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The Guardian
11-07-2025
- The Guardian
Two years ago, Erin Patterson's lunch guests were admitted to hospital. This week she became a convicted murderer
It's a case so well-publicised it barely needs introduction. Erin Patterson, a middle-aged mother of two, hosted a lunch at her home in Leongatha, a regional town in the Australian state of Victoria, on 29 July 2023. After being served individual beef wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms, three of her relatives died and one barely survived. After a two-and-a-half month trial that made global headlines, Patterson was on Monday found guilty of murdering her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson. Erin Patterson hosts lunch for estranged husband Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Patterson serves beef wellington. All four lunch guests are admitted to hospital with gastro-like symptoms. Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson die in hospital. Don Patterson dies in hospital. Victoria police search Erin Patterson's home and interview her. Ian Wilkinson is discharged from hospital after weeks in intensive care. Police again search Erin Patterson's home, and she is arrested and interviewed. She is charged with three counts of murder relating to the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. Jury is sworn in. Murder trial begins. Jury hears that charges of attempting to murder her estranged husband Simon are dropped. Jury finds Erin Patterson guilty of murdering Heather Wilkinson, Don and Gail Patterson and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson. 'Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty,' the jury's foreperson read in quick succession. Patterson didn't flinch. She looked straight at the jury, her face unreadable. It was all over within minutes. Patterson's lawyers, led by Colin Mandy SC, left the courtroom without making comment. The lead prosecutor, Nanette Rogers SC, wasn't even there. There were no members of the Wilkinson or Patterson families in courtroom four to hear the verdict, either. Just one friend of Erin Patterson's, quietly wiping away tears. It was a sudden end to a trial that lasted more than 10 weeks, featured in excess of 50 witnesses and was forensically covered by the biggest media contingent to follow Victorian supreme court proceedings in recent history. According to the supreme court, more than 250 journalists registered for updates on the trial. Nine authors, seven podcast producers, seven documentary crews and a television drama series were among those who attended Latrobe Valley law courts, alongside court watchers and the victim's families. The media circus contributed to an economic boom in both Morwell, where the court is located, and Traralgon, the biggest town in the region and where most visitors stay. Throughout the trial, there was no dispute that Patterson had served a lunch containing death cap mushrooms that killed three of her guests and made the fourth seriously ill. But had she meant to poison them? Her lawyers had argued it was a tragic accident. They said when the lunch turned deadly, Patterson panicked and lied to police, saying she had never foraged for mushrooms. Prosecutors offered another narrative: Patterson deliberately poisoned her lunch guests 'with murderous intent' and then attempted to cover it up. They did not provide a motive, nor is one required by law. But the court heard that Erin and Simon Patterson's relationship was punctuated by repeated ruptures and reconciliations after their 2007 marriage, until they separated permanently in 2015. The split, which was not formalised through divorce, was amicable, Patterson's estranged husband told the court, until about October or November 2022, when he said a miscommunication between himself and his accountant resulted in him being listed as 'separated' on a tax return form for the first time. In a message shown to the court, Erin wrote it had family tax benefit and child support implications that could cost her up to about $15,000 a year. Simon told the court he was advised by child support authorities not to pay any expenses relating to the children, including school and medical fees, while the amount he had to pay in child support was calculated. It spelled an end to their 'chatty' relationship. Simon said Erin became 'extremely aggressive'. In a series of messages written in December 2022, Erin told friends she was disappointed Simon's parents would not help mediate the dispute. '[Don] said they can't adjudicate if they don't know both sides … This family I swear to fucking god,' one message read. Others said she wanted 'nothing to do' with her parents-in-law, that she was 'sick of this shit' and 'fuck em'. Six months later, she invited them to lunch. Simon also agreed to go, but the night before the lunch he texted her to cancel, saying he felt 'too uncomfortable'. Patterson replied: 'That's really disappointing. I've spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow which has been exhausting in light of the issues I'm facing and spent a small fortune on beef eye fillet to make beef wellingtons because I wanted it to be a special meal, as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time.' Ian Wilkinson told the court he recalled Patterson plating the individual beef wellingtons on four large grey plates and a smaller plate – an 'orangey, tan' colour. Patterson, he said, ate from the odd plate. After the group had finished eating, Patterson 'announced that she had cancer', the Korrumburra Baptist church pastor said. 