Criminal lawyers weigh in on how long mushroom cook Erin Patterson could be behind bars
Criminal lawyers have weighed in on Erin Patterson’s jail term as the triple killer could join the likes of Australia’s most heinous killers behind bars.
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Triple killer Erin Patterson is facing spending the rest of her life in jail because of the nature of her premeditated crime, experts say.
Criminal lawyers spoken to by the Herald Sun say a crushing jail term is likely for Patterson when she is sentenced with a minimum term of no less than 35-years.
Patterson is set to be given a long non-parole period due to her not guilty plea, her planning to kill her family and her attempts to cover-up and lie about her crime.
Patterson, 50, has spent 19 months in prison since she was charged with the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and the attempted murder of her husband, Ian Wilkinson, 71, in November, 2023.
As a triple murderer, it is possible Patterson could join the likes of Australia’s most heinous killers who will never be released from jail, including Peter Dupas, Stephen Hunter, Bandali Debs, John Bunting and Martin Bryant.
One source with knowledge of the case said the relative sophistication of the murders’ planning was at odds with her lack of planning in the cover-up stages.
Patterson’s apparent shock at the media descending on her home, despite the magnitude of what had happened, pointed towards Patterson not understanding that the deaths would attract deep scrutiny, the source said.
Carrying out the crime despite the online evidence which pointed directly at her also showed she did not understand the heat that would be applied.
“Even a dumb person would know there’s an electronic footprint there. It’s amazing she couldn’t have foreseen this,” he said.
Criminal lawyers spoken to by NewsCorp say Patterson has little chance of ever again being free.
One said Patterson’s sophistication by poisoning her victims with death cap mushrooms was demonstrative that it was not an impulsive crime.
“If she shot them all in the heat of an argument she might have got 20 or 30 years (minimum). This sort of conduct makes that almost unthinkable,” a legal source said.
He said Patterson’s appeal chances were also low unless she could produce something which was not adduced at trial.
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Originally published as Criminal lawyers weigh in on how long mushroom cook Erin Patterson could be behind bars
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