Prosecutor tells Australian appeals court mushroom poisoning murderer should never be released
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Triple-murderer Erin Patterson should never be released from prison after she poisoned four of her estranged husband’s relatives with death cap mushrooms, a prosecutor…
Erin Patterson, a 51-year-old Australian woman, has been sentenced to life in prison for poisoning four family members with death cap mushrooms, according to a prosecutor at the Victorian Court of Appeal on Thursday. The prosecutor, Brendan Kissane, argued that the current sentence of 33 years before parole eligibility was "manifestly inadequate."
Patterson prepared the lethal meal for her estranged husband's relatives during a July 2023 family gathering in Leongatha. If the judges do not agree with Kissane's recommendation, they should impose a non-parole period longer than 33 years. Patterson, if released, would be around 82 years old before she could be considered for parole.
Currently, she is held at the high-security Gordon Unit of Melbourne’s Dame Phyllis Frost Centre for women prisoners, a facility for those deemed high-risk to other inmates.
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