Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years after murdering three people and attempting to murder a fourth with a lunch laced with death cap mushrooms.
Justice Christopher Beale delivered the sentence during a live broadcast in the Victorian supreme court on Monday morning.
In July, after an 11-week trial, a jury found Patterson, 50, guilty of murdering Don and Gail Patterson – the parents of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson – and Simon’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The jury also convicted Patterson of attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.
Patterson hosted the guests at a lunch in July 2023, deliberately feeding them beef wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms.
Delivering an emotional victim impact statement in a pre-sentencing hearing last month, Wilkinson, a pastor, offered Patterson forgiveness for trying to murder him.
“Now I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim, and she has become the victim of my kindness,” he said.
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But Wilkinson said he was “compelled to seek justice” for the three murder victims. He said he bore Patterson no ill will and his prayer for her was that she would use her time in custody to reform.
Simon Patterson said his estranged wife’s crimes had robbed their two children, a son born in 2009 and a daughter born in 2014, of “the kind of relationship with their mother that every child yearns for”.
(July 29, 2023)
Erin Patterson hosts lunch for estranged husband Simon’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Patterson serves beef wellington.
(July 30, 2023)
All four lunch guests are admitted to hospital with gastro-like symptoms.
(August 4, 2023)
Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson die in hospital.
(August 5, 2023)
Don Patterson dies in hospital. Victoria police search Erin Patterson’s home and interview her.
(September 23, 2023)
Ian Wilkinson is discharged from hospital after weeks in intensive care.
(November 2, 2023)
Police again search Erin Patterson’s home, and she is arrested and interviewed. She is charged with three counts of murder relating to the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.
(April 28, 2025)
Jury is sworn in.
(April 29, 2025)
Murder trial begins. Jury hears that charges of attempting to murder her estranged husband Simon are dropped.
(July 7, 2025)
Jury finds Erin Patterson guilty of murdering Heather Wilkinson, Don and Gail Patterson and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson.
The prosecution and defence agreed Patterson should receive a life sentence for her crimes, which Beale said were “horrendous”. Prosecutors had called for no prospect of parole for Patterson, while the defence said she should be given a chance to be released.
Patterson’s defence barrister, Colin Mandy SC, said her notoriety meant she was in onerous conditions – spending 22 hours locked in her cell – which should be considered by Beale. He said his client’s isolation made the “burden of imprisonment” much greater for her than other prisoners.
Jane Warren, for the prosecution, agreed that Beale could consider these conditions.
On Monday, Beale said he agreed Patterson should receive the maximum penalty for her crimes. He sentenced her to life in prison for the murders of Heather Wilkinson and Don and Gail Patterson, and 25 years in prison for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, to be served concurrently.
Patterson had already served 676 days in pre-sentence detention, the court heard. She will be 82 when she becomes eligible to apply for parole in 2056.
Beale said the jury in the 11-week trial was satisfied, beyond reasonable doubt, that Patterson committed triple murder and attempted murder. “Only you know why you committed them,” he said, addressing Patterson.
Patterson’s crimes had inflicted great harm on her victims, Beale said. “You inflicted untold suffering on your own children who you robbed of their beloved grandparents.”
Beale said Patterson had “effectively been held in solitary confinement” for the past 15 months. Given given the intense media interest in the case, he said, Patterson was likely to “remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come” and remain at “serious risk” from other prisoners.
The “harsh prison conditions” that Patterson had endured were relevant considerations for her sentencing, Beale added.
While it is typically illegal for media outlets to record inside a courtroom, the court granted permission for a television camera to film Beale handing down his sentencing remarks. The footage was broadcast to the public with a 10-second delay in a historic first for the state.
Patterson will have until 6 October to lodge an appeal against her conviction, sentence or both.
She pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed the deaths were a tragic accident.
