An Australian woman who murdered three of her relatives and attempted to kill another with a toxic mushroom meal has been sentenced to life in prison with parole after 33 years. Erin Patterson, 50, was convicted of triple murder in July after serving a toxic meal to her estranged husband’s parents, aunt, and uncle at her home in Victoria, Australia, in 2023. Supreme Court judge Christopher Beale said Patterson’s crimes were in the “worst category” for offending and involved an “elaborate cover-up.” At the sentencing, Beale said, “Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds.” Beale added that Patterson had inflicted “trauma” on her victims and their families, and the gravity of her crimes merited the “maximum penalty.” In July, a 12-person jury found Patterson guilty of murdering her in-laws, Donald and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, after serving them a toxic beef wellington. Patterson will serve three consecutive life sentences for the three murders and 25 years for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband and local pastor. Wilkinson, the sole survivor of the poisoning, was comatose as a result of the meal and continues to suffer from health issues as a result, despite his recovery from the coma. Although prosecutors argued that Patterson should be sentenced to life with no prospect of release, Beale justified his decision to allow parole due to the “harsh prison conditions” awaiting her. Throughout the over two-month trial, Patterson maintained that the dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world’s most lethal fungus.