Crime & Justice
Australian court rejects mushroom killer Erin Patterson's appeal, rules out parole
October 30, 2026 at 08:27 AM
Coverage
4 reports · over 8 hours
AJAl Jazeera English
Australian court rejects ‘mushroom murderer’ Erin Patterson’s appeal
(opens the publisher’s site)
BNBBC News
Watch: Australia's mushroom murderer loses appeal and may now die in prison
(opens the publisher’s site)
BNBBC News
Erin Patterson: Australian mushroom murderer loses appeal to overturn convictions
(opens the publisher’s site)
CNCNN
Mushroom killer to be jailed for life after appeals court finds sentence too light
(opens the publisher’s site)The Supreme Court of Victoria dismissed Erin Patterson's appeal against her murder convictions and ordered she remain in prison for life without parole.
- The three-judge panel ruled it was "inappropriate to fix a non-parole period," overturning the 33-year minimum term set at sentencing.
- Justice Stephen McLeish said the offending was "extraordinarily cold and calculated" and had to be "denounced in the strongest terms."
- Patterson, 51, was convicted of murdering three relatives and attempting to kill a fourth with death cap mushrooms served in beef wellington in 2023.
- She has denied wrongdoing and can now seek leave to appeal to Australia's High Court, her final option.