Erin Patterson’s legal team has filed an appeal of her guilty verdict.
Earlier this year, Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for serving her estranged husband’s relatives death cap mushrooms.
She was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years in September.
No details have been released about the grounds of her appeal.
The poisoning
In July 2023, Erin Patterson hosted her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and her husband’s aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, for lunch.
Patterson served a beef Wellington which she said contained dried mushrooms.
Following the meal, all four became critically ill. Don, Gail, and Heather died, while Ian spent several weeks in hospital.
In July 2025 Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
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The verdict
In September, the Victorian Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale handed Erin Patterson three life sentences, with the possibility of parole after 33 years.
Patterson was also sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted murder. Her sentences are being served concurrently.
Beale found Patterson’s current prison conditions are “harsh,” and that it is likely she will be in solitary confinement “for years to come”.
Appeal
The Age first reported Patterson, represented by a new legal team, had formally lodged documents to launch an appeal on Monday night.
Her lawyers are yet to reveal the grounds for the appeal.
At the same time, prosecutors have filed their own documents seeking to appeal her sentence, arguing it was “manifestly inadequate.”
