A Victorian Supreme Court jury has convicted 50-year-old Erin Patterson of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth by serving a meal laced with deadly death cap mushrooms.
The verdict, delivered after a 10-week trial in Morwell, concluded a case that captivated Australia and drew global attention.
Patterson was found guilty of killing her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson, while attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, at a lunch she hosted in Leongatha on July 29, 2023.
The prosecution, led by Nanette Rogers SC, argued that Patterson employed multiple deceptions to execute the murders.
She falsely claimed to have cancer to lure the four elderly guests to her home, where she served them individual Beef Wellingtons containing poisonous death cap mushrooms.
Patterson served herself an untainted portion and later lied about being sick to deflect suspicion, the court heard.
She also attempted to destroy evidence and mislead police during their investigation.
The jury, comprising seven men and five women, deliberated for a week starting June 30, 2025, before reaching unanimous guilty verdicts on all four charges.
Patterson, who pleaded not guilty, claimed the deaths were accidental, attributing her own lack of severe illness to binge-eating and purging after the lunch.
She spent eight days on the stand, describing personal struggles with weight, an eating disorder, and low self-esteem.
The high-profile trial, held at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court, attracted intense media scrutiny, with daily coverage by Australia’s state broadcaster ABC and documentaries in production.
Justice Christopher Beale, who presided over the case, exempted the jurors from future jury duty for 15 years due to the trial’s complexity. Patterson faces a maximum life sentence, with sentencing to occur later.