Erin Patterson, the woman at the centre of Australia’s “mushroom murders”, has been sentenced to life in prison for killing three of her estranged husband’s relatives with a meal of beef wellington laced with deadly death cap mushrooms two years ago.
The Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday handed the 50-year-old mother three life sentences for murder and a 25-year term for attempted murder, to be served one after the other.
Justice Christopher Beale ruled Patterson must serve a minimum of 33 years before she can be considered for parole.
The court heard that in July 2023 Patterson invited her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both aged 70, together with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and her husband, Ian, to her home in the rural town of Leongatha, south-east of Melbourne.
She then poisoned them by deliberately feeding them beef wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms. While Ian Wilkinson survived after a liver transplant, the three other guests died within days. Patterson’s former husband, Simon, was also invited but declined to attend.
Justice Beale said the killings involved “substantial premeditation” and that Patterson had shown no remorse.
The trial, which ran for 11 weeks earlier this year, drew extraordinary public attention. For the first time, Victoria’s Supreme Court allowed cameras inside to broadcast Monday’s sentencing live.
Prosecutors said Patterson ensured she did not consume the poisoned meal herself, serving her portion on a separate plate. They argued she had lied to police, staged cover-ups and fabricated a cancer diagnosis. While her motive remains unclear, prosecutors alleged she had previously tried to poison her estranged husband.
Patterson has maintained her innocence, insisting the mushrooms were added by accident. She now has 28 days to lodge an appeal.
Erin Patterson will be 82 before she is eligible for release, but Justice Beale noted she is likely to remain a “notorious prisoner” for years to come.
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