Mushroom Murderess Erin Patterson Launches Shock Appeal Bid to Overturn Guilty Verdicts for Killing Three Family Members
- Convicted killer Erin Patterson, 51, has lodged an appeal against her guilty verdicts for murdering three estranged family members and attempting to kill another
- Patterson, dubbed the ‘Mushroom Killer’, was sentenced to life in prison with a 33-year non-parole period for the heinous crimes
- Her new barrister, Richard Edney, has confirmed the appeal bid, which will be heard in the Victorian Court of Appeal
In a dramatic twist, Erin Patterson, the woman who poisoned her estranged family members with death cap mushrooms, has launched a bid to overturn her guilty verdicts. The 51-year-old, dubbed the ‘Mushroom Killer’, appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria via video link on Thursday, where her new barrister, Richard Edney, confirmed the appeal.
Patterson was found guilty in September of killing her parents, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and her sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. She was also convicted of attempting to kill Heather’s husband, Ian, 68, who survived the ordeal. The mother-of-two had served the deadly mushrooms in a beef Wellington dish during a lunch at her Leongatha home in 2023.
Justice Christopher Beale granted the application to appeal the conviction, but the paperwork is yet to be filed. Patterson, who was wearing a blue blouse during the video link, will be in her early 80s when she is eligible for parole.
Edney will lead the fight to quash Patterson’s convictions in the Victorian Court of Appeal. The appeal bid has raised eyebrows, given the strength of the evidence against Patterson. Her original barrister, Colin Mandy SC, had represented her during her triple-murder trial.
The families of the victims will be anxiously awaiting the outcome of the appeal, which could drag on for months. Meanwhile, Patterson remains behind bars, serving her life sentence in the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.