Is Erin Patterson guilty? Mushroom Murders case explained and where she is now
Did Erin Patterson eat the Beef Wellington... and if so, how did she survive?
Erin Patterson is the culprit at the heart of Netflix’s Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders documentary, and it’s one of the strangest cases on the streaming platform.
Netflix has developed a penchant for true crime documentaries, producing some of the genre’s all-time best shows and films. For example, Don’t F**k With Cats, Take Care of Maya, and Icarus.
Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders is the platform’s latest grisly offering. The docu-series explores the fates of Heather Wilkinson and Don and Gail Patterson, three people who died under unusual (and sinister) circumstances.
Whether you were already familiar with Patterson’s story or you’ve just watched the new series, these are all the major details about the case.
What did Erin Patterson do?
On July 29, 2023, Erin Patterson invited four people to her home in Leongatha, Australia, for lunch. They were Don and Gail Patterson (her in-laws), Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather’s husband Ian.
Her husband Simon (with whom she had an estranged relationship) had been invited, but he didn’t turn up, and Patterson’s two children are said to have been at the cinema.
The next day, all four guests ended up in hospital, and Patterson herself reported stomach pains and diarrhoea. At first, it was believed to be gastroenteritis… but five days later, Gail and Heather died. The next day (August 5), Don passed away, too.
Ian remained in the hospital for seven weeks and survived, thanks to a liver transplant, and he attended his wife’s funeral in early October.
So, what happened? Well, Patterson had cooked Beef Wellingtons for her family with Amanita phalloides – better known as the death cap mushroom.
They may look edible, but they’re the top cause of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide. When ingested, its thermostable toxins (meaning they can’t be cooked out or frozen) attack your liver and other organs. They have a 10-30% mortality rate.
Did Erin Patterson eat the Beef Wellington?
Yes, Erin Patterson ate the same Beef Wellington that poisoned her guests – but she didn’t eat as much as the others.
While the prosecution alleged that Patterson faked her symptoms, she had low potassium levels and elevated haemoglobin – signs of illness that “can’t be faked”, the defence argued.
During the trial, Patterson admitted that she had a smaller portion of the Beef Wellingtons. She then proceeded to eat two-thirds of an orange cake that had been brought for everyone to share, which made her throw up.
Patterson also alleged that she’d struggled with bulimia, and that it wasn’t uncommon for her to overeat and then make herself vomit.
This would explain why she was partly affected by the toxicity of the mushrooms, but not to the extent as those who were hospitalised and died as a result of the meal.
Curiously, her children are said to have eaten the leftovers the next day, but the mushrooms had been scraped off.
Why did she kill them?
Erin Patterson has maintained that she’s innocent, so her motive has never been confirmed. However, tension between Patterson and her ex-husband Simon has often been cited as the main factor in the case.
The pair agreed on a financial settlement before they split in 2015. Their relationship became even more fraught after Simon accidentally listed himself as single on a tax return. This meant Patterson was ineligible for child support payments.
In the months leading up to the Beef Wellington lunch, Patterson hadn’t appeared at several family events and had criticised both Simon and her in-laws on social media.
Simon alleged that the Beef Wellingtons followed several attempts by Patterson to kill him with poisoned food. In 2022, he was hospitalised after eating a chicken korma and even had to have part of his bowel removed.
During her sentencing, Justice Christopher Beale addressed the fact that her motive was never disclosed.
“Clearly, the jury was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that you committed the alleged offences,” he said.
“Only you know why you committed them. I will not be speculating about that matter.”
Where is Erin Patterson now?
Erin Patterson is currently behind bars at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a maximum security women’s prison in Melbourne, Australia.
Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences plus 25 years, and she will be eligible for parole in 2056, at which point she’ll be 82 years old.
During her trial, her defence barrister, Colin Mandy SC, argued for parole on account of the “burden of imprisonment”, due to the “harsh” conditions in the facility.
As reported by BBC News, she spends 22 hours a day in a cell with no contact with other inmates.
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