'In that moment, I thought, 'This is the reason we've been invited to lunch',' he said. Patterson's four guests all were admitted to hospital the next day. Taking to the witness box herself, Patterson admitted she had never been diagnosed with cancer. She said she had told the lie as she was embarrassed about her plan to undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss. It later emerged in court that the clinic where she said she had an appointment offered no such surgery, with Patterson saying she must have been mistaken in her evidence, though it did offer liposuction. She said she was a binge eater who had struggled with her body image since she was a child. On the day of the lunch, she said she binge ate two-thirds of an orange cake brought by Gail, then vomited it up – a plausible explanation, the defence said, for why she was less unwell than her guests later. Much of the trial centred around Patterson's actions after the lunch. She refused treatment on her first presentation at Leongatha hospital and discharged herself against medical advice; was reluctant for her children to be taken to hospital for assessment after she said they had eaten leftovers of the lunch; disposed of a food dehydrator she had used to dry mushrooms; lied in a police interview; and performed a series of factory resets on one of her mobile phones. Another phone, believed to be primarily used by Patterson, was never found by police. The prosecution said Patterson told so many 'lies upon lies' that it was 'hard to keep track of them'. 'When she knew her lies had been uncovered, she came up with a carefully constructed narrative to fit with the evidence – almost. There are some inconsistencies that she just cannot account for so she ignores them,' Rogers said. She said the jury should have 'no difficulty' in rejecting the argument that 'this was all a horrible foraging accident'. They did just that. Now a convicted triple murderer, Patterson will face a sentencing hearing later this year. Her lawyers will have 28 days from the date of her sentence to decide if they are going to appeal. If an appeal does proceed, the saga that has gripped the globe will continue.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- The Guardian
Two years ago, Erin Patterson's lunch guests were admitted to hospital. This week she became a convicted murderer
It's a case so well-publicised it barely needs introduction. Erin Patterson, a middle-aged mother of two, hosted a lunch at her home in Leongatha, a regional town in the Australian state of Victoria, on 29 July 2023. After being served individual beef wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms, three of her relatives died and one barely survived. After a two-and-a-half month trial that made global headlines, Patterson was on Monday found guilty of murdering her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson. Erin Patterson hosts lunch for estranged husband Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Patterson serves beef wellington. All four lunch guests are admitted to hospital with gastro-like symptoms. Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson die in hospital. Don Patterson dies in hospital. Victoria police search Erin Patterson's home and interview her. Ian Wilkinson is discharged from hospital after weeks in intensive care. Police again search Erin Patterson's home, and she is arrested and interviewed. She is charged with three counts of murder relating to the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. Jury is sworn in. Murder trial begins. Jury hears that charges of attempting to murder her estranged husband Simon are dropped. Jury finds Erin Patterson guilty of murdering Heather Wilkinson, Don and Gail Patterson and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson. 'Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty,' the jury's foreperson read in quick succession. Patterson didn't flinch. She looked straight at the jury, her face unreadable. It was all over within minutes. Patterson's lawyers, led by Colin Mandy SC, left the courtroom without making comment. The lead prosecutor, Nanette Rogers SC, wasn't even there. There were no members of the Wilkinson or Patterson families in courtroom four to hear the verdict, either. Just one friend of Erin Patterson's, quietly wiping away tears. It was a sudden end to a trial that lasted more than 10 weeks, featured in excess of 50 witnesses and was forensically covered by the biggest media contingent to follow Victorian supreme court proceedings in recent history. According to the supreme court, more than 250 journalists registered for updates on the trial. Nine authors, seven podcast producers, seven documentary crews and a television drama series were among those who attended Latrobe Valley law courts, alongside court watchers and the victim's families. The media circus contributed to an economic boom in both Morwell, where the court is located, and Traralgon, the biggest town in the region and where most visitors stay. Throughout the trial, there was no dispute that Patterson had served a lunch containing death cap mushrooms that killed three of her guests and made the fourth seriously ill. But had she meant to poison them? Her lawyers had argued it was a tragic accident. They said when the lunch turned deadly, Patterson panicked and lied to police, saying she had never foraged for mushrooms. Prosecutors offered another narrative: Patterson deliberately poisoned her lunch guests 'with murderous intent' and then attempted to cover it up. They did not provide a motive, nor is one required by law. But the court heard that Erin and Simon Patterson's relationship was punctuated by repeated ruptures and reconciliations after their 2007 marriage, until they separated permanently in 2015. The split, which was not formalised through divorce, was amicable, Patterson's estranged husband told the court, until about October or November 2022, when he said a miscommunication between himself and his accountant resulted in him being listed as 'separated' on a tax return form for the first time. In a message shown to the court, Erin wrote it had family tax benefit and child support implications that could