The 'dinner killer' will be sentenced after killing three of her ex-husband's relatives with poisonous mushrooms at a dinner party.

Erin Patterson , a 49-year-old Australian woman, was found guilty of murdering three of her ex-husband's relatives and attempting to murder a fourth after serving them a lunch containing poisonous mushrooms.

The verdict was delivered by a 12-person jury after six days of deliberations at the end of a 10-week trial in Morwell, Victoria, Australia .

The tragedy occurred on July 29, 2023 , when the victims consumed a plate of Beef Wellington at Patterson's home in Leongatha.

According to CNN, Patterson had invited five people to lunch that day: her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson; Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson; and her husband, Ian Wilkinson. Simon Patterson, her ex-husband, declined to attend at the last minute.

The victims ate individual portions of the main course accompanied by mashed potatoes and gravy. Erin served herself on a different plate than the others.

Shortly after lunch, the four guests began experiencing severe symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Three of them died days later; the fourth, Ian Wilkinson, survived after spending several weeks in the hospital.

Gail and Heather died on August 4, 2023, followed by Don on the 5th, after failing to respond to a liver transplant. Autopsies and medical tests confirmed the presence of toxins from Amanita phalloides, extremely poisonous mushrooms that can cause liver failure.

Patterson was accused of deliberately collecting the mushrooms after consulting locations reported by users on the iNaturalist platform.

During the trial, the prosecution argued that Patterson arranged the luncheon under the false pretense of having cancer, which was described as the first of several "calculated deceptions."

Others included intentionally using the mushrooms, pretending she had also been poisoned, and then disposing of evidence, such as a food dehydrator containing traces of the mushrooms, which she discarded days later at a recycling center.

Ultimately, the jury unanimously found Patterson guilty on all three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She now awaits sentencing, which could carry a life sentence.

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