In brief
Erin Patterson, 50, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering three members of her family by serving them a toxic mushroom dish. The judge described the crimes as the worst of their kind, imposing an unprecedented sentence in Australian legal history. Patterson has maintained her innocence but has received one of the longest jail terms for a female offender in the country.
An Australian woman has been jailed for life, with no chance of release for at least 33 years, for murdering three relatives and trying to kill another with a toxic mushroom meal.
The jail term, one of the longest ever handed to a female offender in Australia, means Erin Patterson, 50, will be in her 80s before she can apply for parole.
A Supreme Court judge said Patterson's crimes were the worst category for offending and involved an elaborate cover-up.
Patterson killed her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, after serving them a toxic beef Wellington at her home in Victoria in 2023.
Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, survived the lunch after recovering from a coma, but he still faces ongoing health issues due to the poisoning.
Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson was supposed to attend the lunch but canceled, citing a long-standing fear that his wife had tried to poison him. He would have been a fourth victim.
Patterson has consistently claimed that the inclusion of the deadly death cap mushrooms in her dish was accidental and maintains her innocence regarding the intent to harm her family.
During the sentencing, Justice Christopher Beale stated that the gravity of Patterson's acts warranted the maximum penalty. Prosecutors had argued for life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, the harshest punishment applicable in Australia.
Despite ruling that Patterson’s crimes constituted the worst of their kind, Justice Beale allowed for the possibility of parole after 33 years, influenced by Patterson's harsh prison conditions, which have included time in solitary confinement due to threats to her safety.
Patterson was described by Justice Beale as showing no remorse for her actions following the dinner, exacerbating the suffering of her victims and their families.
Outside court, Ian Wilkinson expressed gratitude to the police and medical staff who assisted during the aftermath of the poisonings and encouraged kindness among the public.
The case grabbed significant media attention, culminating in a live broadcast of Patterson's sentencing—the first time such an event was allowed in Australia. Patterson has 28 days to submit an appeal against her sentence.
