The trial of an Australian woman accused of serving her ex-husband’s family poisonous mushrooms began this week, nearly a year after the suspect pleaded not guilty to her charges.

Erin Patterson, 50, was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She was originally charged with two counts of attempted murder, though the charge was dropped earlier this week.

Patterson appeared in the Victoria state Supreme Court on Wednesday, where prosecutor Nanette Rogers told jurors the accused had served a meal of beef Wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans at her home in the rural town of Leongartha on July 29, 2023.

Her guests included her in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70; Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66; and Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68.

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The next day, all four of the guests were hospitalized with poisoning from death cap mushrooms — or amanita phalloides — which were added to the beef and pastry dish. Simon Patterson, Erin’s husband, was not in attendance despite being invited.

Ian Wilkinson spent seven weeks in the hospital following the lunch.

The other three victims died in a hospital just days after consuming the meal at Patterson’s home.

On Tuesday, the prosecution told jurors that three charges alleging Patterson attempted to murder her husband were dropped. The two had been separated since 2015.

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Patterson invited her husband and his relatives to lunch two weeks before the poisoning, as she was attending a church service at Korumburra Baptist Church. Ian Wilkinson was the pastor at the church, and initially, Simon had accepted the invitation.

"She said the purpose of the lunch was to discuss some medical issues that she had and to get advice about how to break it to the kids," Rogers told the jury. "The accused said that it was important that the children were not present for the lunch."

What was surprising to the Wilkinsons, Rogers noted, was that they had never been invited to Patterson’s five-bedroom home.

The morning after the meeting at Patterson’s home, the prosecution alleged, Heather Wilkinson told Simon Patterson she was puzzled that Erin was eating from a different plate than the guests.

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"I noticed that Erin put her food on a different plate to us," Heather Wilkinson said, according to the prosecution. "Her plate had colors on it. I wondered why that was. I’ve puzzled about it since lunch."

Simon told his aunt it was possible his wife may have run out of plates.

The prosecution also told jurors Patterson made up an ovarian cancer diagnosis to explain why her children were not at lunch.

"After the lunch, the accused announced that she had cancer and asked for advice on whether to tell the children or keep it from them," Rogers said. "They had a discussion about it being best to be honest with the children. They prayed as a group for the accused’s health and wisdom in relation to telling the children."

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Still, Patterson’s lawyer, Colin Mandy, told jurors his client never had cancer. He also said guests were poisoned by mushrooms Patterson served, though the poisoning was a "terrible accident."

Rogers advised the jury that she would not be providing a motive for the poisonings, saying, "You do not have to be satisfied what the motive was, or even that there was a motive."

Erin Patterson eventually went to the hospital complaining about diarrhea and nausea two days after serving beef Wellington. But at that point, her guests had been diagnosed with suffering from death cap poisoning.

She later told authorities she cooked with a mixture of mushrooms she purchased from a supermarket and dried mushrooms from an Asian food store, denying that she had foraged for wild mushrooms.

But Mandy said his client lied about not foraging for wild mushrooms.

"She did forage for mushrooms," Mandy told the jury. "Just so that we make that clear. She denies that she ever deliberately sought out death cap mushrooms."

The trial was adjourned until Thursday and is expected to continue for six weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., reflected on his visit to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Stewart County, Georgia, last week, emphasizing that he remains optimistic that there is room for congressional achievements on related policies.  

"It was a very transparent visit," Davis told Fox News Digital in an interview, noting he also had the opportunity to speak with detainees. "We were able to move around and go to places. I was even able to engage, again, with detainees."

"Probably the best word I would use, which one of the senior administrators used, was ‘busy,’" he added.

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The North Carolina Democrat emphasized that although there have been rapid changes in border and immigration policies in recent months, the legislative branch needs to step up to make changes.

"I believe there are broader steps we need to take in Congress to act. I believe we need to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform. I believe that we, without any doubt, need to secure the border as next steps. The number of unlawful entries indeed have come down, but again, we can't just stop where we are now. We need to continue to make sure, you know, that we protect the American people," Davis said.

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"We have to crack down on the illegal fentanyl that's making entry into the country," the lawmaker added.

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Since Trump took office, migrant encounters at the border have plummeted with just over 7,000 apprehensions in March, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

"We have the most secure border in the history of this nation, and the numbers prove it. President Trump’s policies are saving lives every day," border czar Tom Homan said at the 100 days White House news conference on Monday.

Davis is a second-term congressman who represents parts of eastern North Carolina, in one of the few districts that backed President Donald Trump in November but elected a Democrat to Congress.

Last June, Davis and three other Democratic lawmakers called for the Biden administration to ramp up border security.

"This order is an overdue step, but our southern border is still not secure," the group said regarding an executive order at the time.

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Davis noted that he observed some detainees actively going through the judicial process that could determine their future, which could entail deportation.

"I was able to observe a detainee actually going through a judicial review and having a hearing," Davis said, noting he "also witnessed others that were in private security areas, talking to their attorneys."

"So the takeaway for me is, as we're seeing more detainees coming through detention centers, it is important that we walk away prioritizing public safety. We cannot compromise on public safety whatsoever. And I believe we can still do it in a way in which we are able to abide by our Constitution."

There’s been an ongoing discussion about due process for those in the country illegally, as many suspected of criminal gang activity through designated terrorist groups like Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have been transported to El Salvador.