ABC News
[ Source: ABC News ]
Nearly two years after three people died after eating a beef Wellington allegedly laced with poisonous mushrooms, the woman accused of serving the contaminated meal will go on trial.
On Tuesday, a jury is expected to be chosen for the trial of Erin Patterson, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder over the fatal July 2023 lunch.
Don and Gail Patterson, the parents of Ms Patterson’s estranged husband, fell ill and never recovered after attending the gathering at a home in Leongatha, about 135 kilometres from Melbourne.
Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson also died, although her husband Ian Wilkinson pulled through after a long stint in hospital.
The jurors who will decide Erin Patterson’s fate will be drawn from the area around the trial location of Morwell, about an hour’s drive from the lunch venue.
The empanelment process is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Once selected, the jury will receive instructions from trial Judge Christopher Beale.
Opening statements from the prosecution and defence legal teams will follow.
The case, which has attracted global media attention, is set to run for up to six weeks.
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