Australian Mushroom Murderer Erin Patterson Convicted of Triple Murder, Attempted Poisonings

Erin Patterson, an Australian woman convicted of murdering three of her in-laws by poisoning them with beef Wellington containing death cap mushrooms, allegedly attempted to poison her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, on multiple occasions using toxic foods including penne pasta, chicken curry, and a sandwich wrap. These attempts reportedly occurred between 2021 and 2022 and left Simon severely ill, even resulting in temporary paralysis and part of his bowel being removed, although doctors could not conclusively determine the cause of his illnesses. The attempted murder charges against Erin Patterson related to her husband were dropped by prosecutors shortly before her first trial, meaning these allegations were not presented to the jury. Simon kept a detailed record of his sickness episodes following consumption of Erin’s cooking and had suspected the food was the source of his poisoning. Erin Patterson was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, the husband of one of the victims, who survived the 2023 poisoning at Erin’s home in Leongatha. The case revealed a disturbing pattern of alleged poisoning within the family, with prosecutors separating charges into two trials before dropping the attempted murder cases involving Simon Patterson.