Australian woman accused of killing former husband's relatives with poisonous mushrooms pleads not guilty

An Australian woman accused of feeding poisonous mushrooms to several members of her ex-husband's family has pleaded not guilty to three murder charges and five attempted murder charges. Authorities allege that she served toxic wild mushrooms to four people at a lunch last year, killing three of them and leaving a fourth seriously ill.

Erin Patterson, 49, appeared briefly in Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court by video link from a Melbourne prison, where she has been held since her arrest in November. She is accused of killing her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66.

All three died in a hospital days after consuming a meal at Patterson's home in July.