An Australian woman convicted of murdering three elderly relatives with a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms has been sentenced to a minimum of 33 years in prison.
Erin Patterson, 50, was found guilty in July of killing her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson after serving them Beef Wellington containing deadly death cap mushrooms at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, in July 2023. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, was the sole survivor.
Justice Christopher Beale, who handed down the sentence at the Supreme Court of Victoria, said Patterson showed no pity for her victims and carried out the crimes with substantial planning. He noted the devastating ripple effect on both the Patterson and Wilkinson families, as well as on Patterson’s own children, who lost their grandparents.
“The devastating impact of your crimes is not limited to your direct victims,” Beale said. “You cut short three lives, caused lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson’s health, and inflicted untold suffering on your own children.”
Including time already served, Patterson will be 81 before she can be considered for parole. Prosecutors argued she should never be released. Patterson, who has maintained her innocence and claims the poisonings were accidental, has 28 days to appeal.
The court heard victim impact statements from 28 people, with Ian Wilkinson describing the death of his wife as leaving him “half alive.” The tragedy also shook the close-knit community of Korumburra, where the victims lived.
Due to Patterson’s notoriety, she has been held in near-continuous solitary confinement for her own protection at the maximum-security Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Deer Park. Justice Beale acknowledged her isolation but said it did not outweigh the severity of her crimes.
The case, dubbed the Leongatha mushroom murders, gripped Australia and drew global attention, with intense media coverage throughout the 10-week trial. For the first time, the Supreme Court allowed television cameras inside to broadcast the sentencing live.
The extraordinary story has since inspired books, documentaries, and an upcoming drama series titled Toxic, set to air on ABC.
