Australian mushroom murderer Erin Patterson has lost her bid to overturn her convictions, with an appeals court instead extending her sentence for three “cold and calculated” poisoning deaths.
Patterson was convicted last year of killing her estranged husband’s parents and his aunt after deliberately serving them beef Wellington laced with deadly death cap mushrooms in 2023.
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The bizarre case, quickly dubbed the “mushroom murders”, captured worldwide attention. Patterson’s 11-week trial generated more interest than almost any Australian criminal proceeding in recent memory.
She argued that her three murder convictions amounted to a “miscarriage of justice” and asked Victoria’s Court of Appeal either to acquit her or order a retrial.
Each death cap mushroom contains enough poison to kill a healthy adult
“This offending was extraordinarily cold and calculated,” judge Stephen McLeish said while rejecting Patterson’s appeal.
“It stands to be denounced in the strongest terms.”
The 52-year-old had originally received a life sentence with the possibility of applying for parole after serving 33 years.
But citing Patterson’s “shocking criminality”, Judge McLeish ruled that she must remain imprisoned for life without any prospect of parole.
Original sentence ‘did not reflect the calculated criminality of the case’
Patterson did not attend the trial in person. She followed the proceedings by video link from a maximum-security prison on the outskirts of Melbourne.
‘Betrayal’
In July 2023, Patterson invited four people to lunch at her home in rural Victoria, where she served beef wrapped in pastry and covered with mushrooms.
The guests included Don and Gail Patterson, the parents of her long-estranged husband, Simon.
Simon’s maternal aunt, Heather Wilkinson, also attended with her husband, Ian, a prominent pastor at the local Baptist church.
Don, Gail and Heather suffered organ failure and died within a week. Ian became gravely ill but survived.
A jury found Patterson guilty of three murders and one count of attempted murder, concluding that she had deliberately added poisonous death cap mushrooms to the meal.
The 52-year-old was originally sentenced to life in prison but was eligible to apply for parole after 33 years
Death cap mushrooms can easily be confused with edible varieties and are reportedly sweet to the taste, masking their extreme toxicity.
Patterson insisted the meal had been accidentally contaminated with what is considered the world’s most lethal fungus.
During an appeal hearing earlier this year, her lawyers said the trial had been undermined by a series of irregularities.
They pointed to jurors staying at the same hotel as a police witness and members of the prosecution team.
Patterson’s lawyers argued that the arrangement amounted to a fundamental breakdown in the legal process “in perhaps one of the most high-profile criminal trials this state has ever had”.
They also challenged what they called an “oppressive” cross-examination, along with rulings allowing certain evidence to be admitted.
Prosecutors, however, said the 33-year non-parole period set by the original judge was “manifestly inadequate”.
They described Patterson’s crimes as an act of “betrayal” and said they amounted to “worst-case offending” during the appeal hearing earlier this year.
“Indeed, our submission is that for this offending the respondent should be sentenced to life without parole,” Director of Public Prosecutions Brendan Kissane said at the time.
Patterson’s trial brought podcasters, film crews and true-crime followers to the courthouse in Morwell, a quiet rural town better known for its prize-winning roses.
Viewers and listeners around the world tracked each development in the case that many now refer to simply as the “mushroom murders”.
While the proceedings exposed deep tensions within Patterson’s family, the reason for the killings remains unknown.
