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Australian woman sentenced to life in prison for poisoning relatives with death cap mushrooms

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Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old woman, was convicted of triple murder for serving poisonous mushrooms to her estranged husband's relatives. The victims were her mother-in-law, father-in-law, and aunt. Patterson was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years.

  1. AU
    Christopher Beale
    Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court
    1. The gravity of your offending warrants the imposition of the maximum penalties for your crimes.
    2. I am satisfied by July 16, 2023, when you unusually invited Simon, his parents, and aunt and uncle to a lunch without the children to discuss your non-existent medical issue, you did so with the intention of killing them all.
    3. You have effectively been held in continuous solitary confinement for the last 15 months, and at the very least there is a substantial chance that for your protection you will continue to be held in solitary confinement for years to come.
    4. You inflicted untold suffering on your own children who you robbed of their beloved grandparents.
    5. Only you know why you committed them (the crimes). I will not be speculating about that matter.
    6. Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others. I'd like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other. Finally, I want to say thank you to the many people from across Australia and around the world who through their prayers and messages of support have encouraged us.
    7. Your victims were all your relatives by marriage. More than that, they had all been good to you and your children over many years, as you acknowledged in your testimony.
    8. Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds.
  2. AU
    Ian Wilkinson
    1. It's a truly horrible thought to live with, that somebody could decide to take her life. I only feel half alive without her.
    2. The silence in our home is a daily reminder.

sources

  1. 1.France 24
  2. 2.CNN
  3. 3.Le Monde
  4. 4.The Irish Times
  5. 5.The Times of India
  6. 6.The Guardian
  7. 7.NPR
  8. 8.Al Jazeera
  9. 9.Los Angeles Times
  10. 10.The Washington Post
  11. 11.ABC News
  12. 12.Agence France-Presse

perspectives

  1. 1.Crimes
  2. 2.Foodborne illness

countries

  1. 1.AustraliaAU

organizations

  1. 1.Supreme Court of Victoria
  2. 2.Aam Aadmi Party
  3. 3.Facebook

persons

  1. 1.Christopher BealeAU
  2. 2.Erin PattersonAU
  3. 3.Heather Wilkinson
  4. 4.Ian WilkinsonAU
  5. 5.Gail Patterson
  6. 6.Simon PattersonAU
  7. 7.Colin Mandy SC
  8. 8.Don Patterson
  9. 9.Jane Warren
  10. 10.Joel Carrett

technicals

  1. 1.Beef Wellington
  2. 2.Victorian
Australian woman sentenced to life in prison for poisoning relatives with death cap mushrooms