cost her up to about $15,000 a year. Simon told the court he was advised by child support authorities not to pay any expenses relating to the children, including school and medical fees, while the amount he had to pay in child support was calculated. It spelled an end to their 'chatty' relationship. Simon said Erin became 'extremely aggressive'. In a series of messages written in December 2022, Erin told friends she was disappointed Simon's parents would not help mediate the dispute. '[Don] said they can't adjudicate if they don't know both sides … This family I swear to fucking god,' one message read. Others said she wanted 'nothing to do' with her parents-in-law, that she was 'sick of this shit' and 'fuck em'. Six months later, she invited them to lunch. Simon also agreed to go, but the night before the lunch he texted her to cancel, saying he felt 'too uncomfortable'. Patterson replied: 'That's really disappointing. I've spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow which has been exhausting in light of the issues I'm facing and spent a small fortune on beef eye fillet to make beef wellingtons because I wanted it to be a special meal, as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time.' Ian Wilkinson told the court he recalled Patterson plating the individual beef wellingtons on four large grey plates and a smaller plate – an 'orangey, tan' colour. Patterson, he said, ate from the odd plate. After the group had finished eating, Patterson 'announced that she had cancer', the Korrumburra Baptist church pastor said. 'In that moment, I thought, 'This is the reason we've been invited to lunch',' he said. Patterson's four guests all were admitted to hospital the next day. Taking to the witness box herself, Patterson admitted she had never been diagnosed with cancer. She said she had told the lie as she was embarrassed about her plan to undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss. It later emerged in court that the clinic where she said she had an appointment offered no such surgery, with Patterson saying she must have been mistaken in her evidence, though it did offer liposuction. She said she was a binge eater who had struggled with her body image since she was a child. On the day of the lunch, she said she binge ate two-thirds of an orange cake brought by Gail, then vomited it up – a plausible explanation, the defence said, for why she was less unwell than her guests later. Much of the trial centred around Patterson's actions after the lunch. She refused treatment on her first presentation at Leongatha hospital and discharged herself against medical advice; was reluctant for her children to be taken to hospital for assessment after she said they had eaten leftovers of the lunch; disposed of a food dehydrator she had used to dry mushrooms; lied in a police interview; and performed a series of factory resets on one of her mobile phones. Another phone, believed to be primarily used by Patterson, was never found by police. The prosecution said Patterson told so many 'lies upon lies' that it was 'hard to keep track of them'. 'When she knew her lies had been uncovered, she came up with a carefully constructed narrative to fit with the evidence – almost. There are some inconsistencies that she just cannot account for so she ignores them,' Rogers said. She said the jury should have 'no difficulty' in rejecting the argument that 'this was all a horrible foraging accident'. They did just that. Now a convicted triple murderer, Patterson will face a sentencing hearing later this year. Her lawyers will have 28 days from the date of her sentence to decide if they are going to appeal. If an appeal does proceed, the saga that has gripped the globe will continue.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Details emerge of the PARTY Erin Patterson threw the night before her arrest - and the mysterious break-ins at her Leongatha home after she was handcuffed
The night before Erin Patterson was arrested, the so-called 'mushroom chef' threw a party at her home - in what may be her final taste of freedom for the rest of her life. On the evening of Wednesday, November 1, 2023, Patterson held a knees-up at her Leongatha, rural Victoria, property for a group of friends, believed to be her four closest female mates. Among them was her closest ally, social worker Alison Rose Prior, to whom Patterson had signed over power of attorney to, plus other members of her then-dwindling inner circle. The weeknight gathering is believed to have been small and included Patterson's two children, a girl and a boy. But it was still noisy enough that it was noticed by neighbours, who speculated Patterson threw the party in the knowledge that charges were imminent. The party followed months of pressure and speculation about Patterson's role in the death cap mushroom deaths of her estranged husband Simon's parents and aunt after a beef Wellington lunch at her house. Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson, 66, died after eating Erin's dish - and the local pastor Ian Wilkinson survived being poisoned only after a brutal battle. It took a full three months for Patterson to be placed in handcuffs. The morning after the party, she was taken to Wonthaggi police station, some 40km away, and charged with three counts of murder and one of attempted murder. Patterson was finally convicted on Monday of the murders and attempted murder on Monday. A jury unanimously found her guilty of carrying out all counts at the July 29,2023 lunch and she will be sentenced over the next few months, perhaps to spend the rest of her life in jail. But back in second half of 2023, Patterson was 'the woman at the centre of the alleged toxic mushroom case' who, intentionally or not, had made the dish Beef Wellington into death on a plate. It would only later emerge that on August 2, before anyone had died, Erin had dumped the food dehydrator, which had traces of Amanita Phalloides mushrooms on it, at the local tip, the Koonwarra Transfer and Landfill Station. On August 4, the same day that Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson both died, police discovered the dehydrator at the tip and photographed it, while seizing CCTV records. On August 5, police formally interviewed Patterson for the first time, and the media began gathering at her home, which she fled on August 7, telling reporters, 'I didn't do anything wrong. 