Australia's mushroom killer appeals conviction in triple-murder case

Australian woman Erin Patterson, 51, was convicted last year of murdering three relatives with a beef Wellington laced with death-cap mushrooms and of attempting to murder a pastor who survived, receiving a life sentence with parole possible after 33 years. She is launching an appeal in the Melbourne Court of Appeal, with two reviews on the table: overturning the conviction and the prosecution seeking a stiffer sentence. Patterson plans to observe the hearings via live video link from the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a maximum-security prison in Melbourne. Her lawyers allege multiple miscarriage-of-justice grounds, arguing the trial judge erred in evidentiary rulings and that certain Facebook, cell-tower, and mushroom-sighting materials were improperly admitted or excluded. Prosecutors are also appealing, seeking a longer non-parole period and urging the court to uphold or strengthen the original sentence. The appeals are set to unfold over two days, drawing widespread international attention to the high-profile case.