A court order has been granted preventing Erin Patterson, convicted of triple murder over a deadly mushroom lunch, from selling or dealing with her Leongatha property. The restraining order was issued under Victoria's confiscation legislation by Supreme Court Justice Michelle Quigley on 23 July, following a closed court hearing.
Patterson, 50, was found guilty on 7 July of murdering her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. She was also convicted of the attempted murder of Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson. The jury found she deliberately served the four guests beef wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms at her Leongatha home on 29 July 2023.
The Office of Public Prosecutions made the confiscation application on 16 July to ensure the property remains available to satisfy any compensation or restitution orders made in favour of the victims' family members. The suppression order over the restraining order was lifted at 5pm on Wednesday.
Patterson had pleaded not guilty, claiming during her 11-week trial in Morwell that she did not intentionally poison her lunch guests. However, after seven days of deliberations, all 12 jurors returned guilty verdicts on all four counts.
Patterson now faces the possibility of life imprisonment. She is due to return to court for a pre-sentence hearing later in 2025, and will have 28 days to file an appeal after sentencing.
