks 135Giants' Snell allows 7 runs over 4 innings against Rays in return to Tropicana FieldPayton Pritchard scores careerWinners of the 2024 Olivier Awards celebrating work on the London stageChina's Miao embroidery shows at Milan Fashion WeekOzuna's 3Night school classes win youngsters' hearts in Wuhan, C. China's HubeiChina's Jiangsu Acrobatic Troupe performs in Stuttgart of Germany