The Australian woman accused of murdering three people with poisonous mushrooms has been found guilty on all charges.
Mushroom killer Erin Patterson will be forced to sit through a two-day plea hearing after she was convicted of poisoning four relatives.
The 50-year-old mother returned before the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday morning — a month after a jury found her guilty of three counts of murder and onecount of attempted murder.
At the outset, Justice Christopher Beale set dates for a plea hearing, to be run over August 25 and 26, ahead of her sentencing.
In Victoria, a plea hearing is held after a person is found guilty of an offence and allows prosecutors and defence to make submissions on an appropriate sentence.
They also allow victims and people affected by a crime to deliver statements to the court if they wish.
Beale said the hearing will be held in Melbourne as he’d received information there was “maintenance” taking place at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell — where Patterson’s trial was run over 11 weeks.
Erin Patterson was found guilty on three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Photo / Brooke Grebert-Craig
Prosecutor Jane Warren flagged there was “a lot” of victim impact statements expected, with the prosecution estimating hearing those read to the court would occupy much of August 25.
“That’s my understanding, we might be in a clearer position by next week,” she said.
Patterson was found guilty on all counts on July 7 following a week of jury deliberations.
Don Patterson and Gail Patterson, Erin Patterson's former parents-in-law, died after the mushroom poisoning. Photo / Supplied
At trial, prosecutors alleged she deliberately spiked a beef wellington dish, served to members of her estranged husband’s family on July 29, 2023, with death cap mushrooms.
Her husband Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson died in the week following the lunch from organ failure caused by death cap poisoning.
Wilkinson’s husband Ian also fell critically ill but survived following a lengthy stint in hospital.
Patterson faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment on the charges and has maintained she did not intentionally poison anyone.
Her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, has indicated she intends to appeal.
