Australian mushroom murderer launches appeal against her conviction

An Australian woman sentenced to life in prison for killing three relatives with a meal laced with toxic mushrooms is appealing her conviction.

An Australian woman sentenced to life in prison for killing three relatives with a meal laced with toxic mushrooms has filed an appeal to overturn her conviction, according to court documents.

A jury in July found Erin Patterson, 51, guilty of murdering three elderly relatives of her estranged husband and attempting to murder a fourth in the state of Victoria in 2023.

She was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years, one of the longest sentences ever given to a woman in Australia.

Documents released on Wednesday by the Supreme Court of Victoria showed Patterson on Monday filed an application for leave to appeal her conviction.

The seven grounds of appeal included that a “fundamental irregularity” occurred while the jury was sequestered. Local media, citing the court, reported the jurors stayed in the same hotel as police and prosecutors for the majority of their deliberations.