Ninetoes vs. The Mushroom Killer (Erin Patterson)

Ninetoes caught this story out of the corner of his eye (almost literally) and wanted to investigate.

Hey there, true crime lovers! It is your favorite investigator, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ, and I am on the beat with the Case of the Mushroom Killer (aka Erin Patterson). I have my notebook in hand and coffee in my system, so let’s get to it!

Just a quick personal note before we begin. I am always scouring the internet to find the (in my mind) most interesting cases. This one was on my homepage and went by quickly. I had to go on the hunt to find out what happened, and I am glad I did.

Erin Patterson is a 52-year-old woman from Leongatha, Victoria, Australia (around 135 kilometers southeast of Melbourne). On July 29, 2023, she invited four members of her estranged husband’s family to lunch at her home. There, she served them Beef Wellington with a special ingredient, Amanita phalloides, also known as the death cap mushroom. This particular mushroom is highly toxic.

Of the four guests, three of them died within days. Her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson died in a hospital in Melbourne. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, was the only member of Patterson’s in-laws to survive, after spending weeks in the hospital.

Erin Patterson was arrested on November 2, 2023. In a statement that Patterson gave to the police in August 2023, she said she bought dried mushrooms from an Asian market in Mount Waverley (a suburb of Melbourne), three months before the lunch was served. She also told the police that she disposed of her food dehydrator after people began to accuse her of killing her in-laws. The police found the dehydrator in a skip bin (a large open-top waste container commonly used on construction sites and home renovation sites) at a transfer station in Koonbarra.

Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder of her in-laws and their relatives, including four counts of attempted murder of her estranged husband Simon. On May 7, 2024, she pleaded not guilty to all charges. The four charges of attempted murder against her ex-husband Simon were dropped.

Patterson’s trial began on April 29, 2025, and was held at the Supreme Court of Victoria. It was presided over by Justice Christopher Beale. The case was released to the jury on July 7, 202,5 and Patterson was found guilty on all counts.

On August 25, 2025, Justice Beale heard the victim impact statements and then sentenced Patterson to three life sentences plus twenty-five years. They were to be served concurrently. She would be eligible for parole in 2056…

…BUT, in October 2026, Patterson appealed her verdict on several grounds including alleged jury‑sequestration irregularities and prejudicial evidence. The Court of Appeal rejected all challenges to her conviction and changed her sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole due to the seriousness and planning of the murders.

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.