One of Australia’s most polarising criminal cases, the deaths of Heather Wilkinson and Don and Gail Patterson, has come to a close after Erin Patterson was found guilty of both murder and attempted murder on Monday.
And with that guilty verdict, the media has wasted no time in pumping out all the mushroom killer trial content.
ICYMI, Australia has been on the edge of its seat ahead of Patterson’s guilty verdict. You see, the 50-year-old was accused of killing her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson after she dished up a Beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms in July 2023.
Wilkinson’s husband, Ian, was also present for the deadly dinner and fell violently ill after ingesting the meal, but managed to survive.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution claimed Patterson knew what she served up in that fateful meal and alleged that she’d lied to police and disposed of evidence. However, her defence argued that the whole ordeal was an accident and that she lied to protect her loved ones.
Ultimately, a 12-person jury found Patterson guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
Now that the mushroom killer is officially the mushroom killer, folks are pushing out all their shit-fire content surrounding the macabre incident and the trial.
Here’s what’s been pushed out (or what’s been teased) so far.
The Mushroom Murders by Greg Haddrick — Book
Shortly after the verdict was delivered, Allen & Unwin announced it would be publishing The Mushroom Murders, written by Aussie screenwriter and producer Greg Haddrick.
“At the beginning, the public was convinced that Erin Patterson was guilty of deliberately murdering her in-laws. But as the murder trial continued, genuine doubt arose that it may have been a dreadful accident after all,” Haddrick said.
“There are so many details omitted from the media’s daily summaries of the proceedings that make this a much bigger story than people realise.”
Murder by Mushroom — Documentary
One of the networks to announce a doco following the guilty verdict was Channel 9, which announced a one-hour special on the trail that had the nation (and the world) in a chokehold.
Murder by Mushroom was filmed during the two month trial and features “unseen recounts from the proceedings” and an FBI-style profile analysis of Patterson.
“It delves into the mysterious events surrounding the fatal lunch in the quiet country town of Leongatha, where three guests died and a fourth was left fighting for his life after consuming a dish of beef wellington laced with poisonous death cap mushrooms,” the documentary’s description reads.
Murder by Mushroom premieres on Tuesday, July 8 at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
7News Spotlight: Inside The Mind Of The Mushroom Killer
On Sunday, at 8.30pm, Channel Seven will be hosting a 7News Spotlight special on the mushroom killer case.
According to the show’s description, Australia’s most qualified experts will come together to break down the trial, Patterson’s motive, her planning and her lies.
The live panel will include:
- Top criminal barrister Geoffrey Watson
- Forensic psychologist Peter Ashkar
- Former detective Damian Marrett
- 7News journalist Tita Smith.
“Erin Patterson’s story is one of deception, manipulation and, ultimately, murder,” 7News Spotlight host Michael Usher said.
“Now she’s been found guilty, we will be using the full weight of our expert panel to investigate how this unassuming mother became one of this country’s worst murderers.”
Toxic — TV Series
As reported by Media Week last week, ABC News will be producing a drama titled Toxic, which has been described as an “intricate series that explores the events and characters of this true-life story without judgment”.
The show is created by Elise McCredie and Tony Ayres, alongside ABC journalist Rachael Brown.
Toxic‘s cast and premiere date have yet to be announced.
Following Monday’s verdict, Victoria Police released a statement offering its condolensces to both the Patterson and Wilkinson families. It also confirmed that it would not be “Facilitating any requests for interviews” in regards to the verdict or the case.
“Over the past two years a number of journalists have contacted the Media Unit flagging their interest in speaking to investigators about this case for long-term bigger projects such as feature stories, podcasts and documentaries. At this time we are not planning to facilitate any of these imminently, but will review any requests once the matter is completely finalised,” Victoria Police said.
Furthermore, the police has said that both families have asked for privacy at this time and will not be supplying a statement.
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