The face looks familiar and the crime is all too real. However the evil killer mushroom chef in these videos is anything but - and the viral videos have sparked a furious backlash
Erin Patterson, 50, was found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth on Monday after she laced their meal with death cap mushrooms.
Patterson's father-in-law and mother-in-law Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson died following the lunch at her Leongatha home in south-east Victoria on July 29, 2023.
Heather's husband, Pastor Ian Wilkinson, was the sole survivor of the deadly meal.
The high-profile case drew global attention and developed a cult following online, spawning memes and satirical content.
Now, a TikTok account named Erin.the.chef has attracted widespread attention for its AI-generated videos depicting Patterson in a fictional cooking series.
The account, which uses the tagline, 'Just a Mum who loves making homemade meals for my family,' features a digital recreation of Patterson foraging for mushrooms and preparing the fatal dish.
In one video, the AI version of Patterson can be seen welcoming viewers: 'What's up guys, welcome to my cooking series.
'Today we're making beef Wellington, but first we need to find some special mushrooms.'
She then joked, 'The in-laws are going to love this,' while holding a mushroom.
Another clip showed her in a supermarket asking for a dehydrator 'for death cap mushrooms - I mean, beef,' followed by scenes of mushrooms drying in her kitchen.
'Not long now. If anyone knows a good place to dispose of evidence, let me know,' the AI character said in the fake footage.
The series continues with Patterson handing a dehydrator to a worker at a rubbish tip and cooking the dish while laughing about her 'special ingredient'.
'I'd hate to undercook it and make someone sick,' she quips, referencing trial details that she served her portion on a differently coloured plate.
In another video, the AI version of Patterson could be seen between the aisles of a supermarket asking a staff member what kitchen appliance she recommends for drying 'death cap mushrooms...I mean, beef'.
The video cut to a depiction of Patterson's kitchen, with the mushrooms inside a dehydrator on top of the bench.
'Not long now. If anyone knows of a good place to dispose of evidence let me know,' the AI Patterson said.
In the third episode of the series, the AI Patterson could be seen walking through a rubbish tip and handing a dehydrator to a worker.
Another video showed Patterson cooking the beef Wellington and laughing as she added her 'special ingredient'.
'I better cook this for an hour and I would hate to under cook it and make someone sick,' the AI Patterson said.
'Gotta make sure I don't get mixed up,' she added as she showed the camera a blue plate among red plates.
Her trial heard she served her portion on a differently-coloured plate from her guests.
The videos have sparked mixed reactions. Many viewers condemned the content as insensitive to the victims' families.
'People died. It's really not a joke,' one user commented. 'I laughed, then remembered three people died,' another added.
Others defended the videos as dark humour.
'This is kind of funny, like a twisted joke. I'm laughing so hard,' one person wrote.
'Please do vlogs from her in prison next,' another suggested.
One insisted: 'This is the best account I've ever come across,' while another fan said: 'This is fantastic.'
While some admitted they found the fake videos entertaining, others argued it crossed a line and trivialised a tragic event that devastated multiple families.
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