Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three elderly relatives and attempting to murder a fourth by serving them a meal laced with deadly death cap mushrooms, concluding a trial that captivated Australia, according to Reuters.
After a week of deliberations, the jury convicted the 50-year-old of murdering her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Don Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson at a July 2023 lunch at her Leongatha home, 135km southeast of Melbourne.
She was also convicted of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson, who survived after weeks in critical care.
During the 10-week trial in Morwell, prosecutor Nanette Rogers detailed how Patterson employed four major deceptions to execute the murders. She fabricated a cancer diagnosis to lure the victims to lunch, served individually poisoned Beef Wellington portions while consuming an untainted meal herself, falsely claimed food poisoning symptoms to avoid suspicion, and subsequently destroyed evidence while lying to police during their investigation.
Patterson, who pleaded not guilty claiming accidental poisoning, testified for eight days as her sole defence witness. She admitted lying about having cancer but claimed this was to conceal planned weight-loss surgery, stating she sought advice on telling her children.
Her defence team, led by prominent Melbourne barrister Colin Mandy, offered no comment following the verdict.
The case attracted global attention, with Court 4 at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court becoming the focus for international media. The ABC’s daily trial podcast ranked among Australia’s most listened-to programmes, while documentary crews began production during proceedings.
Justice Christopher Beale granted the seven-man, five-woman jury exemption from jury duty service for 15 years due to the case’s complexity.
Patterson, a mother of two, faces mandatory life imprisonment when sentenced at a later date, with rights to appeal the convictions. The verdict closes a chapter on a crime that exposed calculated familial betrayal through one of Australia’s most notorious poisoning cases in recent history.
