THE case of the Leongatha mushroom murders might not yet be over.
Despite being handed life sentences on each of the three murder charges, for the deliberate poisoning death of three of her in-laws, and 25 years for the attempted murder of another, Erin Patterson has the right to apply for leave to appeal both the severity of the sentences and the outcome of the trial.
Technically, Ms Patterson has until midnight on Monday, October 6, 2025, 28 days after her sentencing on Monday, September 8, to lodge an appeal but procedural arrangements introduced last month will allow the defence the opportunity to apply for an extension of time, up to an additional 28 days.
The Supreme Court of Victoria advised on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that lawyers for Erin Patterson had applied for a variation to a suppression order that was to lapse on the appeal cut-off date of October 6, seeking to extend its date of expiry to November 3, 2025, indicating they will also apply for additional time to lodge an appeal.
The application to vary the suppression order will be heard on Thursday, October 2 by the trial judge in the Erin Patterson case, Justice Christopher Beale.
The Office of Public Prosecutions is yet to decide if they will appeal Patterson’s sentences which are to be served concurrently, with a minimum parole period of 33 years.
Having already served almost two years in detention she would be eligible for parole shortly after she turns 82. Erin Patterson spent her 51st birthday, on Tuesday, September 30, in custody.
Erin Patterson was found guilty of the murders of her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson of Korumburra, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson also of Korumburra, as a result of serving them a meal of beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms, at her Leongatha home on Saturday, July 29, 2023.
She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, the only guest to survive the family lunch, at the end of a 10-week trial in the Supreme Court, sitting in Morwell, between May and July 2025.
