[brmgb]

Evidence and proof are the same word in my own native language.

> There's a lot of circumstantial evidence

Hardly. You could arbor doubts for the people who ate at her place but for her husband there is absolutely nothing. I am not proud of HN falling at the level of the tabloid press through not really surprised.

[mcpackieh]

In English we often use the same word 'evidence' when speaking of weak circumstantial evidence and conclusive direct and damning evidence (e.g. "proof"). I think it must be similar in whatever your native language is, because some way to express this nuance is vital to the pursuit of justice. What you essentially said above is that nobody should be accused of murder on the internet if there isn't conclusive evidence. But if I'm seen covered in blood walking away from a murder scene hours before the murder is reported, why shouldn't people on the internet speculate that I'm the murderer? All they have against me is circumstantial evidence, not conclusive evidence e.g. proof, but it's certainly reasonable for people to say they think I did it. Maybe they're wrong, but their suspicions are still reasonable even if they happen to be wrong.

Somebody dying or being grievously injured after a meal you prepared is circumstantial evidence. Yourself being unharmed is further circumstantial evidence, as is your children being unharmed. Your spouse suffering from some manner of GI-related injury and then his parents being poisoned to death in a separate incident, both after eating meals prepared by you, is circumstantial evidence. This is a lot of circumstantial evidence.

In this case the circumstantial evidence isn't proof of anything. It's probably not enough to convict, I think there is reasonable doubt (mushrooms can be misidentified, the kids may have refused to eat the mushrooms because 'mushrooms are icky', the husband might have been injured by something else, etc) But it's certainly enough circumstantial evidence for casual observers to reasonably suspect murder, and for authorities to start an investigation.