Australian Erin Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 33 years after murdering three people and attempting to murder a fourth with a lunch laced with death mushrooms.

In July, after an 11-week trial, a jury found Patterson, 50, years old, guilty of the murder of Don and Gail Patterson, the parents of her ex-husband, Simon Patterson, and Simon's aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The jury also convicted Patterson of the attempted murder of Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson.

According to the inquest, Patterson had separated from her husband, but remained in contact with her parents, Don and Gail Patterson. He had known his aunt and uncle, Ian and Heather Wilkinson, for years and, for a time, saw them relatively regularly at local church services. Patterson invited the five family members to lunch at his home in Leongatha on July 31, 2023. No reason was given for the occasion: Patterson told the court he simply wanted a better relationship with his in-laws. However, Simon backed out the night before, saying he did not feel comfortable attending, so only his parents, aunt, and uncle arrived for the meal. Patterson hosted lunch guests in July 2023, deliberately feeding them steak Wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms. The prosecution had requested that Patterson, 50, be sentenced to life in prison without the option of parole, while his defense attorneys acknowledged the severity of the sentence but asked for a minimum term to be set before he could qualify. Victoria Supreme Court Justice Christopher William Beale said the jury had not believed the defendant's "vague story about a purchase in an Asian store" and called it "a lie" before passing sentence. Beale stressed that while the possibility of rehabilitation is an element to be taken into account in any judicial process,In Patterson's case, its relevance is overshadowed by the extreme gravity of the crimes committed and the fact that there was "substantial premeditation."

Although it was known that today's sentence would be life imprisonment, the main question was whether it was appropriate to set a term for obtaining parole, which was finally set at 33 years.