- Erin Patterson was convicted of the murder of three relatives.
- The murder was committed by using poisonous fungi in food.
- Patterson has the opportunity to appeal against the court’s decision within 28 days.
Court in Melbourne condemned on Monday to Australian 50-year-old Australian Erin Patterson, who found guilty of the murder of three relatives using a poisonous toadstool of green and an attempt to murder a fourth person. Only after 33 years will the mother of two children be able to apply for conditional release, TASR informs, referring to AFP and DPA.
Patterson was recognized as guilty in July. The process with the so -called fungal murderer (Mushroom Murder) has attracted worldwide attention. The judgment was announced for the first time in the history of the Victoria state broadcast live on television. The judgment includes three life sentences for murder and 25 years for an attempt to murder. He serves these punishments in parallel.
Judge Christopher Beale described Patterson’s deed as the crime of the “most serious category”. Accused according to him grossly She abused the confidence of her closest relatives and was unable to show enough regret for their suffering.
At the end of July 2023, Patterson invited Don and Gail Patterson to lunch, both of the age of 70, as well as Uncle Ian and Aunt Heather Wilkinson. Her husband was also invited, with whom she broke up a few years ago, but he refused her.
She also prepared the guests with a sirloin Wellington, a specialty of English cuisine made up of beef sirloin wrapped in a leaf path with a mushroom stuffing. The Patterson and Heather Wilkinson died of poisonous fungi shortly afterwards; Only Ian Wilkinson survived with severe complications.
Patterson arrested a few months after the deaths and searched her house. He has been in prison since then. According to the prosecutor’s office, Patterson was deliberately annoyed by her guests. But she She claimed that she used fresh and dried mushrooms from the Asian shop and was innocent. Both the jury and the judge considered this version a lie.
Particularly surprisingly, Patterson’s consumption of poisoned food survived. Although she was in the hospital for severe stomach and diarrhea, she left the hospital at her own request. According to witnesses present in the courtroom, Patterson had her eyes closed throughout the judgment and opened them only when she was ordered to stand up. Patterson now has 28 days to appeal against the judgment.
