Australian Woman Found Guilty Of Killing Her In-Laws In Mushroom Murder Case
Keen home cook Erin Patterson hosted an intimate meal in July 2023 that started with good-natured banter and earnest prayer -- but ended with three guests dead.
Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world's most-lethal fungus.
But a 12-person jury on Monday found the 50-year-old guilty of triple murder.
She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth guest who survived.
The trial has drawn podcasters, film crews and true crime fans to the rural town of Morwell, a sedate hamlet in the state of Victoria better known for prize-winning roses.
Newspapers from New York to New Delhi have followed every twist of what many now simply call the "mushroom murders".
On July 29, 2023, Patterson set the table for an intimate family meal at her tree-shaded country property.
Her lunch guests that afternoon were Don and Gail Patterson, the elderly parents of her long-estranged husband Simon.
Places were also set for Simon's maternal aunt Heather and her husband Ian, a well-known pastor at the local Baptist church.
Husband Simon was urged to come but he declined because he felt "uncomfortable".
In the background, Patterson's relationship with Simon was starting to turn sour.
The pair -- still legally married -- had been fighting over Simon's child support contributions.
Patterson forked out for expensive cuts of beef, which she slathered in a duxelles of minced mushrooms and wrapped in pastry to make individual parcels of beef Wellington.
Guests said grace before tucking in -- and prayed once more after eating -- with Heather later gushing about the "delicious and beautiful" meal.
Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties, and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity.
'Not survivable'
The guests' blood was soon coursing with deadly amatoxin, a poison produced by the death cap mushrooms known to sprout under the oak trees of Victoria.
Don, Gail and Heather died of organ failure within a week.
"It was very apparent that this was not survivable," intensive care specialist Stephen Warrillow told the trial.
Detectives soon found signs that Patterson -- herself a true crime buff -- had dished up the meal with murderous intent.
Patterson told guests she had received a cancer diagnosis and needed advice on breaking the news to her children, prosecutors alleged.
But medical records showed Patterson received no such diagnosis.
The prosecution said this was a lie cooked up to lure the diners to her table.
She also lied about owning a food dehydrator which police later found dumped in a rubbish tip.
Forensic tests found the appliance contained traces of the fatal fungi.
"I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Patterson told the trial.
A computer seized from her house had browsed a website pinpointing death cap mushrooms spotted a short drive from her house a year before the lunch, police said.
'Super sleuth'
Death caps are the most lethal mushrooms on the planet, responsible for some 90 percent of all fatalities due to consuming toxic fungi.
Baptist preacher Ian Wilkinson was the only guest to survive, pulling through after weeks in hospital.
He told the court how guests' meals were served on four gray plates, while Patterson ate from a smaller orange dish.
But he could not explain why Patterson wanted him dead.
Patterson was a devoted mother-of-two with an active interest in her tight-knit community, volunteering to edit the village newsletter and film church services.
She was also a well-known true crime buff, joining a Facebook group to chew over details from infamous Australian murders.
Friend Christine Hunt told the jury Patterson had a reputation as "a bit of a super sleuth".
Patterson said the meal was accidentally contaminated with death cap mushrooms, but maintained through her lawyers it was nothing more than a "terrible accident".
"She didn't do it deliberately. She didn't do it intentionally," defence lawyer Colin Mandy told the trial.
"She denies that she ever deliberately sought out death cap mushrooms."
The trial heard from doctors, detectives, computer experts and mushroom specialists as it picked apart the beef Wellington lunch in forensic detail.
Confronted with countless hours of intricate expert testimony, it took the jury a week to judge Patterson guilty.
She will be sentenced at a later date.
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In what is being called Australia's 'trial of the century', Erin Patterson was found guilty of murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt by spiking their sumptuous lunch with death cap mushrooms in 2023. While the mother of two maintained her innocence throughout, investigators found that she lied about multiple things including having ovarian cancer. Patterson will be sentenced at a later date read more Erin Patterson said she never intended to kill or harm the people she loved. She admitted lying to police -- but only because she feared being blamed for a deadly accident. AFP Australian Erin Patterson served a beef Wellington lunch that was 'delicious' by all accounts, using eye fillet steak, flaky golden pastry, and the deadliest mushrooms known to man. The keen home cook murdered her husband's parents and aunt in 2023 by spiking their sumptuous Saturday lunch with death cap mushrooms, a jury found on Monday. For more than two months, Patterson's trial has been followed around the world, the sense of intrigue fuelled by her choice of dish, method of murder, and the mystery of her motive. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The courtroom spectacle has been dubbed Australia's 'trial of the century'. Patterson, 50, hosted the intimate family lunch at her tree-shaded home in the farming village of Leongatha on July 29, 2023. The mother-of-two planned a menu to match what she said was a 'special' occasion, dishing up beef Wellington, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. Joining her that afternoon were Don and Gail Patterson, the elderly parents of her long-estranged husband Simon. Simon's maternal aunt Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, a well-known pastor at the local Baptist church, rounded out the group. Patterson was disappointed husband Simon refused to come because he felt 'uncomfortable'. Still legally married, their once-cordial relationship was showing signs of strain. 'I hope you'll change your mind,' she texted in reply, to no avail. The fateful lunch Patterson forked out for expensive cuts of fillet steak, slathering the meat in minced mushrooms before coating it in pastry to make individual parcels of baked beef Wellington. Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity. Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity. Image for Representation The guests gobbled up so much of the deadly feast that they had little appetite for the cake laid out as dessert, the trial heard. As they ate, Patterson told the group she had cancer and needed help telling her children, Pastor Ian recalled during the trial. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The group prayed and asked for 'God's blessing on Erin'. Heather later raved about the food, telling a friend it was 'delicious and beautiful'. Even as the first waves of sickness wracked her body, she could find no fault with the cooking. 'I did ask Heather what the beef Wellington tasted like and she said it was delicious,' doctor Christopher Webster told the trial. But the guests' blood was soon coursing with deadly amatoxin, a potent poison produced by death cap mushrooms to ward off hungry forest critters. Don, Gail and Heather died of organ failure within a week. Ian was the only guest to survive. The deadly mushrooms A humble weatherboard building knocked together in 1895, the lives of Patterson and her victims in many ways revolved around the Korumburra Baptist Church. Ian was the long-serving pastor, preaching to a small but hardy flock every Sunday. Patterson was less devout but still helped livestream the church's services on social media. A short drive from the neat church yard lies the local cemetery, a plot of land framed by grazing cattle and gently sloping hills. This photo taken in Leongatha on May 28, 2025 shows a general view of the home of Erin Patterson. AFP Plastic pink and white flowers mark the graves of Don and Gail almost two years since they were buried. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Just remember that death is not the end,' reads a plaque for the couple. It is a swathe of rural Australia well known for its lush woodlands and verdant native forests. And it is exactly the sort of damp, fertile place where death cap mushrooms – or Amanita phalloides – freely sprout in the wild. Blamed for 90 per cent of the world's fungus-related fatalities, a single mushroom contains enough poison to send the liver into catastrophic failure. 'Super sleuth' Described as witty and intelligent, Patterson was a devoted mother, an avid book collector and a cooking enthusiast. 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