Australian Woman Convicted for Poisoned Beef Wellington Triple Murder

Erin Patterson was found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth by serving them a homemade Beef Wellington laced with deadly death cap mushrooms at a family lunch in Victoria, Australia. The case, known as the “Mushroom Murders,” revealed that Patterson had altered a recipe from popular Australian cook Nagi Maehashi’s RecipeTin Eats, using toxic death cap mushrooms instead of safe ingredients. Patterson’s defense argued the addition of the poisonous mushrooms was accidental, but forensic evidence, including toxin levels and Patterson’s fingerprints on equipment used to prepare the mushrooms, supported intentional poisoning. The murders resulted in the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, while Ian Wilkinson survived after a liver transplant. Maehashi expressed distress over her recipe’s association with the tragedy and requested privacy amid media inquiries. The trial gripped Australia for nearly two years, highlighting the grim misuse of a dish traditionally associated with celebration and joy.