Mushroom murderer sentenced to the perpetuity of a toxic family lunch

An Australian woman was imprisoned for life, without any chance of freeing for at least 33 years, for having murdered three parents and tried to kill another with a toxic mushroom meal.

The duration of the prison, one of the longest ever transmitted to a delinquent in Australia, means that Effer Patterson, 50, will take place in 80 years before she could request a parole.

A judge of the Supreme Court said that Patterson’s crimes were the “worst category” to offend and implied “developed concealment”.

Patterson killed his parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, both 70 years old, and Gail Heather Wilkinson’s sister, 66, after having served them a toxic Welington beef at her house in Victoria in 2023.

Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, survived lunch after recovering a coma and has continuous health problems related to poisoning.

The distant husband of Patterson, Simon Patterson, also had to attend lunch, but canceled at the last minute, in part because of his conviction that his wife had tried to poison him for years.

Patterson has long maintained her innocence, saying that the toxic mushrooms of the death’s cap in the dish she prepared had been accidentally added and that she had never intended to harm her loved ones.

It will serve three consecutive perpetuity penalties for the three murders and 25 years for the attempted murder of Mr. Wilkinson.

During his remarks of condemnation, judge Christopher Beale said that the seriousness of Patterson’s crimes meant that he should impose the “maximum sanction”.

Prosecutors argued that the mother of two should be sentenced to life imprisonment without any liberation prospect – the most severe sentence in Australia.

Judge Beale has agreed that crimes were the worst of gender, but said that her decision to authorize parole had been influenced by “severe prison conditions” that Patterson faces in prison – including 15 months spent in lonely isolation so far, and “substantial luck” that she could do more for her security.

The judge noted that the reputation of Patterson and the high level of the media and the public interest in his case meant that she “would probably remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come and, as such, would remain at risk of other prisoners”.

He also described the current conditions of Patterson prison in a maximum security prison, where she spends 22 hours a day in his unused cell with other prisoners because of her “major delinquent status”.

Judge Beale stressed that the accusation had not alleged a reason for the crimes of Patterson during the trial for nine weeks murder, which ended two months ago, and that he would not do it either.

“You alone know why you have committed them,” he said, referring to the three murders and the attempted murder. “I will not speculate on this subject.”

The judge said that Patterson “showed no mercy” for his victims in the days that followed lunch, because those who had eaten his toxic meal fought for their life in the hospital.

“Your non-compliance with remorse has poured salt in all injuries of the victims,” ​​he said in court.

Apart from the court, Ian Wilkinson, the only survivor of the fatal lunch, spoke publicly for the first time about the event that has torn his family.

He thanked the police and the prosecutors who worked on the case as well as the medical staff who treated the victims and himself in the days that followed lunch.

“I would like to encourage everyone to be nice to each other,” said Wilkinson.

During an audition at the pressednce a fortnight ago, Wilkinson described feeling “half the alignment” after the death of his “beautiful woman” and losing her two best friends.

The high level of control and interest in the Patterson case led to the conviction on Monday, the court deciding for the first time in its history to allow a television camera in the courtroom so that the procedure can be broadcast live.

Previously, only internal cameras have live convictions.

Patterson has 28 days to appeal against his sentence, as well as the guilt for a triple murder and one of the attempted murder.