Accused mushroom killer Erin Patterson has been found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder by a 15-person jury in a Supreme Court trial in Morwell, Victoria.
Patterson, 50, pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder, over the now-infamous beef Wellington dinner in July 2023.
Patterson was accused of killing her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson.
Wilkinson’s husband Ian — for whom Patterson was charged with attempted murder — became ill after the lunch in the Leongatha home, and spent several weeks in the hospital, however he survived the ordeal.
Through the trial, the prosecution claimed Patterson knowingly put poisonous death cap mushrooms in the meal. They alleged she lied to police and disposed of the evidence, such as foraging mushrooms and having a food dehydrator, after she had a falling out with her in-laws. It was alleged she used a fake cancer diagnosis to lure the guests to the lunch on July 29, 2023.
Meanwhile, the defence argued it was an accident, and that Patterson lied out of concern after hurting her loved ones.
In a statement, Victoria Police said it acknowledges the decision of the jury, and will continue to support the families affected.
“Our thoughts are with the respective families at this time and we acknowledge how difficult these past two years have been for them. We will continue to support them in every way possible following this decision,” it said.
The Patterson and Wilkinson families have asked for privacy at this time, and will not be supplying a statement via Victoria Police.
More to come.
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