An Australian woman was sentenced to life in prison Monday after being found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth by serving them a lunch laced with poisonous mushrooms.
Justice Christopher Beale sentenced Erin Patterson to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years at the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday.
Erin Patterson, in July, was found guilty by a jury on three charges of murder and one of attempted murder for deliberately serving her relatives a poisonous beef Wellington lunch two years earlier. She had pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing the incident was a tragic accident.
Beale sentenced Erin Patterson to the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for each of the three murders and 25 years for the attempted murder, to be served concurrently, with a non-parole period of 33 years. Prosecutors had asked for life without parole.
"I have no hesitation in finding that your offending falls into the worst category for the offences of murder and attempted murder," Beale said. "The gravity of your offending warrants the imposition of the maximum penalty for your crimes."
Beale cited "aggravating circumstances," including the "substantial premeditation" of the poisoning and the "enormous betrayal of trust" involved as he delivered his sentence in public proceedings.
The judge also told the 50-year-old: "You showed no pity for your victims." He also said that he accepted that her "intention to kill was ongoing" and spoke of an "elaborate cover-up" in his lengthy sentencing, which lasted about 45 minutes.
Erin Patterson served the poisonous Beef Wellington to her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and Heather's husband Ian at her home in Leongatha, some 135 kilometers southeast of Melbourne, in July 2023.
Don and Gail Patterson, and Heather Wilkinson died in the hospital days after eating the meal. Ian Wilkinson was taken to the hospital in a critical condition but survived. The Beef Wellington was found to have contained highly poisonous death cap mushrooms.
Erin Patterson was detained in November 2023 and has been in custody since.
