Erin Patterson, Australia’s ‘Mushroom Murderer,’ Appeals Verdict

Australian triple murderer Erin Patterson will appeal her convictions in a Melbourne court, the latest chapter in a long-running true crime saga that has riveted global audiences and become known as the Mushroom Murders.

(Bloomberg) -- Australian triple murderer Erin Patterson will appeal her convictions in a Melbourne court, the latest chapter in a long-running true crime saga that has riveted global audiences and become known as the Mushroom Murders. 

Patterson was found guilty in July 2025 of poisoning four relatives with death cap mushrooms, killing three of them. The victims included her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson.

She was also found guilty of attempted murder in the case of Wilkinson’s husband, Ian. Patterson was given three life sentences, with no chance of parole for 33 years. She will be in her early 80s before she is eligible for release. 

Patterson is appealing her verdict at hearings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, claiming that there were miscarriages of justice in her original trial. In addition, her lawyers describe a “fundamental irregularity” during jury sequestering that requires her convictions to be quashed, followed by a re-trial. Patterson is not expected to appear in court during the hearings. 

At the same time, the prosecution is appealing Patterson’s sentence, describing the 33-year non-parole period as “manifestly inadequate.”

The Mushroom Murders drew crowds of journalists to the small Australian town of Leongatha, in Victoria state about two hours from Melbourne. Patterson maintained her innocence throughout the trial, where she was accused of cooking the meal containing so-called death cap mushrooms for a family lunch in July 2023.

Patterson’s legal team said the poisoning had been a tragic accident, while the prosecution pointed to her cooking individual portions of the meal and putting them on differently colored plates. In his ruling, the judge said the alternate plates were so she could identify which ones were poisonous. 

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