Woman who poisoned relatives with beef and poisonous mushrooms receives severe punishment

Australian woman Erin Patterson, who poisoned several people with poisonous mushrooms, has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for 33 years.

The Victorian Supreme Court has convicted a triple killer who killed her relatives by cooking beef Wellington for dinner with poisonous mushrooms, The Guardian reports.

Erin Patterson was sentenced to life in prison with 33 years without parole for killing three people and attempting to kill a fourth with a lunch laced with poisonous mushrooms.

Justice Christopher Beale delivered the sentence live on television from the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday morning.

In July, after an 11-week trial, a jury found Patterson, 50, guilty of murdering Don and Gail Patterson - the parents of her ex-husband Simon Patterson - and Simon's aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The jury also found Patterson guilty of the attempted murder of Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson.

In July 2023, Patterson invited guests to dinner, deliberately feeding them beef Wellington pie with mushroom filling.

In an emotional victim impact statement at a preliminary sentencing hearing last month, Pastor Wilkinson offered Patterson forgiveness for attempting to kill him.

"Now I am no longer a victim of Erin Patterson, but she is a victim of my kindness," he said.

But Wilkinson said he was "compelled to seek justice" for the three murder victims. He said he bore no ill will toward Patterson and prayed for her to use her time in custody to reform.

Simon Patterson said his ex-wife's crimes had deprived their two children, a son born in 2009 and a daughter born in 2014, of "the kind of relationship with their mother that every child dreams of".

The prosecution and defense agreed that Patterson should receive life in prison for her crimes, which Judge Beale said were “horrific.” Prosecutors argued that Patterson should not have the chance of parole, while the defense argued that she should be given a chance at release.

Patterson's defence lawyer, Colin Mandy, said her notoriety meant she endured harsh conditions - spending 22 hours locked in her cell - and Judge Beale should have taken that into account. He said his client's isolation made the "burden of imprisonment" much harder for her than for other prisoners.

Jane Warren, prosecuting, agreed that Beale could consider the terms.

On Monday, Beale said he agreed Patterson should receive the maximum punishment for her crimes. He sentenced her to life in prison for the murders of Heather Wilkinson, Don and Gail Patterson and 25 years in prison for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, to run concurrently.

Patterson has already served 676 days of pretrial detention, the court heard. She will be 82 in 2056, when she will be eligible for parole, The Guardian reports.

Judge Beale said the jury in the 11-week trial was convinced Patterson had committed triple murder and attempted murder. "Only you know why you did them," he told Patterson.

Patterson's crimes caused great harm to her victims, Beal said. "You caused untold suffering to your own children, who you robbed of their beloved grandparents."

The judge said Patterson had been “effectively held in solitary confinement” for the past 15 months. Given the intense media interest in the case, he said Patterson was likely to “remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come” and would be at “grave risk” from other prisoners.

Beal added that the "harsh prison conditions" in which Patterson was held were important factors in her sentencing.

Although the media is generally prohibited from videotaping the courtroom, the court allowed a television camera to film the judge delivering his sentencing remarks. For the first time in state history, the video was released to the public with a 10-second delay.

Patterson will have until October 6 to appeal her conviction. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and said the deaths of the three people were a tragic accident.