Australian Woman Jailed for Life For Kill!ng Her Husband’s Parents
Published on September 8, 2025 at 10:21 AM by Evance Kapito
The Supreme Court in Melbourne has sentenced 50-year-old Erin Patterson to life imprisonment for the deaths of her in-laws and a family friend after serving them a meal laced with poisonous mushrooms.
The court found that in July 2023, Patterson deliberately prepared and served the fatal dish to Don and Gail Patterson her husband’s parents and Heather Wilkinson, a family friend and sister-in-law to Gail. All three died after consuming the meal.
Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, was the only survivor of the poisoning.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Christopher Beale said Patterson will serve at least 33 years in prison before being eligible for parole. He noted that there was overwhelming evidence showing that she premeditated the act by inviting the four victims to share the deadly meal with the intent to kill them.
