Erin Patterson, the 50-year-old Australian woman accused of fatally poisoning three of her estranged husband’s relatives, was found guilty of murder and attempted murder.
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According to The Guardian, a Supreme Court jury convicted Patterson of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Monday, July 7. The trial lasted for 11 weeks.
Patterson, by poisoning a beef wellington with death cap mushrooms, killed her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and her husband’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson, 66. She also attempted to kill Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who managed to survive.
“Our thoughts are with the respective families at this time,” Victoria police said in a statement, as per the outlet. “We acknowledge how difficult these past two years have been for them. We will continue to support them in every way possible following this decision.”
A Fatal Meal
According to the BBC, the incident occurred on July 29, 2023. The Pattersons and the Wilkinsons arrived at Erin’s house in Leongatha, Victoria. Her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, didn’t attend the lunch, claiming he was feeling “uncomfortable” given their tense relationship.
As they sat at the table, Erin Patterson began sharing the beef wellington plates with her guests. While they ate, not suspecting that the food was to be their demise, Erin revealed that she, apparently, had cancer. The elderly couples comforted her and even shared advice on how to tell her children. There was no cancer.
That same night, however, everything changed. All four guests became ill and were quickly hospitalized with severe symptoms. In the trial, it was revealed that Erin and her children were also brought to the hospital. However, they didn’t suffer the same symptoms as the Pattersons and the Wilkinsons.
As they were discharged, the elderly couples continued to suffer. And while they were fighting for their lives, Erin, as per the prosecutors, allegedly began to dispose of evidence in an attempt to cover her tracks.
Turns out, she had poisoned the beef wellington with death cap mushrooms, which can prove to be fatal. And in the case of Dan, Gail, and Heather, that proved to be the case, as all three succumbed to the poison. Ian, however, managed to survive, waking up from an induced coma.
On November 2, 2023, Erin Patterson was arrested and charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.