MELBOURNE – An Australian woman convicted of murdering three elderly relatives of her estranged husband with a meal containing poisonous mushrooms was sentenced to a minimum of 33 years in prison on Sept 8.
The presiding judge said Erin Patterson showed no pity for her in-laws after she served them individual portions of Beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms, in a case that has had a “devastating” impact on the relatives of the deceased.
Patterson was found guilty in July of killing her mother-in-law, Ms Gail Patterson, father-in-law, Mr Donald Patterson and Ms Gail’s sister, Ms Heather Wilkinson, in a case that has been globally followed and dubbed the Leongatha mushroom murders.
A jury also found the 50-year-old guilty of the attempted murder of Mr Ian Wilkinson, Ms Heather’s husband, who survived the 2023 meal at Patterson’s home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people, some 135km south-east of Melbourne.
At the Sept 8 sentencing hearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne, Justice Christopher Beale said the substantial planning of the murders and Patterson’s lack of remorse meant her sentence should be lengthy.
“The devastating impact of your crimes is not limited to your direct victims. Your crimes have harmed a great many people,” he said.
“Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson’s health, thereby devastating the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families, you inflicted untold suffering on your own children, whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents.”
Mr Wilkinson thanked police and prosecutors that brought Patterson to justice, as well as medical teams that treated him and the other victims.
“We’re thankful that when things go wrong, there are good people and services and systems available to help us recover,” he said outside the court.
At a pre-sentencing hearing in August, Patterson’s barrister Colin Mandy urged Mr Beale to impose a non-parole period on the sentence, meaning she would have the possibility of eventual release, as her “notorious” reputation would make prison more onerous for her than the average offender.
A corrections officer has told the court Patterson was being kept in isolation for her own safety, and was permitted contact with only one other prisoner who is in jail for terrorism offences.
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Beale said he had taken Patterson’s isolation into account.
“You have effectively been held in continuous solitary confinement for the last 15 months, and at the very least there is a substantial chance that for your protection you will continue to be held in solitary confinement for years to come,” Mr Beale said.
Including time already served, Patterson will be 81 before she can be considered for release.
The prosecution had argued that Patterson should never be released.
Patterson, who maintained her innocence throughout the trial and said the poisonings were accidental, has 28 days to appeal her sentence. She had not yet indicated whether she would do so.
The deaths devastated the close-knit rural community of Korumburra, where all the victims lived.
The court received a total of 28 victim impact statements, of which seven were read publicly at the hearings in August.
Mr Wilkinson, a pastor at a local church and the sole surviving guest of the lunch, said during a hearing that the death of his wife had left him bereft.
“It’s a truly horrible thought to live with that somebody could decide to take her life. I only feel half alive without her,” he said, breaking down in tears as he delivered his victim impact statement.
The extraordinary media interest in the case, which gripped Australia for much of the 10-week trial, had been traumatic for the family, Erin Patterson’s estranged husband Simon Patterson – who was invited to the lunch but declined – said at the same hearing.
Journalists and television crews from around the world descended on the town of Morwell when the trial began in April, with millions of Australians following proceedings live through one of several popular daily podcasts.
For the first time in its history, the Supreme Court on Sept 8 allowed a television camera into the court to broadcast Mr Beale’s sentencing remarks live due to overwhelming public interest.
The trial has already inspired several books, documentaries and a drama series, “Toxic”, set to air on state broadcaster ABC.
The motive of the murders remains a mystery. REUTERS
AustraliaMurder/Manslaughter
