On 29 July 2023, Erin Patterson invited four relatives to her home in Leongatha, Victoria, and served them beef Wellington laced with toxic death cap mushrooms. All four were hospitalised within 24 hours, diagnosed with severe liver failure. Three died within six days, one despite receiving a liver transplant. Ian Wilkinson was the sole survivor, recovering seven weeks later.
Patterson was arrested in November 2023 and charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. After charges relating to her estranged husband Simon were dropped, she faced trial before a jury in the Supreme Court of Victoria at Morwell. On 7 July 2025, the jury convicted her on all remaining charges. Justice Christopher Beale sentenced her to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years, in the first sentencing hearing in Victoria to be broadcast live.
