07-07-2025
Erin Patterson found guilty in ‘Mushroom Murders' case: Timeline of what transpired after a fateful lunch killed 3 in 2023
Australian cook Erin Patterson has been found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the 'Mushroom Murders' that took place in 2023. The verdict comes after a nearly two-month trial that involved 50 witnesses, a 12-member jury, and a week of deliberation.
Erin Patterson found guilty in 'Mushroom Murders' case: A complete timeline
On July 29, 2023, Erin Patterson hosted a lunch for some of her relatives. Her guests were her in-laws Don and Gail. They were joined by Ian and Heather, her estranged husband Simon's uncle and aunt. Simon, too, was invited to the lunch but declined the invitation on July 28. During lunch, Erin served Beef Wellington to her guests.
The very next day, all four of them were admitted to hospital after experiencing vomiting and suffering from diarrhea . Gail and Heather died a few days later on August 4. Don died the next day despite receiving a liver transplant.
Ian, however, recovered and eventually returned home on September 21 after spending some time in hospital. In November, Erin was formally charged in connection with the incident.
This eventually led to a trial in which she was accused of deliberately contaminating the food with death cap mushrooms, highly toxic fungi that she picked based on their location posted on a public website. Her defence countered by claiming that this was a 'terrible accident' that occurred when Erin tried to enhance the dish's taste.
Death cap mushrooms contain amanita toxins, which interfere with protein synthesis in liver cells and potentially cause liver failure approximately two days after being eaten.
Originally from Europe, Death cap mushrooms have been spotted in multiple Australian states. Around the time of the 'Mushroom Murders' , they were said to be growing not far from Patterson's residence in rural Victoria.
The verdict suggests that the jury agreed with the prosecution's claims about Erin travelling to two sites to deliberately pick Death cap mushrooms for the meal.
Interestingly, Erin had fed the leftover Beef Wellington to her children after scraping off the mushrooms and pastry.
What's next for Erin Patterson?
Now that Erin Patterson has been found guilty, she will be taken into custody. This will be followed by a plea hearing on a later date, which is when the defence and prosecution will make submissions about what they think the sentence should be. The actual sentencing will take place later with Erin facing a maximum of a life sentence.
Under Australian law, Erin will have 28 days from the date of sentencing to start filling an appeal against the verdict. The legal team may verdict itself, the term handed down, or even target both
