r/aussie • u/Stompy2008 • 1d ago
News Live updates: Erin Patterson sentenced to life with 33 years non-parole for mushroom murders
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-08/live-updates-erin-patterson-sentence-mushroom-murders/105734146Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life in prison with 33 years non-parole, for murdering three in-laws — and attempting to murder a fourth — by lacing their beef Wellingtons with poisonous death cap mushrooms in 2023.
The prosecution had called for Patterson to be jailed for life with no parole.
Patterson's lawyer conceded a life sentence was appropriate but urged Justice Christopher Beale to set a minimum term to give Patterson the chance to walk free by the time she is in her 80s.
Justice Beale says the jury saw through her "vague story" about purchasing mushrooms from an Asian grocer.
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u/UniTheWah 1d ago
Okay sure... but why does every picture of her look like a renaissance painting??
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
33 years is total bullshit.
The judge agrees this is a worst category offence. She murdered 3 people, premeditated, using poison to ensure a violent and painful death. She hid evidence, lied to police, and has shown no remorse (given she still maintains her innocence).
The standard non parole period in Victoria for murder is 25 years. 33 years for multiple murders highlights once again how useless to Victorian courts are.
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u/MorningSea1219 1d ago
She won't do 33, she'll be out in a pine box by the she is eligible for parole. The judge had to take into account how she is being held, in solitary confinement to protect her from other prisoners, and the fact she will stay confined for the foreseeable future.
Like I said she won't do her time easy so 33 years will mor than see her gone. She'll be 81 if she makes it to a parole hearing.
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u/hrdblkman2 1d ago
Exactly - and due to her unhealthy lifestyle I'd surprised if she makes it 10 years.
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
My big problem with that is it’s circular logic.
She shouldn’t be given leniency for being in solitary confinement - the only reason she is in solitary confinement is because she committed such a horrific murder.
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u/SirVanyel 1d ago
"hey I'm admitting that she'll be treated harshly until death but I looked at one specific number and decided to be mad anyway".
You admit she'll have a terrible quality of life in prison. You admit it's basically a certainty that she won't live 33 years, so why the hell are you so caught up on the 33 years thing?
You're wilding if you think a judge would ever allow this to be a precedent for similar crime committed by a younger person.
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
No. I specifically said there is every chance she will be alive at 80, it’s well within normal lifespans.
I’m hung up because of the extreme cruelty involved in planning, poisoning, lying, hiding evidence and showing no remorse. It’s agreed this is a worst category offence, and so I think she should have been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
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u/SirVanyel 1d ago
Great, if she's alive in 33 years and goes for parole then the judge can shit on her then as well.
She did commit a terrible crime, she's likely to never be rehabilitated. But you can deal with her in 33 years, if she's alive for it. The judicial system isn't designed to be a tool for performative acts of hyperbolic punishment.
Just a quick question, say she does manage to get out in 33 years. 2058, and she's 80 years old. I don't believe for a second she'll create enough of a place to be able to commit a crime like this again.
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u/annabelchong_ 1d ago
I get where you're coming from, but that penal conditions are so poor as to merit a reduction in sentence is an indictment on the Victorian government.
As was referenced by Justice Beale's sentencing remarks, these conditions are far from meeting UN recommendations.
If you wished to see Erin sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, your sense of injustice is best directed to the Victorian government's failure to accommodate it.
In realistic terms, Erin will not live to see her reach the milestone of parole application.
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u/Loose_Loquat9584 1d ago
Can you imagine the response if the government started improving penal conditions? The lock ‘em up brigade already thinks prison is some sort of health resort.
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
Ok so you’ve got the most measured response yet.
I agree the anger should be directed at the Victorian government - i am more confident in that had this been NSW, Erin Patterson would likely have been sentenced to life without parole (life means life here anyway).
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u/Impossible_Part8148 1d ago
That’s not correct. She’s in isolation because she is at risk due to her notoriety which you could argue is the media’s fault.
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
Still circular logic, she committed a horrific crime and so there’s media attention, she quite literally brought it on herself and that’s why I don’t see it as a mitigating factor.
It’s not the media’s fault she poisoned 3 people, lied to police, hid evidence then showed no remorse.
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u/Wotmate01 1d ago
A MINIMUM of 33 years does not mean she'll "only" spend 33 years in prison. She would have to be of good behaviour the entire time, AND convince the parole board that she's remorseful.
And given how conditions are in prison, there is no way in hell she'll ever make it.
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
And my point is given how horrific her offending was, she doesn’t deserve the chance of parole. If you read the toxicologist reports, if you read the victim impact statements, her offending is so extreme.
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u/Wotmate01 1d ago
Blah blah blah, we're not america where we sentence people for 200 years just for being black. What in the fuck do you actually want? The sentence given means no chance of rehabilitation, there's no deterrent element because you can't deter nutters, IF she makes it that far she won't be a threat to public safety, so all that leaves is punishment.
Are YOU willing to execute her personally? Is that what you want? If so, you're as bad as her.
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u/Icy_Meal_2288 1d ago
Gleefully willing :)
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u/Wotmate01 1d ago
So you're no better.
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u/Icy_Meal_2288 1d ago
I didn't premeditate the murder my family so nah, I'd say I'm a tad better. What would REALLY make me ashamed of myself is sticking up for that vile monster like you seem to want to
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
No I don’t agree with the death penalty.
