Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives, who died after she deliberately served them poisonous mushrooms for lunch.

An alleged murderer testifying as a witness in their own defence is a rare strategy and normally a last resort.

The world has met Erin Patterson as the murderous cook behind a mushroom meal that killed three relatives. But years before her courtroom infamy, the woman from Melbourne's suburbs divided opinions.