Australian Woman Found Guilty Of Murdering Three Lunch Guests With Poisonous Mushrooms

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Last Updated:July 07, 2025, 10:23 IST

Eric Patterson, 50, was convicted of the murders of her mother-in-law Gail, father-in-law Donald, and Gail's sister Heather, by lacing their meal with death cap mushrooms.

Eric Patterson was found guilty of murdering three people with death cap mushrooms - the world's deadliest fungi. (AFP)

An Australian woman has been found guilty of killing three elderly lunch guests, who were relatives of her estranged husband, by lacing their meal with poisonous mushrooms in a case that sent shockwaves across the country.

Eric Patterson, 50, was convicted of the murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband, who survived after a long stay at the hospital.

Patterson spiked their beef-and-pastry meal with death cap mushrooms, the world’s deadliest fungi, in July 2023 when she hosted a gathering at her residence in Leongatha, 135 km southeast of Melbourne.

Patterson had pleaded not guilty to all charges and insisted that the deaths were accidental. She will be sentenced at a later date, as she faces life in prison. She sat in the dock between two prison officers and showed no emotion, but blinked rapidly as the verdicts were read.

‘Terrible Accident’

The 10-week-long trial attracted huge global interest, with local and international media being constantly present at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court in Morwell, the nearest court to Patterson’s home where she had requested to be tried, despite being warned of lengthy delays.

The prosecution alleged that Patterson deliberately foraged for death cap mushrooms and hid them in the meal, intending to kill her lunch guests. She also reportedly took care not to consume the fatal mushrooms and faked being sick after lunch in a bid to avoid suspicion.

However, Patterson’s defence lawyer said it was a “terrible accident" and she never intended to kill or harm anyone. “I didn’t deliberately put death cap mushrooms in the meal," she said, adding that she had lied to authorities in panic after the lunch as she feared being held responsible.

Patterson told police investigating the deaths that she did not own a food dehydrator, allegedly used to prepare the death cap mushrooms. However, security footage showed her dumping a dehydrator at a nearby garbage facility, and forensic tests found trace amounts of the fungi on the device.

The guilty verdicts, which were required to be unanimous, indicated that jurors rejected Patterson’s defense that the presence of the poisonous fungi in the meal was a terrible accident.

Notably, the death cap mushrooms contain amanita toxins that prevent the production of proteins in liver cells, leading to cell death and possible liver failure from about two days after ingestion. The lethal mushrooms have been found growing in several Australian states.

(with inputs from agencies)

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

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