Mushroom Murder Case: Australian Woman Found Guilty

Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old Australian woman, has been found guilty of killing three family members by serving them a meal laced with toxic mushrooms. The verdict delivered by a 12-member jury concluded a ten-week trial that drew nationwide and international attention.

The incident occurred on July 29, 2023, when she invited a few of her relatives to her home in Leongatha for lunch. Eris served a dish to four guests—her former parents-in-law, Gail Patterson and Donald Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson. All were relatives of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, who declined the lunch invitation.

The dish was later found to contain death cap mushrooms, among the most lethal in the world. Within hours, all four became seriously ill and were hospitalised. Only Ian Wilkinson survived after spending weeks in an induced coma. The prosecution alleged that Patterson had foraged, dried, and measured out a "fatal dose" from the deadly fungi, adding it to the meal. Testimony from dozens of witnesses supported the claim. Ian Wilkinson confirmed that the accused had served her own meal on a different coloured plate.

Though Eris Patterson said the death was a tragic accident and denied any intent to harm, the jury determined that she acted with deliberate intention. Sentencing will occur at a later date.