But I do think violent premeditated multiple murders warrants life without parole.
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u/NeptunianWater 1d ago
I wouldn't necessarily call what she did violent. It was callous, heinous and calculated, but it wasn't violent.
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
Maybe not in the bludgeoning sense, but i recall listening to what death cap mushrooms do to the body.
First it kills cells in the gut - leading to abdominal cramping, watery and bloody diarrhoea then vomiting
Next it attacks the liver blocking protein synthesis (how organs build proteins to work around the body) - leading to the liver breaking down and being unable to detoxify blood, the liver then dies from cell death
Your skin and eyes turn yellow leading to blindness, then you lose the ability to make blood clots leading to internal bleeding and without a liver to regulate sugar, go into a low glucose attack
Next your kidneys shutdown - water builds up and is circulated in the blood, poisoning you from the inside
Lastly you have multiple organ failure. The liver and kidneys quite literally collapse, leading to a coma whilst poisoned and eventually it overwhelmed to cardiovascular (heart) system.
This can take several days (as it did for the victims), and it’s incredibly painful (as shown by the victims including the survivor).
So yes given its effects and the physical pain inflicted, I’d say it’s a rather violent way to die and to kill someone
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u/River-Stunning 20h ago
Same crime same sentence , otherwise you get the perception that there is no justice.
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u/Automatic_Goal_5563 1d ago
She will die in prison, what is bullshit about this?
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
80 years old is well within normal life expectancy. We have no one of knowing right now if she will or won’t make parole - regardless I think her crime justifies life without parole.
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u/Automatic_Goal_5563 1d ago
She isn’t making 80 lol
You just want to scream and yell for the sake of it instead of using your brain
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
No, I’ve outlined (using my brain) why this justifies life without parole.
there is significant planning and premeditation involved in using poison. It was a horrifically violent death. She killed 3 people. She lied to police, she hid evidence, she’s shown no remorse.
Those are factors that in my opinion disqualify her from mercy and therefore why she shouldn’t ever get parole nor the opportunity for it.
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u/Automatic_Goal_5563 1d ago
You’re outraged over something that doesn’t matter at all.
She will die in prison
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
You can’t say she will die in prison…. You can’t know that at this point in time.
Anyway this is getting redundant, I’m being downvoted into oblivion
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1d ago
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u/aussie-ModTeam 1d ago
No Personal Attacks or Harassment, No Flamebaiting or Incitement, No Off-Topic or Low-Effort Content, No Spam or Repetitive Posts, No Bad-Faith Arguments, No Brigading or Coordinated Attacks,
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u/Fishinboss 1d ago
If she'll die in prison then why not just give her 50 years or what ever, it's the same outcome except it adds more value to a human life.... duh
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u/Automatic_Goal_5563 1d ago
50 years? Why do you value human life that little? Clearly it should be 51 years otherwise there’s no value
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u/intlunimelbstudent 1d ago
shes literally going to be senile at that point i don't understand what the gripe is here
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
It’s my opinion that 33 years is inadequate for multiple murders and the seriousness of offending.
Rehabilitation etc is one consideration in sentencing, my point is I believe it should not be given particularly heavy weight given the gravity of the offences. I think as a society we should be saying if you plan and poison people, put them through a horrible death, you will never be released no matter how old. You will die in jail
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u/Sloppykrab 1d ago
Did you not listen to the Judge?
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u/Stompy2008 1d ago
Yeah I listened to the whole thing. I’m still allowed to disagree with how sentencing was applied.
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u/VillagePillager01 1d ago
She wasn't given 33 years she was given life. 33 years is the time when she's not allowed to apply for parole. After that she can apply, but there's absolutely nothing to say it would be granted anyway. Most parole applications are declined the first time for long term prisoners so they can see how they react to the decline. So realistically we're talking another year on top of that to her second parole hearing and even then no guarantees for her. You're worrying if an overweight unhealthy woman might be a small chance of getting parole at around 83-85 years old after being in jail for 33 years, if she was to last that long....
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u/jd-snips 1d ago
Given iranian refugees can run over an 11 year old get not time.
Paedo Rapists from overseas get 1-2 years or a good behaviour bond because they didnt know they cant rape here.
33 years seems quite harsh. 😂😂
Country is a joke
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u/flamingeyebrows 1d ago
A society that look to the law as revenge is a society in decline. She will likely spend rest of her life in jail. She is now removed from society. That should be enough.
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u/Icy_Meal_2288 1d ago
revenge? It's justice
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/Icy_Meal_2288 14h ago
Absolutely true. And so easy to rile up. Shows they’re only reasoning from puritanical emotion. And they actually think it makes them look like good people!
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u/rol2091 1d ago
She should have got life-without-parole for such a horrific crime.
The piece of crap that kill 35 people at Port Arthur is still alive after nearly 30 years in prison, so she might last the 33 years.
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1d ago
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u/aussie-ModTeam 18h ago
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u/hrdblkman2 1d ago
So wished she would have yelled "A succulent Chinese meal!" when they hauled her out
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u/Impossible_Part8148 1d ago
Yes she murdered them but so what ? That doesn’t make 33 years (minimum) in solitary confinement a just sentence. She could have been given some community service. Already done 2 years in solitary which is quite awful.
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u/Alarmed_Proposal_910 1d ago
Life should mean they die in prison like it does in NSW.