An Australian woman has been found guilty of triple murder by a jury on Monday, concluding a high-profile trial watched globally. Erin Patterson, a keen home cook, hosted an intimate lunch in July 2023 that tragically resulted in the deaths of three guests.
Throughout the trial, which spanned over two months, Patterson maintained that the beef-and-pastry dish, a beef Wellington, was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, recognized as the world’s most lethal fungus. However, a 12-person jury on Monday convicted the 50-year-old of triple murder. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth guest who survived the poisoning.
The trial garnered significant attention, drawing podcasters, film crews, and true crime enthusiasts to Morwell, a quiet rural town in Victoria known more for its prize-winning roses. Newspapers from New York to New Delhi meticulously followed every development of what many now simply refer to as the “mushroom murders.”
On July 29, 2023, Patterson prepared for a family meal at her tree-shaded country property. Her guests included Don and Gail Patterson, the elderly parents of her estranged husband Simon, along with Simon’s maternal aunt Heather and her husband Ian, a well-known local Baptist church pastor. Simon was invited but declined, stating he felt “uncomfortable.”
In the background, Patterson’s relationship with Simon, though still legally married, was deteriorating due to disputes over child support contributions. Patterson purchased expensive cuts of beef, which she combined with a duxelles of minced mushrooms and wrapped in pastry to create individual portions of beef Wellington. Guests said grace before eating and prayed again afterward, with Heather later praising the meal as “delicious and beautiful.”
Death cap mushrooms are notorious for being easily mistaken for edible varieties and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity.
The Unsurvivable Poison: Evidence of Intent in the “Mushroom Murders”
The guests’ blood soon circulated with deadly amatoxin, a poison produced by death cap mushrooms known to grow under oak trees in Victoria. Don, Gail, and Heather tragically died of organ failure within a week.
“It was very apparent that this was not survivable,” intensive care specialist Stephen Warrillow testified during the trial.
Detectives quickly uncovered signs that Patterson—herself a true crime enthusiast—had served the meal with murderous intent. Prosecutors alleged that Patterson told guests she had received a cancer diagnosis and sought advice on how to inform her children. However, medical records contradicted this claim, showing no such diagnosis. The prosecution contended this was a lie designed to lure the diners to her table.
Patterson also lied about owning a food dehydrator, which police later found discarded in a rubbish tip. Forensic tests confirmed that the appliance contained traces of the fatal fungi. “I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible,” Patterson admitted during the trial.
Police also revealed that a computer seized from her house showed Browse history of a website pinpointing death cap mushrooms located a short drive from her property a year before the lunch.
“Super Sleuth” Defense: A Case of Accidental Contamination?
Death caps are the most lethal mushrooms on the planet, responsible for approximately 90% of all fatalities caused by consuming toxic fungi. Baptist preacher Ian Wilkinson was the sole guest to survive, recovering after weeks of hospitalization. He testified that guests’ meals were served on four gray plates, while Patterson ate from a smaller orange dish, though he could not explain why Patterson would want him dead.
Patterson was described as a devoted mother of two with a strong interest in her close-knit community, volunteering to edit the village newsletter and film church services. She was also a well-known true crime enthusiast, participating in a Facebook group to discuss details of infamous Australian murders. Friend Christine Hunt told the jury that Patterson had a reputation as “a bit of a super sleuth.”
Patterson, through her lawyers, maintained that the meal was accidentally contaminated with death cap mushrooms, asserting it was nothing more than a “terrible accident.”
A headstone on the grave of Don and Gail Patterson. — AFP
“She didn’t do it deliberately. She didn’t do it intentionally,” defense lawyer Colin Mandy argued during the trial. “She denies that she ever deliberately sought out death cap mushrooms.”
The trial featured testimony from doctors, detectives, computer experts, and mushroom specialists, meticulously dissecting the beef Wellington lunch in forensic detail. Faced with countless hours of intricate expert testimony, it took the jury a week to deliberate and ultimately find Patterson guilty.
