Woman Accused of Killing Ex-Husband's Family with Poisonous Mushroom-Laced Beef Wellington Is Found Guilty

The Australian woman accused of killing her ex-in-laws and a third family member by poisoning them with death cap mushrooms at a lunch has been found guilty of murder, according to reports.

On Monday, July 7, the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in the South-Eastern Victoria town of Morwell heard that Erin Patterson, 50, had been convicted of the murders of her estranged husband Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, as well as Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, 9 News reported.

She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, 68, who was hospitalized for weeks following the family lunch, the outlet stated.

Don, Gail and Heather were taken to the hospital and died within days after consuming the Beef Wellington served by Erin, which had been laced with the deadly mushroom at her Leongatha house in July 2023, PEOPLE previously reported.

As Monday’s verdict was read out, Erin didn’t drop her gaze from the jury, per The Guardian.

After previously pleading not guilty to the murders, Erin said at a trial date last month that she accepted that there must have been death cap mushrooms in the dish, The Guardian previously noted.

Among the evidence used during the trial, the BBC reported on Monday that images of Erin’s dining room table had been shown to the jury, as well as photos of a food dehydrator which she’d initially denied owning. Erin had since admitted that she’d dumped the dehydrator at a landfill a week after the fatal lunch, the outlet noted.

The appliance was later recovered by police and Erin’s fingerprints and traces of death cap mushrooms were found on it by a forensic examination team, per the BBC.

Photos of the leftover Beef Wellington were also shown to the court and Dr. David Lovelock — who specializes in plant virology and bacteriology — during the trial, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Traces of a toxin present in death cap mushrooms had been discovered in the food, according to the outlet.

The weeks-long trial had also heard that survivor Ian had said Erin had served her guests Beef Wellington on grey plates, while she gave herself an orange one, the BBC reported. She had no traces of death cap mushroom poisoning, per the outlet.

Erin had told the trial that she wasn’t that ill after the meal because she’d made herself sick after eating too much cake, the BBC stated.

Victoria Police Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told reporters outside the court following Monday’s news, “I’d just like to acknowledge the decision of the jury today and I’d also like to acknowledge the investigators that have worked on this investigation since July 2023 right through to today,” per the ABC.

“I think it’s very important that we remember that … three people have died and we’ve had a person that’s nearly died and was seriously injured a a result,” he added, according to the outlet. “I ask that we acknowledge those people and not forget them.”

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Victoria Police said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Monday that they acknowledge “the decision of the jury today.”

“Our thoughts are with the respective families at this time and we acknowledge how difficult these past two years have been for them. We will continue to support them in every way possible following this decision,” police added.

“We would also like to acknowledge the work of Homicide Squad detectives over the course of this complex investigation, as well as the significant support received from a number of other areas across Victoria Police,” the statement concluded.

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The Associated Press previously reported in May that Erin had also invited her ex-husband Simon to the lunch, but he chose not to attend. The agency noted that Erin had been accused of attempting to murder her ex on three previous occasions dating back to 2021.

While previously denying any wrongdoing after the death of her third victim, Erin told reporters, “I’m devastated. I loved them. I can’t believe that this has happened and I’m so sorry,” per the AP.

The Supreme Court of Victoria didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.