Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life behind bars after she was convicted of murdering three former in-laws and attempting to murder another.
The 50-year-old mother-of-two was sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday after a jury in July found her guilty of serving four members of her estranged husband’s family a meal laced with death cap mushrooms in 2023.
Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Heather Wilkinson, 66, were killed while Wilkinson’s husband Ian, 68, suffered serious illness but managed to survive.
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On Monday, Patterson was sentenced to life in jail, but will be eligible for parole after 33 years.
In handing down his sentence, Justice Christopher Beale said Patterson’s harsh prison conditions were a factor in deciding how long she’d spend behind bars.
“The harsh prison conditions that you have experienced already and the likely prospect of solitary confinement for the foreseeable future are important and weighty considerations, which should count for something in the sentencing exercise,” he said.
The global media interest in the story and books, documentaries and TV shows that are in the pipeline on the case also added to Patterson’s risk in jail from other inmates, Justice Beale said.
She will be aged in her 80s when she’s eligible for parole.
The convicted mushroom killer now has 28 days to lodge an appeal.
After October 6 she will still be able to lodge an appeal but will need to file an extension of time application.
During the trial, Patterson had pleaded not guilty to the murder and attempted murder charges, with her defence team arguing the deaths were an accident.
After the sentence was handed down, victim Ian Wilkinson spoke outside court, saying police did a “wonderful job”.
“They made a professional, efficient and effective investigation into what happened at the lunch,” he said.
“They brought to light the truth of what happened with the death of three good people.”
Wilkison also thanked the countless people, not only in Australia but across the world, for their ongoing support and asked for privacy moving forward.
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