'I loved them and I'm devastated they are gone. They were some of the best people I've ever met.' In her ensuing panic, on August 8, Patterson returned to the house and left with a giant white suitcase. Before departing the scene, she told reporters: 'I'm going shithouse, thanks for asking. What happened is devastating, I'm grieving too.' (Shithouse is an Australian colloquialism for having a terrible time.) It is believed she headed to a meeting with Ms Prior and three other Victorian women at which they discussed the lunch, and Erin signed over her power of attorney. On August 11, she released a written statement to Victoria Police, which the ABC obtained two days later. In it, she said: 'I am now wanting to clear up the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones. 'I am hoping this statement might help in some way. I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgement. 'I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.' Patterson said it had not been previously reported that she was also hospitalised after the lunch with bad stomach pains and diarrhoea. She claimed she was put on a saline drip and given a 'liver protective drug'. In the statement, Patterson admitted she lied to detectives about disposing of the dehydrator at the tip 'a long time ago', and that she had been so worried she might lose custody of her children, she had panicked and dumped it. Erin Patterson's dance with the truth was well underway, Gippsland was crawling with homicide detectives and speculation on crime talk forums like Mumsnet and Websleuths swung between theories that she was completely innocent to being as evil as one of the witches from Shakespeare's Macbeth. On Paterson's last morning of freedom she was placed under arrest at home and driven to Wonthaggi, while detectives painstakingly picked apart her house. But that wasn't the last of the strange happenings at her five-bedroom home. The following month, in late December, Alison Prior posted images on Facebook of a masked man captured on CCTV at Patterson's house. Thieves had allegedly stolen televisions and vacuum cleaners, and Erin's red MG, which she was caught on CCTV driving to the local tip to dump the food dehydrator and other items. Ms Prior's social media post after the final alleged burglary said: 'This time they stole a car, TVs, vacuums. I have finally been able to retrieve CCTV footage from the second time they broke into the property and removed all the outside cameras. 'Police caught a couple of offenders from the first burglary where they stole a heap of things and we are now thinking they took all spare keys, car keys etc and were not retrieved by the police at the time. 'They have obviously passed the keys on to mates to come and go from the house as they please.' Ms Prior posted the CCTV on local community groups trying to identify the burglars but someone recognised the house as Erin's. The Nine Network attended the house and filmed Ms Prior rapidly closing the gates as their cameras approached. Ms Prior alleged the home had been broken into three times since Ms Patterson's arrest and that an intruder had tried to tear down security cameras, before attempting the break-in. Victoria Police subsequently arrested and charged two people for the alleged break-in. A woman, 23, and a man, 18, from the Melbourne suburb of Cheltenham were arrested in Patterson's allegedly stolen car at 1am on December 28. 'The pair are expected to be charged on summons to appear at a magistrates' court at a later date,' Victoria Police said at the time. Daily Mail Australia has asked Victoria Police if the accused thieves were convicted. Early on, crime forums were abuzz with talk of Erin Patterson, with some saying her performance in front of TV cameras - of tears and emotion - was unconvincing Alison Prior was the one supporter who attended court for the entirety of Erin Patterson's trial, telling reporters following the verdict that she was 'saddened' by what had happened. 'I don't have any expectations, it's the justice system and it has to be what it is,' she said. She declined to answer whether Patterson, whose home had been shrouded with black plastic tarpaulins in the days before the verdict, had anticipated she'd be found not guilty. Ms Prior has regularly visited Patterson at the Dame Phyllis Frost Women's Correctional Centre since her incarceration following her November 2023 arrest. After hearing her fate, an emotionless Patterson told Prior before being taken back to prison, 'See you soon'
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
The toxic web of lesbian trysts in the hellhole women's prison that awaits mushroom killer Erin Patterson - including a jail affair even the guards find 'unsettling'
She's just been convicted of a shocking mass poisoning - now mushroom killer Erin Patterson Behind bars at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, Victoria's toughest women's prison, the former Leongatha housewife is now surrounded by hardened criminals, whose same-sex trysts help decide the pecking order.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
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
Disturbing AI-generated videos have gone viral on TikTok, showing convicted triple-killer Erin Patterson preparing her deadly beef Wellington dish. 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 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.
