A sentencing has been delivered to mushroom murderer Erin Patterson, two years after she served a toxic beef Wellington lunch that killed three of her relatives.
Patterson was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years in the Victorian Supreme Court today during a hearing that took the unprecedented step of being broadcast on television.
Ian Wilkinson, the only surviving victim of the mushroom lunch, was present at the sentencing hearing, which was presided over by Justice Christopher Beale.
Justice Beale was the only person to appear on the broadcast and he spoke for about 45 minutes.
Wilkinson’s wife, Heather, was among Patterson’s victims, alongside her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson. It’s reported that Wilkinson was seated just 10 metres away from Patterson as the sentence was delivered.
The sentence was comprised of the those for each of Patterson’s charges.
She was dealt 25 years for the attempted murder of Wilkinson, and three life sentences for the remaining murder charges. That constitutes a full sentence of life with a non-parole for 33 years. All sentences will be served concurrently.
“You should receive the maximum penalty for your crimes,” Beale said, adding that the nature of Patterson’s crimes is “horrendous”.
Beale said Patterson invited the guests to lunch “with the intention of killing them all”, adding that she “showed no pity to your victims”.
Beale refused to take into account a motive for Patterson’s crimes, in line with the prosecution not presenting one, saying he would “not be speculating about” about the reason for her murders.
He said Patterson’s death cap mushroom plan involved “substantial pre-meditation”.
Elsewhere during his remarks, Beale gave an overview of the case, including Patterson’s consulting of a naturalist website to track the location of mushrooms, the text messages exchanged between Patterson and Wilkinson prior to the lunch, and her use of a cancer scare to convince the guests to attend the lunch.
Beale listed Patterson’s attempts to cover up the crime during the investigation, including her disposing of the plates used at the lunch, the lies about the origins of mushrooms and the disposing of her mobile phone and dehydrator.
A heavy security presence was seen outside the court as a large queue gathered, with around 100 members of the public being present inside the courtroom.
Prior to the sentencing, prosecutors had pushed for Patterson to receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole, with her lawyers conceding that a life sentence was appropriate but urging for a minimum term to give Patterson the chance to walk free by the time she is in her 80s.
Patterson’s lawyers had encouraged Beal to show Patterson mercy and give her a chance to be released back into the community.
The sentencing followed the guilty verdict handed down by a 15-person jury in July, where Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder. Patterson had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In the time between the trial and sentencing, new details of the case emerged, including claims of previous poisoning attempts alleged by Wilkinson.
Elsewhere, we learned of Erin Patterson’s prison life, such as reports she had delivered “complaint after complaint” about her treatment, and had received love letters from true crime enthusiasts.
“You are likely to remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come,” Beale said towards the end of his hearing.
After the sentencing, Erin Patterson was led out of the court to be taken back to the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, where she has been sentenced to spend at least the next 33 years of her life.
The case garnered international attention, with the media frenzy spawning a slew of upcoming TV series, documentaries and books.
The post Erin Patterson Sentenced To Life In Prison For ‘Horrendous’ Mushroom Killings Of Her Relatives appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
