ISLAMABAD: An Australian woman who poisoned three relatives with the world’s most toxic mushrooms has been sentenced to three life terms with a non-parole period of 33 years, in a case that gripped the nation and sparked global fascination.
Erin Patterson, 50, was convicted in July of murdering her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, after serving them a beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms in July 2023. A fourth guest, pastor Ian Wilkinson, survived after weeks in the hospital.
Delivering the sentence at Melbourne’s Supreme Court on Monday, Justice Christopher Beale described the killings as a “substantial premeditation” and “an enormous betrayal of trust,” adding that Patterson had engaged in “an elaborate cover-up” once her initial lies began to unravel.
Deadly Family Lunch
Patterson invited her estranged husband Simon’s parents, along with Ian and Heather Wilkinson, to her home in the town of Leongatha. Simon declined to attend. Within days, three guests had died of organ failure caused by the mushrooms.
Crown prosecutors argued Patterson deliberately collected the fungi from a local source and later discarded a dehydrator used to prepare them. The jury also heard she misled investigators by claiming she bought the mushrooms from local shops, sending health officials on a futile search.
Courtroom Drama
The hearing was broadcast live, underscoring intense public interest. Justice Beale rejected the defense’s pleas for leniency, noting the profound impact on Patterson’s own children, who lost both grandparents. He said the crimes had “harmed a great many people” beyond the immediate victims.
Although prosecutors asked for a life sentence without parole, Beale imposed a non-parole period of 33 years, citing Patterson’s notoriety and the likelihood she would spend years in protective custody.
Lingering Questions
No clear motive was established during the 10-week trial. Prosecutors suggested Patterson harbored resentment toward her in-laws, pointing to Facebook messages in which she expressed frustration about their role in her marriage. Three earlier attempted murder charges—alleging she tried to poison her husband—were dropped before trial.
The case has dominated headlines in Australia, inspiring documentaries and podcasts, and turning a family tragedy in rural Victoria into a global true-crime saga.
