Australian woman faces trial over alleged mushroom murders

Sydney: An Australian woman accused of murdering three people with a toxic mushroom-laced beef Wellington faces trial Wednesday, in a case that has grabbed global attention.

Patterson is accused of hosting a July 2023 lunch at which she served the baked pastry-and-beef dish, which police said was laced with poisonous mushrooms.

Her estranged parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and a local pastor's wife, Heather Wilkinson, died in the days after the meal.

Wilkinson's husband Ian recovered after nearly two months in hospital.

Patterson will be tried in the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell, south of Melbourne -- about an hour's drive from Leongatha, where the allegedly fatal meal was eaten.

The trial, expected to run for six weeks, opens with the prosecution and defence's opening statements -- each side giving a summary of their case and detailing the witnesses and evidence they plan to call upon.

The case made headlines worldwide, sparking a string of podcasts and even a television documentary series on Australian streaming service Stan.

Victoria's Supreme Court has imposed strict guidelines on reporting about the case to ensure Patterson receives a fair trial. 

While the court is open to the public, the case will not be televised.