Erin Patterson Loses Appeal

What happened

The outlets' own sentences, most widely reported first. Hover or tap one to see who reported it.

Analysis

How it changed

1. 28 Oct

   Patterson was last year sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 33 years, for the murders of her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, after she hosted them for lunch.

   6 outlets · The Guardian
2. 29 Oct

   “This offending was extraordinarily cold and calculated, and stands to be denounced in the strongest terms,” McLeish said.

   6 outlets · Sydney Morning Herald
3. 30 Oct

   Her crimes involved an "elaborate series of deceptions" including falsely claiming a cancer diagnosis to explain the absences of her two children from the lunch, the judge said.

   5 outlets · CBC

Coverage 23 articles

• 30 Oct Woman jailed for mushroom poison murders given harsher sentenceAn Australian appeals court has ruled that Erin Patterson will never be released from prison for poisoning four relatives with death cap mushrooms, resulting in three deaths and one near-fatality. This decision follows her conviction in 2023 for the murders of her estranged husband’s parents and aunt, along with an attempted murder charge against her uncle-in-law who survived. The court found Patterson's actions to…CBS News
• 30 Oct Watch: Australia's mushroom murderer loses appeal and may now die in prisonErin Patterson, convicted of murdering three people through the use of toxic mushrooms in Australia, has had her appeal rejected by Victoria's Court of Appeal. The prosecution succeeded in arguing that Patterson's original sentence of 33 years with parole was too lenient, potentially leading to a longer prison term without the possibility of early release. BBC reporter Katy Watson provides an explanation of the…BBC
• 30 Oct Australian court rejects ‘mushroom murderer’ Erin Patterson’s appealThe Supreme Court of Victoria in Australia rejected Erin Patterson’s appeal against her conviction for murdering three relatives with death cap mushrooms and attempting to kill another by lacing beef wellington during a meal. The court ruled that Patterson should serve life imprisonment without the possibility of parole due to the “cold and calculated” nature of her crime, which included deceiving her family about a…Al Jazeera
• 30 Oct Australian mushroom killer Erin Patterson to spend rest of her life in prison after losing appealErin Patterson’s appeal to reduce her sentence was denied by Victoria state Court of Appeal judges in Australia, who decided she will spend life in prison without parole for poisoning four people with death cap mushrooms during a family meal at her home in Leongatha in July 2023. The judges described her actions as “extraordinarily cold and calculated.” Patterson was initially sentenced to three life terms for…New York Post
• 30 Oct Court orders Erin Patterson never to be released from prison for mushroom poisoningsAn Australian appeals court has ordered Erin Patterson, who poisoned her estranged husband’s relatives with death cap mushrooms in July 2023, to serve life imprisonment without parole. The court dismissed her appeal and upheld the prosecutor’s challenge to the original nonparole sentence of 33 years, which would have allowed for release at age 82. Justice Stephen McLeish described Patterson's actions as…ABC News (US)
• 30 Oct Mushroom killer Erin Patterson loses appeal as top court says she will die in prison for ‘shocking’ crimesThe Supreme Court of Victoria rejected Erin Patterson's appeal, upholding her murder convictions for poisoning three relatives with death cap mushrooms in July 2023 and setting aside her original non-parole period. The court ruled she will serve life imprisonment without the possibility of parole due to the "shocking criminality" of her planned and deliberate actions. Judges dismissed all seven grounds of…The Independent
• 30 Oct Australian court says mushroom poison murderer should never be released from prisonAn Australian appeals court has ruled that Erin Patterson, who poisoned four family members with death cap mushrooms at a meal she hosted in July 2023, should never be released from prison due to the "shocking criminality" of her actions. The court dismissed Patterson's appeal and upheld the prosecutors' challenge to her original sentence of life plus 25 years for three murders and attempted murder, respectively…CBC
• 30 Oct Australian mushroom murderer loses appeal to overturn convictionsErin Patterson, aged 51, lost her appeal against murder convictions for serving death cap mushrooms in beef Wellington to three relatives, resulting in their deaths, and attempting to kill a fourth relative who survived but with ongoing health issues. The Australian Court of Appeal upheld her life sentence without the possibility of parole release, citing the "extraordinarily cold and calculated" nature of her…BBC
• 30 Oct Australian mushroom killer Erin Patterson likely to die in jail after failed appealErin Patterson, convicted of murdering three family members by poisoning them with death cap mushrooms, faces remaining in jail until her death after an appeal court rejected her request for a retrial. The judge described Patterson’s actions as “extraordinarily cold and calculated” and found no basis to retry the case. Patterson, who was 52 at the time of the ruling, continues to claim that her conviction is a…South China Morning Post
• 30 Oct Australian court orders Erin Patterson never to be released from prison for mushroom poisoningsAn Australian appeals court has ruled that Erin Patterson will never be released from prison due to the severity of her crimes, which involved poisoning four relatives of her estranged husband with death cap mushrooms. The Victoria state Court of Appeal upheld prosecutors’ arguments that her original 33-year sentence with a non-parole period of 33 years was too lenient, given the “shocking criminality” of her…Toronto Star

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