An Australian judge handed a life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 33 years to Erin Patterson, a triple-murderer convicted of fatally poisoning four relatives of her estranged husband with death cap mushrooms. The decision was made by Justice Christopher Beale in the Victoria state Supreme Court, who emphasized the significant breach of trust involved in Patterson’s crimes.
Patterson was found guilty of using death cap mushrooms to poison her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, along with Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, by serving them beef Wellington pastries. She also attempted to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who suffered severe health consequences and spent weeks in the hospital.
During the sentencing, Beale highlighted that Patterson’s victims were her own in-laws, who had shown kindness to her and her children over the years. By cutting short three lives and causing lasting harm to Ian Wilkinson, Patterson not only devastated the Patterson and Wilkinson families but also inflicted immense suffering on her own children, depriving them of their beloved grandparents.
Both the prosecution and defense agreed that a life sentence was appropriate for Patterson’s three murder convictions and one attempted murder charge. While the defense requested parole eligibility after 30 years, the prosecution argued against any possibility of parole, citing Patterson’s lack of remorse.
Beale revealed that Patterson had planned to also kill her husband had he attended the ill-fated lunch. She fabricated a cancer diagnosis to bring the family together, claiming she needed advice on how to disclose the news to her absent children. Additionally, it was noted that Patterson took precautions to ensure she did not ingest any poisoned food during the meal.
Despite maintaining that the mushroom poisoning was accidental, Patterson has been in custody since her arrest in November 2023. Her sentence is retroactively effective from that date, giving her 28 days to appeal her convictions and the severity of her punishment. The case has garnered significant public attention locally and internationally, prompting the Victorian Supreme Court to allow live television broadcasting of the sentencing hearing.