Erin Patterson, 51, is appealing against her convictions but not her sentence.
If successful, the court of appeal will quash her convictions and could order a retrial or acquit her.
The grounds include what her lawyers argue is a “fundamental irregularity” around sequestering the jury in the same hotel as police and media representatives, and that her cross-examination during the trial was “unfair and oppressive”.
While considering the verdict, the jury was sequestered in a hotel in a regional town where police and members of the media also stayed. According to media reports, the matter was raised with authorities by Patterson’s lawyers at the time, but no concerns about the process were raised during the trial.
Patterson is also appealing on the grounds that mobile tower evidence – along with evidence of death cap mushroom sightings near her home – should not have been heard in the trial. The court last year heard that analysis of Patterson’s mobile phone records revealed she may have visited two locations soon after death cap mushroom sightings were reported.
She is also arguing evidence from her Facebook “friends”, who met Patterson through a true-crime group, should not have been allowed as it was not “relevant”. Patterson told a Facebook group chat that she wanted “nothing to do” with her parents-in-law, according to messages shown in court.
