Erin Patterson's conviction for the deaths by poisoning of her estranged husband's relatives has prompted fevered speculation across Australia about her motive.

An Australian woman was on Monday convicted of murdering three elderly relatives of her estranged husband with a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms, and attempting to murder a fourth, in a case that gripped the country.

The fact she had no clear motive was central to her defence team’s arguments. Patterson, who foraged wild mushrooms in her spare time and also ate the beef wellington, claimed that the event was a tragic accident.