Accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson will appear in court on Monday after three people died following an allegedly poisonous lunch at her home.
Patterson, 49, is expected to appear at Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court via video link from the Dame Phyllis Frost Center at 10am on Monday.
It is the mother-of-three’s first public appearance in five months and comes nine months after Victoria Police arrested her on November 2.
Patterson was arrested at her home in Leongatha, east of Victoria, and charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.
Her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, died within days of eating a supposedly poisonous Beef Wellington lunch at Patterson’s Leongatha home on 29 July.
Patterson, 49, is expected to appear at Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court via video link from the Dame Phyllis Frost Center at 10am on Monday.
Patterson’s former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both in their 70s, died after lunch on July 29.
Wilkinson’s husband, a local pastor, made a miraculous recovery after spending two months in the hospital.
She was also charged with five counts of attempted murder, one against Wilkinson and four against her ex-husband Simon Patterson.
Victoria Police will allege that Patterson made three attempts on her husband’s life in November 2021, May 2022 and September 2022.
The fourth charge relates to the July 29 lunch, which Simon canceled at the last minute.
At Patterson’s first court appearance, police requested a 20-week adjournment to analyze electronic devices seized from his home.
Police were told to submit their brief of evidence by March 25 and the case was due to return to court on May 3.
Patterson will return to court on Monday, two weeks earlier than expected.
Criminal defense lawyer Celine Ky of Silk Lawyers said witnesses could be cross-examined in the trial court on Monday.
Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66 (left), died after lunch, but Ian Wilkinson (right) survived.
Criminal defense lawyer Celine Ky of Silk Lawyers (right) said witnesses could be cross-examined in the magistrates’ court on Monday.
“Ultimately, a magistrate will decide at the pretrial stage whether there is sufficient evidence for the matter to go to trial,” he said.
“If they discover that there is sufficient evidence for the matter to go to trial, Miss Patterson will be asked how she intends to plead and then in this situation the matter will be raised to the Supreme Court.”
It comes after it was revealed that Patterson’s internet search history and deleted social media accounts will form a vital part of the prosecutor’s case.
Detectives are particularly interested in Patterson’s use of Facebook, according to a Herald Sun report.
The newspaper was told that Patterson allegedly created profiles under different names.
Patterson (pictured before her arrest) was also charged with five counts of attempted murder, one for Mr Wilkinson and four for her ex-husband Simon Patterson.
WhatsNew2Day Australia previously revealed that Patterson allegedly once boasted on Facebook that she was “very good at detail”, while mocking the writing ability of some people in her local community.
Patterson branded contributors to Korumburra newsletter The Burra Flyer ‘illiterate sons of bitches’ during a rant to an old friend.
She and her then-husband Simon had put together the 48-page pamphlet of regional Victorian community advertorials and promotions for years after taking over from Simon’s parents.
Police are also examining your internet history and specialist teams may uncover deleted searches.
“It’s not easy, but it’s doable in most cases,” a police source told the newspaper.
“She could be involved in conversations or narratives where she has talked about these things in online forums… it could be the smallest thing.”
Patterson is currently behind bars at Victoria’s largest women’s prison, the notorious Dame Phyllis Frost Center in Melbourne’s industrial western suburbs.