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Australian woman found guilty of murdering in-laws with poisonous mushrooms
The incident occurred on July 29, 2023

Australian woman found guilty of murdering in-laws with poisonous mushrooms

Jul 07, 2025
02:04 pm

What's the story

An Australian woman, Erin Patterson, has been found guilty of murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt by serving them a beef Wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms. The jury reached the verdict after weeks of courtroom depositions in Victoria. The incident occurred on July 29, 2023, when Patterson invited her former in-laws—Gail and Donald Patterson, as well as Gail's sister and husband, Heather and Ian Wilkinson—to lunch. She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Ian.

Tragic outcome

Victims fell seriously ill after consuming the meal

Patterson, now 50, served her guests individual beef Wellingtons—a baked steak dish where beef tenderloin is wrapped in a mushroom paste and puff pastry, with mashed potato and green beans on the side. After the meal, all four guests fell seriously ill and were rushed to the hospital. While Ian survived after weeks in an induced coma, Gail, Donald, and Heather died. The Wellingtons served to the guests were discovered to be tainted with toxic death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides).

Legal proceedings

Defense claimed it was an accident

Patterson pleaded not guilty to the charges. Her defense argued that the deaths were a "terrible accident" and claimed she also fell ill after lunch. The prosecution, however, accused Patterson of foraging the poisonous mushrooms and intentionally adding them to her guests' meals. They presented evidence, including a food dehydrator found near her home with traces of death cap mushrooms and internet searches related to mushroom locations. She was arrested in November 2023.

Verdict announced

Jury returned a verdict of guilty

The jury returned a verdict of guilty on three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The judge has yet to announce a sentencing date for Patterson, who faces a potential life sentence. During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Patterson had the opportunity to harvest poisonous mushrooms after seeing their location advertised on the website iNaturalist. The guilty decision indicates that the jury accepted the prosecution's claim that she visited two locations for the mushrooms.

Mushrooms

What are death cap mushrooms?

Amanita phalloides, or death caps, are the deadliest mushrooms for humans. Small and plain in yellow or brown, they resemble many nonpoisonous species. Native to Europe, they are also found in North America and Australia, typically growing under oak trees. These mushrooms contain toxins that disrupt DNA production, potentially causing kidney and liver failure. Initial symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea typically appear within six to 12 hours after consumption.

Motive

Unclear motive

"You do not have to be satisfied what the motive was or even that there was one," the prosecution told the jury on April 30. It added, "The prosecution will not be suggesting that there was a particular motive to do what she did." It nevertheless presented messages Patterson had sent to friends on Facebook, expressing frustration over her in-laws not getting involved in a child support dispute between her and her husband, Simon Patterson.