Triple murder accused admits serving deadly mushrooms in beef meal

A WOMAN accused of murdering three in-laws with poisonous fungus has accepted in court that she served them food containing death cap mushrooms.

- BY CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY

Erin Patterson's lawyer Colin Mandy SC asked her yesterday whether she conceded that the beef Wellingtons she made had contained the deadly fungus, and she replied: "Yes, I do."

But Patterson still denies the murders of her parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson and of Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson.

She also denies the attempted murder of estranged husband Simon, who was invited to the fatal meal but did not come.

Though she initially denied ever foraging wild mushrooms, Patterson's lawyers have now said she did pick wild fungus to eat.