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4w ago

Erin Patterson Sentenced to Life With Parole Eligibility After 33 Years in Victoria Mushroom Murders

The judge cited premeditation, warning that her notoriety will likely require years of protective isolation.

Melbourne (Australia), 08/09/2025.- Erin Patterson (C) leaves the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 08 September 2025. Patterson, 50, was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years on 08 September 2025. She was found guilty of killing three relatives and attempting to kill another by serving them a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms in July 2023. EFE/EPA/JOEL CARRETT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
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Overview

  • The Supreme Court of Victoria imposed life imprisonment with a 33-year non‑parole period for the 2023 poisoning deaths of three relatives and the attempted murder of a fourth.
  • Justice Christopher Beale said the crimes showed substantial planning and a lack of remorse, rejecting Patterson’s account of an accidental contamination.
  • A jury in July found Patterson guilty of murdering Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and of attempting to kill Ian Wilkinson, who survived with serious aftereffects.
  • The sentence was televised in a rare move for the court as the case drew intense national and international media attention.
  • Patterson was returned to Dame Phyllis Frost Prison and is expected to remain separated from other inmates for her protection; prosecutors had sought no parole and she has 28 days to appeal.