Australian woman Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives by deliberately serving them poisonous death cap mushrooms.
The jury returned a verdict after six days of deliberations, following a nine-week trial that gripped Australia and media worldwide.
She faces life in prison and will be sentenced at a later date, although no hearing has been scheduled yet.
Patterson showed no emotion as the verdicts came back guilty, but blinked rapidly as they were read.
She was also found guilty of attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson, who survived the meal.
The deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson shocked the quiet Australian town of Leongatha, Victoria, and quickly captured both national and international attention.
At the centre of the tragedy was a seemingly innocuous family lunch on July 29, 2023, hosted by Erin Patterson, who had invited her former in-laws, Don and Gail (the parents of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson), along with Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson and Heather’s husband, Ian.
Patterson, who shares two children with Simon, prepared a homemade beef wellington, a meal that would soon become the focus of a months-long murder investigation.
The dish allegedly contained death cap mushrooms, one of the world’s deadliest fungi.
All four guests fell critically ill within 24 hours.
Three later died in hospital, while Ian Wilkinson required a liver transplant after spending nearly two months recovering, including time in intensive care.
Patterson initially denied wrongdoing, claiming she accidentally used a mix of mushrooms sourced from an Asian grocery store and dried fungi, which she said were gifted by a friend.
However, police alleged inconsistencies in her account, including the disposal of a food dehydrator and deleted digital records, which became key points of scrutiny during the trial.
Throughout the proceedings, the case stirred debate across Australia.
The lack of clear motive, paired with public fascination and tabloid fervour, made the trial one of the most closely followed in recent Australian criminal history.
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