Australian newspaper The Age, Monday. A judge in Australia sentenced a triple murderer, Erin Patterson, to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for 33 years, as she poisoned four of her ex-husband's relatives with death cap mushrooms.
Justice George Beale of the Supreme Court of Victoria stated that Patterson's crimes involved a great betrayal of trust.
Patterson was found guilty of murdering Don Patterson and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, during lunch, which included meat pies mixed with wild death cap mushrooms.
Patterson was also convicted of attempted murder of Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, who spent several weeks in the hospital.
Patterson's ex-husband Simon Patterson was invited to the lunch held at her home in July 2023 for her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and her ex-husband's aunt and uncle, but he did not attend.
"Your victims were your in-laws. More importantly, they had been very good to you and your children for many years, which you admitted in your testimony," Beale said. "You not only ended three lives, but also seriously harmed Ian Wilkinson's health, caused devastating effects on the Patterson and Wilkinson families, and brought immeasurable pain to your own children, who lost their beloved grandparents," he added.
The lawyers for both the prosecution and defense agreed that a life sentence for the 50-year-old defendant, charged with three murders and one attempted murder, was an appropriate punishment. However, the defense lawyer requested that Patterson be eligible for parole after serving 30 years. The prosecution, on the other hand, argued that she should not be considered for parole, as she did not deserve the court's mercy.
Ian Wilkinson did not comment on the verdict, but thanked the police, prosecutors, and health services he encountered since the poisoning incident.
"We are glad that when things went wrong, there were excellent people, services, and systems that helped us recover," he told reporters outside the court.
"Our lives and the lives of our community depend on the kindness of others. I want to encourage everyone to be kind to each other. Finally, I would like to thank many people from all over Australia and around the world who encouraged us through prayers and supportive messages," he added.
Beale said that if Patterson had accepted his lunch invitation, she had also planned to kill her husband.
She pretended to be diagnosed with cancer to bring them together. She claimed she wanted advice on how to tell her two children about the news, who did not attend the lunch.
Beale accepted Ian Wilkinson's account that the guests were served gray plates, while Patterson ate from orange-brown plates. Beale said this was to ensure she would not accidentally eat the poisonous food.
"Only you know why you committed these crimes. I will not speculate on this matter," the judge said to Patterson.
In the sentencing hearing, Patterson showed little emotion, and the hearing lasted less than an hour. She kept her eyes closed most of the time or stared straight ahead.
Patterson maintained during the trial that she had accidentally added wild mushrooms to the meal. However, she initially denied to authorities that she had fed wild mushrooms to the guests. Antidotes for the poisonous mushroom poisoning were not given to her dying victims at first. Beale inferred from "your heartless actions that you had a continuous intent to kill." Beale pointed out that no psychiatric or psychological reports were provided during her sentencing hearing.
He stated that he had no doubt that she had instructed her lawyer not to provide such evidence. Since being charged on November 2, 2023, Patterson has been in custody. Her sentence is backdated to that date. She has 28 days after the sentencing to appeal the severity of her conviction and sentence.
Patterson will turn 51 on September 30. She will be eligible for parole at the age of 82 in November 2056. The case has attracted significant public attention in Victoria, as well as nationally and internationally. Therefore, the Supreme Court of Victoria allowed the sentencing hearing to be broadcast on television for the first time.
Beale acknowledged that due to Patterson being classified as a "notorious" prisoner, she must be separated from other prisoners to protect her own safety, so her prison conditions are more severe than those of mainstream prisoners. Patterson spends at least 22 hours a day in her cell and has never spoken to the only prisoner allowed to interact with her.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842736554598400/
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