An Australian woman has just been found guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband’s elderly relatives by serving them a homemade lunch laced with toxic mushrooms—and the country can’t stop talking about it.
After a gripping 10-week trial, 50-year-old Erin Patterson was convicted Monday in a court in Morwell, Victoria, of killing her former in-laws—Gail and Don Patterson—and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson. She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who survived but spent weeks in the hospital.
So what happened? Back in 2023, Erin invited the four relatives to her home in Leongatha, a quiet rural town located approximately 85 miles southeast of Melbourne. She served them beef Wellington with mashed potatoes and green beans—a meal that turned out to be deadly. Investigators later confirmed the dish contained death cap mushrooms, one of the most lethal fungi on earth.
According to prosecutors, Patterson foraged the mushrooms herself after spotting their location on a public website. They argued she added them to the dish on purpose.
“The self-serving lies that she told throughout this investigation were part of a cover-up,” one prosecutor said during closing arguments. “She knew what she was doing.”
Don, Gail, and Heather all died within days of the lunch. Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor and the only survivor, barely pulled through after an extended stay in intensive care.
Patterson’s defense team, however, painted a very different picture. They claimed it was all a terrible mistake, saying she had no idea the mushrooms were toxic and only added them to enhance the flavor. They said she panicked when the others fell ill and lied to the police out of fear and confusion.
“She never intended to harm anyone,” her attorney insisted in court.
But the jury wasn’t buying it. All 12 jurors had to agree on the verdict, and after hearing weeks of emotional testimony and expert analysis, they found her guilty on all counts.
Because of Australia’s strict laws, the jurors’ identities remain protected, and we’ll never know exactly what swayed their decision. Still, the outcome has sent shockwaves across the country—and abroad.
The case has become one of the most talked-about criminal trials in recent Australian history, grabbing attention for its chilling details and the surreal nature of the alleged crime. After all, it’s not every day you hear of someone using mushrooms as a murder weapon—let alone in a family lunch setting.
Patterson is now facing life in prison, with sentencing expected in the coming weeks.