Australian judge sentences Erin Patterson to life for mushroom murders

An Australian judge on Monday sentenced triplemurderer Erin Patterson to life in prison with a nonparole period of 33 years for poisoning four of her estranged husbands relatives with death cap mushroomsJustice Christopher Beale delivering the sentence in Victoriarsquos Supreme Court said Pattersonrsquos crimes involved an ldquoenormous betrayal of trustrdquoPatterson was convicted in July of murdering Don and Gail Patterson and Gailrsquos sister Heather Wilkinson by serving them beef Wellington pastries laced with foraged death cap mushrooms at a lunch in July 2023 She was also convicted of attempting to murder Heatherrsquos husband Ian Wilkinson who spent weeks in hospital recoveringPattersonrsquos estranged husband Simon Patterson was invited to the lunch but did not attendldquoYou robbed your children of their grandparentsrdquoldquoYour victims were all your relatives by marriage More than that they had all been good to you and your children over many years as you acknowledged in your testimonyrdquo Beale said during sentencingldquoNot only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinsonrsquos health thereby devastating the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families you inflicted untold suffering on your own children whom you robbed of their beloved grandparentsrdquoBoth the prosecution and defence had agreed that a life sentence was appropriate for the 50yearold on three counts of murder and one of attempted murderHowever while defence lawyers requested eligibility for parole after 30 years prosecutors argued she should never be considered for parole saying she did not deserve the courtrsquos mercySurvivor calls for kindnessIan Wilkinson the sole survivor of the poisoning did not comment on the sentence but thanked the police prosecutors and health servicesldquoWersquore thankful that when things go wrong there are good people and services and systems available to help us recoverrdquo he told reporters outside courtldquoOur lives and the life of our community depend on the kindness of others Irsquod like to encourage everybody to be kind to each otherFinally I want to say thank you to the many people from across Australia and around the world who through their prayers and messages of support have encouraged usrdquoIntent to kill estranged husband tooJustice Beale noted that Patterson had also intended to kill her estranged husband Simon Patterson had he accepted the lunch invitationTo bring the family together she had falsely claimed to have been diagnosed with cancer saying she wanted advice on how to tell their two children who were not present at the lunchBeale accepted Ian Wilkinsonrsquos testimony that the guests were served grey plates while Patterson ate from an orangetan plate mdash a move meant to ensure she wouldnrsquot accidentally consume the poisoned mealldquoOnly you know why you committed these crimesrdquoldquoOnly you know why you committed them I will not be speculating about that matterrdquo Beale told Patterson who showed little emotion during the hearing which lasted under an hourShe kept her eyes closed for much of it or stared straight aheadPatterson maintained during her trial that she had added foraged mushrooms to the meal by accidentInitially she denied to authorities that the mushrooms were foraged A specific antidote drug for death cap mushroom poisoning was not administered to the victims in time contributing to their deathsBeale said he inferred from her ldquopitiless behaviourrdquo that her intention to kill was ongoingNo psychological reports harsher prison conditionsBeale noted that no psychiatric or psychological reports were submitted during sentencing and said he had no doubt Patterson instructed her lawyers not to provide such evidencePatterson has been in custody since November 2 2023 Her sentence is backdated to that date She has 28 days to appeal the conviction or the sentencePatterson who turns 51 on September 30 will be 82 years old when eligible for parole in November 2056A case that gripped AustraliaThis case has drawn intense national and international attention In an unprecedented move the Victorian Supreme Court allowed the sentencing hearing to be broadcast live on televisionDue to the scale of media coverage and the upcoming books documentaries and TV series related to the case Patterson has been designated a ldquonotorious prisonerrdquo and is held in protective custody for her safetyldquoI infer that given the unprecedented media coverage of your case and the books documentaries and TV series about you which are all in the pipeline you are likely to remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come and as such remain at significant risk from other prisonersrdquo Beale saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever