Overview

• The Supreme Court jury returned unanimous convictions on three murder counts and one attempted murder count after a nine-week trial and six days of deliberation.
• Patterson was found guilty of lacing a July 29, 2023 beef Wellington lunch at her Leongatha home with death cap mushrooms, resulting in the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson and severely injuring Ian Wilkinson.
• Prosecutors presented phone tower pings, iNaturalist searches for toxic fungi and residue from a discarded dehydrator to establish Patterson’s deliberate planning and execution.
• Patterson denied intent, claiming accidental contamination, but admitted lying to police about foraging mushrooms and denying ownership of a dehydrator once CCTV footage showed her discarding the device.
• Sentencing has not yet been scheduled and Patterson faces a possible life sentence under Victoria’s murder statutes.