Australia's Mushroom Killer Erin Patterson Sentenced To Life In Prison

Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 33 years, for murdering three relatives and attempting to kill a fourth with a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms.

In the Australian case that riveted global audiences, a jury in July convicted Patterson of murdering her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson after serving them a Beef Wellington lunch. She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Wilkinson’s husband, Ian.

In a Melbourne court on Monday, Justice Christopher Beale gave Patterson with three life sentences for the murder convictions and 25 years for attempted murder, to be served concurrently.

He said Patterson’s offending showed “substantial premeditation” and she deserved the maximum sentence for her crimes. The main issue for him had been to determine whether to give her a chance of parole, he added.

“Having regard to the aggravating circumstances of your offending and the victim impact statements, I have no hesitation in finding that your offending falls into the worst category for the offenses of murder and attempted murder,” he said.

“The devastating impact of your crimes is not limited to your direct victims,” he said. “Four generations of the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families have been traumatized by your crimes, not to mention their friends.”

“Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victim’s wounds.”

In giving Patterson a non-parole period, Beale noted the particularly hard conditions of her incarceration. She has effectively been in solitary confinement for 15 months already, he said.

“The harsh prison conditions you have experience already and the likely prospect of solitary confinement for the foreseeable future are important and weighty considerations which should count for something in the sentencing exercise,” Beale said.

The so-called “Mushroom Murders” have drawn global fascination for their mix of family tragedy, courtroom drama and the bizarre role of a home-cooked meal. Monday’s sentencing was livestreamed — a first for Victoria’s Supreme Court — underscoring the extraordinary public interest.

All four of Patterson’s lunch guests were violently ill in July 2023 after consuming individually prepared portions of the classic dish of beef wrapped in mushrooms and puff pastry, made by Patterson at her home in Leongatha, a small town about two hours from Melbourne.

“Erin was embraced as part of the Patterson family. She was welcome and treated with genuine love and respect in a way she did not appear to experience from her own family. Her actions represent a profound and devastating betrayal of the trust and love extended to her,” Beale said.

Patterson served her own individual portion of the meal on a different colored plate to her guests, Ian Wilkinson testified during the trial.

“I find that you did this so that you did not mistakenly consume a poisoned meal,” Beale said in his sentencing.

Patterson has maintained her innocence since she was arrested in November 2023. Her defense lawyers argued that the inclusion of so-called death cap mushrooms in the lunch was a “terrible accident.”

Public interest in the case has been intense, with global media descending on the small country town of Morwell for the trial which ran from April to July this years. The significant interest had contributed to Patterson’s notoriety and she remained at significant risk from other prisoners, Beale said.

“I infer that, given the unprecedented media coverage of your case and the books, documentaries and TV series you which are all in the pipeline, you are likely to remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come,” he said.