Daijiworld Media Network - Melbourne

Melbourne, Sep 8: A Victorian court on Monday sentenced Erin Patterson to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 33 years, after a jury found her guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives by serving them Beef Wellington laced with toxic death cap mushrooms.

The 50-year-old was convicted of killing her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Gail and Donald Patterson, along with Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who spent weeks in hospital but survived.

Justice Christopher Beale, delivering the landmark judgment, said the killings involved “substantial planning” and Patterson had shown no remorse. “Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson’s health, you also inflicted untold suffering on your own children, whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents,” he observed.

The court heard Patterson had invited her estranged husband, Simon, to the July 2023 lunch at her Leongatha home, 135 km from Melbourne. He did not attend, but the judge said Patterson also intended to kill him.

Evidence presented showed Patterson served the victims on grey plates, while she ate from an orange-tan plate to avoid poisoning herself. Prosecutors argued she had even fabricated a cancer diagnosis as a pretext to gather the family for the fatal meal.

While Patterson maintained she accidentally cooked with foraged mushrooms, the jury was unconvinced. She received three concurrent life sentences for the murders and a 25-year term for attempted murder, with parole eligibility only after 33 years – meaning she will be 81.