World · East Asia & Pacific · 3 hrs ago
Erin Patterson loses appeal and is sentenced to life without parole
An appeal court in Victoria rejected Erin Patterson’s challenge to her convictions for murdering three people and trying to murder a fourth.
The victims were her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson; Heather’s husband, Ian, survived.
A jury found Patterson guilty after she served the group a lunch poisoned with death cap mushrooms at her home in Leongatha in 2023.
The judges rejected her arguments that problems with the trial made her convictions unsafe.
They also agreed with prosecutors that her original life sentence, which allowed parole to be considered after 33 years, was too lenient.
The court resentenced her to life without parole, saying the crimes were cold, calculated and exceptionally shocking.
Erin Patterson lost her appeal against convictions for murdering three people and attempting to murder a fourth with a mushroom-laced meal.
Victoria’s Court of Appeal also ruled that she should never be released from prison.
The court said the crimes were carefully planned and involved sustained intent to murder and elaborate deceptions.
Patterson had been serving a life sentence with a 33-year non-parole period.
The court agreed with prosecutors that the original sentence was inadequate and set aside the non-parole period.
- Who
- Erin Patterson, 52, was the appellant. The victims were Don and Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson and Ian Wilkinson.
- What
- The Court of Appeal rejected Patterson’s challenge to her convictions and ruled that she should never be released from prison.
- When
- Friday, 30 October 2026.
- Where
- Victoria’s Court of Appeal, in Australia.
- Why
- The judges said the crimes were carefully planned and calculated, and that the case was too serious for a non-parole period to be set.
Erin Patterson
Director of Public Prosecutions
Convictions
Erin Patterson
Patterson sought to have her convictions overturned or the case heard again.
Director of Public Prosecutions
The prosecution opposed her challenge and the court rejected it.
Sentence
Erin Patterson
Patterson appealed her convictions and had previously received a 33-year non-parole period.
Director of Public Prosecutions
The prosecution argued that the non-parole period was inadequate; the court agreed and ruled that no non-parole period should be set.
A jury found Patterson guilty of murdering three people and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson.
Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years.
Patterson’s appeal was heard by the Court of Appeal.
The court dismissed Patterson’s appeal and ruled that she should never be released from prison.
- Victims killed
- Don Patterson, Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson
- Attempted murder victim
- Ian Wilkinson
- Meal
- Beef Wellington containing death cap mushrooms
- Original sentence
- Life imprisonment with a 33-year non-parole period
- Appeal court
- Victoria’s Court of Appeal
- Ruling date
- 30 October 2026
26 sources
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What people are saying
We have concluded that the case involved such shocking criminality that it is inappropriate to fix a non-parole period
This offending was extraordinarily cold and calculated, and stands to be denounced in the strongest possible terms