An Australian woman has been found guilty of murder and attempted murder after a lengthy trial … where she was accused of poisoning her estranged husband’s family with death cap mushrooms, killing three of the four people who ate it.
Erin Patterson now faces life in prison due to the deadly lunch that occurred in July 2023. At the time, her estranged husband’s parents, aunt and uncle came to her home for a meal … where she served homemade Beef Wellington made with death cap mushrooms, highly toxic fungi.
Soon after, all four guests were hospitalized with serious illness … three of them died within a week, while one survived after spending weeks receiving medical treatment.
After deliberating for 6 days, the jury was ultimately convinced Patterson deliberately poisoned her lunch guests, swayed by shocking testimony and damning evidence.
Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor, testified that Patterson told her guests she had been diagnosed with cancer and was debating whether to tell her children … which was revealed in court as a lie.
She even tried luring her estranged husband to the lunch with his relatives, texting him after he declined, “I wanted it to be a special meal, as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time.”
Patterson seemingly gave conflicting accounts over whether she was sick following the lunch … saying she had days of diarrhea, while prosecutors claimed she showed no signs of poisoning and continuously resisted medical care.
The 50-year-old was accused of trying to cover her tracks … dumping a food dehydrator she owned soon after the deaths. On the stand, she called it a “knee-jerk reaction to just dig deeper and keep lying,” claiming she tossed it out of panic. The dehydrator was recovered by police and a forensic examination uncovered Patterson’s fingerprints on it.
Patterson is still awaiting a sentencing date.
