Australian woman arrested in mushroom poisoning case

Australian police on Thursday charged a woman with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. Police said the murder charges and two of the attempted murder charges stem from a July incident in which three people died of apparent mushroom poisoning. Police toxicology reports indicate they had ingested death cap mushrooms. Investigators said the remaining attempted murder charges stem from separate incidents in 2021 and 2022.

How did she serve the poisonous mushrooms? Authorities allege the woman invited her in-laws and some of their relatives over for a lunch of Beef Wellington, a dish in which mushrooms are an ingredient. She said she bought the mushrooms from two separate stores. Three of the four guests died. The fourth guest was ill for months but survived. Police suspected her after she and her children were the only ones not to fall seriously ill. The woman maintained her innocence and said she never intentionally poisoned her guests.

Dig deeper: Read Collin Garbarino’s review of a film depicting the real-life search for a killer.