Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years for murdering three in-laws and attempting to murder a fourth by lacing their beef wellington lunch with poisonous death cap mushrooms in 2023.
Following a jury trial which ran from April to July this year, Patterson was found guilty of murdering her parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson and her aunt-in-law Heather Wilkinson. She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.
On Monday, in Victoria’s Supreme Court, Justice Christopher Beale handed down Patterson’s sentencing.
She received 25 years in prison for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, plus life in prison for the murder of Heather Wilkinson, Don Patterson and Gail Patterson.
Justice Beale explained to the court how he came to the decision of Patterson’s full sentence.
He noted that when it came to deciding whether she’d receive an opportunity for parole, he’d considered the circumstances of the offences, Patterson’s circumstances, relevant sentencing law and the actual sentences.
The prosecution had called for Patterson to be jailed for life with no parole. Patterson’s lawyer conceded that a life sentence was appropriate but asked Justice Beale to set a minimum term to allow Patterson the opportunity to leave jail by the time she is in her 80s.
Justice Beale made it clear that he sees Patterson’s crimes as among the worst possible.
“Having regard to the aggravating circumstances of your offending and the victim impact statements, I have no hesitation in finding that your offending falls into the worst category for the offences of murder and attempted murder,” said Justice Beale.
“The gravity of your offending warrants the imposition of the maximum penalties for your crimes.”
Ahead of the sentence, Justice Beale also said the prosecution had conceded that Patterson has a heavier burden than most prisoners due to her continuous solitary confinement for the last 15 months and the “substantial chance that for your protection you will continue to be held in solitary confinement for years to come.”
He said that given the heavy media coverage and notoriety of Patterson’s crimes, she may never be allowed to mix with other prisoners.
In his remarks, Justice Beale outlined the lead-up to Patterson’s plans to host the lunch in July 2023, noting that she knew of the iNaturalist website, where users can track the location of death cap mushrooms, for at least a year before the deadly lunch.
Justice Beale said that while the prosecution did not submit a motive for Patterson’s actions, he would not take this into account, or be considering a theory of motive.
“The motives for such murders may only ever be known to the offenders. Clearly, the jury was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that you committed the alleged offences,” he said. “Only you know why you committed them. I will not be speculating about that matter.”
During the sentencing, Ian Wilkinson, the sole guest who survived the mushroom lunch, was present in the courtroom.
For the first time, the Court allowed a television camera in court to broadcast live, with Justice Beale making this decision to increase public understanding of the work of the court.
“Given the intense public interest in the case, the broadcast will provide an opportunity to inform the public of the reasons for sentence promptly and completely,” he said.