Court Sentences Australian Woman for Poisoning Crime
(MENAFN) An Australian woman received a life sentence on Monday, with a minimum of 33 years before eligibility for parole, for murdering three of her in-laws and attempting to kill a fourth by serving them beef Wellington contaminated with lethal death cap mushrooms, local outlets reported.
The Supreme Court of Victoria convicted 50-year-old Erin Patterson for the July 2023 deaths of three relatives of her estranged spouse, according to a news outlet.
In July, a jury determined that Patterson had intentionally served the poisonous meal to four guests at her residence in Leongatha, a town located 115 kilometers (71 miles) southeast of Melbourne.
The victims—Don and Gail Patterson, the 70-year-old parents of her estranged husband, and his 66-year-old aunt, Heather Wilkinson—succumbed to Amanita mushroom poisoning in hospital in early August 2023.
Wilkinson’s husband, Ian, survived and was discharged, while Erin’s husband, Simon Patterson, had been invited to the gathering but did not attend.
Upon delivering the verdict, Justice Christopher Beale described the act as an "enormous betrayal" that showed significant premeditation.
"Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting harm to Ian Wilkinson's health, devastating the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families, you inflicted immeasurable suffering on your own children by depriving them of their beloved grandparents," Beale was quoted as stating.
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