An Australian woman, Erin Patterson, has been sentenced to a minimum of 33 years in prison for murdering three elderly relatives with a meal laced with deadly death cap mushrooms, in a case that shocked the world and became known as the Leongatha mushroom murders.
The 50-year-old 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 individual portions of Beef Wellington at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, in 2023. She was also convicted of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who survived.
Delivering the sentence at the Supreme Court of Victoria, Justice Christopher Beale described Patterson’s actions as calculated and devoid of remorse.
“The devastating impact of your crimes is not limited to your direct victims. Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson’s health, you inflicted untold suffering on your own children, whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents,” he said.
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Ian Wilkinson, who continues to recover from the poisoning, thanked the police, prosecutors, and medical teams involved in the case. “We’re thankful that when things go wrong, there are good people and systems available to help us recover.” He said.
At a pre-sentencing hearing, Patterson’s lawyer argued that her “notorious” reputation would make prison life harsher than for most offenders. She has reportedly spent the past 15 months in continuous solitary confinement for her own safety, with limited contact allowed with only one other inmate—a convicted terrorist. Justice Beale acknowledged this in his sentencing but stressed the gravity of her crimes.
Including time already served, Patterson will be 82 years old before she is eligible for parole. She has 28 days to appeal the ruling, though she has not yet indicated whether she will.
Her sentence marks the longest non-parole period ever handed to a woman convicted of murder in Victoria. Only one woman in Australia has ever received a life sentence without parole. Australia does not have the death penalty.
