Lucrezia Ciotti Erin Patterson is serving a life sentence for poisoning family members with poisonous mushrooms during a dinner party at her home in Australia. The Court of Appeal rejected her appeal and increased her sentence, ruling out the possibility of parole.
The poisonous mushroom lunch and the death of three relatives
The events date back to July 29, 2023 , when Patterson invited some family members to lunch at her home in Leongatha, southeast of Melbourne. Among the guests were her ex-husband's parents, Gail and Don Patterson, Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and her husband, Ian Wilkinson. The woman prepared individual portions of Beef Wellington , using poisonous mushrooms.
A few hours after the meal, four guests fell seriously ill and were hospitalized. Their conditions rapidly deteriorated, requiring transfer to a Melbourne hospital. Heather, Gail, and Don died a few days later , while Ian survived after several weeks of hospitalization. Toxicology tests found traces of Amanita phalloides , a highly toxic and lethal mushroom, in the victims' bodies.
During the trial, Ian Wilkinson testified that Patterson had invited them, claiming he had been diagnosed with cancer and asking his relatives for advice on how to break the news to his children. According to the prosecution, this was a fabricated story to convince them to attend the luncheon.
Erin Patterson's life sentence upheld; no parole
No sentence reduction for Erin Patterson, the 52-year-old Australian woman convicted of poisoning and killing three family members during a dinner party at her home. The Victorian Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal , upholding her life sentence and granting the prosecution's request to revoke her parole eligibility.
Found guilty in July 2025 of three counts of murder and the attempted murder of a fourth guest, Patterson could have asked for release from prison after 33 years in prison. However, the judges ruled that the seriousness of the charges warranted " a significantly more severe sentence ." The complaint alleging irregularities in jury seating during the trial was also rejected: no evidence of bias in the verdict was found.
Judge Stephen McLeish described the crime as " carefully planned and deliberate ," noting that the woman maintained her murderous intent for approximately three weeks . To further challenge the decision, the woman can now appeal to the Australian High Court.