‘Insides were burning’: Horror details revealed in mushroom killer Erin Patterson sentencing
Horror new details have emerged about the victims of Erin Patterson, as the mushroom killer was sentenced to life in prison.
Horror new details have emerged about the victims of Erin Patterson, as the triple-mushroom killer was sentenced to life in prison.
Patterson, 50, appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday to learn her fate for poisoning four members of her husband’s family with death cap mushrooms on July 29, 2023.
Her estranged husband Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, attended the event at Patterson’s Leongatha home and fell ill hours after eating.
‘Insides were burning’
Don, Gail and Heather died in the week following the lunch, while Ian survived after spending more than a month in hospital.
Before handing down the sentence, Justice Christopher Beale detailed the harrowing impact of her crimes.
“For example, Don and Gail’s son, Matthew remarks, ‘Watching my parents suffer in hospital from severe poisoning caused shock, grief and lasting trauma.
“Ian and Heather’s son, David, remembers his mother being, ‘Desperate for water’, which she was not allowed by medical staff. And saying her, ‘Insides were burning’.
“David also mentions his father’s tortured experience, ‘Black lips, gaunt face, pained and serious expression.’”
Justice Beale turned to the 28 victim impact statements provided to the court.
He acknowledged they share “great anger at the callousness of your actions”.
As an example, Ian Wilkinson’s sister, Dorothy Dicker, questioned: “How anyone could sit there and watch those four, kind and caring people eat that meal?”
“Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all of the victims’ wounds,” he said.
Justice Beale said the statements make clear how much each of Patterson’s victims contributed to the world.
Patterson was handed a life sentence with a non-parole period of 33 years, meaning she will remain behind bars until she is at least 83 years old.
‘Solitary confinement’
Justice Beale outlined the grim reality of her confinement at the maximum-security Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Deer Park.
He noted she had “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”.
“You have maximum security rating and ‘major offender status’,” he said.
“Because of the nature of your crimes and your notoriety, you have been assessed as being at significant risk from other prisoners. You have not been assessed as posing a risk to other prisoners.
“You have spent approximately 16 months of your 22 months at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in a management unit called the Gordon unit and the rest of the time in a protection unit called the Murray unit.
“You are not permitted to mix with the other women in the Gordon unit. You have spent at least 22 hours in your cell every day that you have been in the Gordon unit.
“There have been 16 days since November 2024 where because of lockdowns you have been confined to your cell for the entire 24 hours per day.
“The maximum time that a prisoner in the Gordon unit can have out of their cell in any given day is four hours but that wouldn’t happen very often.
“Your meals and medicine are currently delivered through a flap in your cell door. There is a small concrete yard, approximately two metres by 1.5 metres, which adjoins your cell. With permission, you may access [the yard] for fresh air.
“If prisoners are using the larger exercise yard which abuts your exercise yard, you may not use your small yard.”
Fake cancer claims
Justice Beale described how, according to Ian Wilkinson’s evidence, at the conclusion of the fateful meal, Patterson falsely told her guests that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
She “sought their advice as to whether and how you should break the news to your children that you had a life-threatening illness”.
“Not long after this conversation started, your son and his friend, who had gone to a movie, returned home,” he said.
“The conversation about cancer ceased, but not before all your lunch guests at Ian’s suggestion prayed for your health. Soon after, they left.”
Saying he accepted Ian’s evidence, Justice Beale found Patterson served her guests on large grey plates while eating from a smaller “orangey-tan” plate herself.
“I find you did this to ensure you did not mistakenly consume a poisoned meal,” he said.
Around midnight that night, the four guests fell seriously ill with vomiting and diarrhoea.
Justice Beale shot down Patterson’s claim that she served leftovers to her children.
At trial, she claimed the night after the lunch she served leftover beef wellingtons to her children.
“You claimed, falsely, that on the Sunday night, you served them leftovers of the beef Wellingtons with the pastry and mushrooms scraped off,” Justice Beale said.
‘Elaborate’ lie
Turning to the two explanations Patterson gave as to why death caps ended up in the lunch, Justice Beale rejected both.
He said Patterson had claimed after the lunch she purchased the mushrooms from an Asian grocer.
At trial, after realising this claim would not stack up, he said she changed tack and invented a new explanation for how they “accidentally found their way into the lunch”.
“You said you had purchased some fresh mushrooms at Woolworths and some died mushrooms from an Asian grocery,” he said.
“You were vague about the location of the Asian grocery, claiming that you had purchased the dried mushrooms several months before and that the shop could have been in one of a number of suburbs that fall within the boundaries of the city of Monash.
“You denied having foraged for mushrooms — a lie repeated in the recorded police interview on August 5, 2023.
“At your trial, you maintained the story about having sourced some of the mushrooms from an Asian grocery, but testified that in May and June of 2023, you had foraged for edible mushrooms in various places, including the botanical gardens.
“You testified that you had dehydrated the mushrooms and put them in a container which contained the dried mushrooms from the Asian grocery, and that you used the dried mushrooms in that container, along with the fresh mushrooms from Woolworths in the beef Wellingtons.
“You testified that in this way, death cap mushrooms must have accidentally found their way into the meals served to your lunch guests.
“The jury rejected this elaborate explanation.
“I am satisfied your vague story about the Asian grocery was a lie.
“You concocted the story about foraged mushrooms … accidentally ending up in the beef Wellingtons.”
‘F**k them’
Justice Beale said he would not be speculating on Patterson’s motive for the murders.
He said the prosecution conceded at trial they could not prove a motive for her poisoning of four members of her husband’s family.
“Some murders occur for no reason, the motive for some murders may only be known to the offenders,” he said.
“Clearly, the jury was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that you committed the alleged offences.
“Only you know why you committed the murders, I will not be speculating about that matter.”
Outlining the circumstances leading up the murders, Justice Beale noted Patterson’s familiarity with a website on which people “can post and view sightings of death cap mushrooms”.
“In late 2022, a dispute arose between you and your estranged husband, Simon Patterson, regarding child support payments for your two young children who lived with you,” he said.
“In December 2022, you referred to that in your communications with a Facebook Messager group with whom you shared an interest in true crime.
“You were scathing to your remarks about both Simon and his parents, Don and Gail Patterson. Amongst other things, you derided your father-in-law’s suggestion that you and he get together and pray for your children, commenting, ‘This family, I swear to God.’
“You wondered whether they had ‘any capacity for self reflection at all’.
“You said, ‘f**k them’ and that the best thing that you could do is forget about all of them and live your life.
“You accused Simon of gaslighting you, and Don and Gail of using ‘weasel words’.
“You called Simon ‘a dead beat’ and wondered why Gail was not ‘horrified by his stance regarding child support’. According to your testimony, the dispute over child support had resolved by early 2023.”
Max penalty
Patterson will spend at least 33 years in prison, with Justice Beale saying her offending fell into the “worst category”.
The judge said Patterson showed “no pity” in the murders, adding: “Your offending involved an enormous betrayal of trust.
“Your victims were all your relatives by marriage. More than that, they had all been good to you and your children over many years.”
Justice Beale sentenced Patterson to 25 years for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson and life for each murder of Don, Gail and Heather.
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He imposed a non-parole period of 33 years, meaning she will be around the age of 83 when she first has a chance for freedom.
“I have no hesitation in finding your offending falls into the worst category for the offences of murder and attempted murder,” he said.
“The gravity of your offending warrants the imposition of the maximum penalties for your crimes.”