Erin Patterson Jailed for Life Over Deadly Mushroom Lunch
Erin Patterson, the Australian woman who served a poisoned beef Wellington that killed three relatives and nearly claimed a fourth, has been sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years and 15 months of solitary confinement. The 50-year-old mother-of-two was found guilty in July of murdering her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.
The fatal meal, served on July 29th, 2023, at Patterson's home in Victoria, included deadly death cap mushrooms. Within hours, all four guests became violently ill. Gail and Heather died within a week; and Don died after a failed liver transplant. Ian, a local pastor, survived after weeks in hospital and a liver transplant. Justice Christopher Beale called the killings “an enormous betrayal of trust” and described Patterson’s behavior after the poisoning as “pitiless,” pointing to her refusal to admit she had used foraged mushrooms, which could have helped doctors treat the victims.
During sentencing, the court heard that Patterson served the meal on grey plates for her guests and a separate tan plate for herself, which the judge said showed intent to avoid eating the poisoned food. Patterson had also reportedly invited her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, to the lunch, but he declined the invitation, referencing past suspicions that she had tried to poison him. Simon later told the court their children now live in “an irreparably broken home,” with their mother responsible for killing their grandparents.
The case captured public fascination across Australia for its chilling details and the mystery around Patterson's motive—something the judge said is still information only Patterson knows, spawning podcasts, documentaries, and live broadcasts of the trial. In court, dozens of people from Patterson’s hometown and beyond watched as she showed no visible emotion during sentencing. “Only you know why you committed them,” the judge told her, acknowledging the absence of any proven motive throughout the nine-week trial.
Despite insisting the poisoning was accidental, Patterson was convicted of all charges. Her sentence is among the harshest ever handed to a woman in Australia. Given her notoriety, she is expected to spend most of her prison time in solitary confinement. She has 28 days to appeal the verdict and sentence.
