Erin Patterson given a sentence with no chance of parole after death-cap mushroom poisonings upheld

The Story

An Australian appeals court has ordered Erin Patterson to never be released from prison after it upheld prosecutors’ challenge to the leniency of her non-parole sentence connected to the death-cap mushroom poisonings of four relatives of her estranged husband.

The three judges of the Victoria state Court of Appeal rejected her bid to overturn both her convictions and her sentence. Justice Stephen McLeish, speaking for the court, said the case involved “shocking criminality” and described it as “extraordinarily cold and calculated,” adding that it “stands to be denounced in the strongest terms.” He also said the judges concluded the case involved such “shocking criminality” that it was inappropriate to set any non-parole period.

The convictions stemmed from a family meal Patterson hosted at her rural home in Leongatha in July 2023, during which she used death cap mushrooms. Patterson had argued at sentencing that she added the mushrooms to the meals accidentally.

The court dismissed Patterson’s challenge to her convictions, which included three life sentences for murder and a 25-year term for attempted murder. Prosecutors had argued at an August appeal hearing that Patterson should never become eligible for parole.

The deaths included Patterson’s parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, who died within days of having lunch. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived the lunch after spending weeks in hospital, and Patterson was convicted of his attempted murder.

Because of the notoriety of the case, Patterson is held in the high-security Gordon Unit of Melbourne’s Dame Phyllis Frost Centre women’s prison. She did not attend the appeal proceedings in person and watched the verdicts by video link from prison.

Patterson can seek further review at Australia’s High Court, which is her last appeal option.