Australian mushroom murderer loses appeal to overturn convictions and gets harsher sentence

Erin Patterson, a 51-year-old woman from Australia, has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of three family members after serving them meals laced with toxic mushrooms. Her conviction and sentence have been upheld by the Court of Appeal, with judges rejecting her appeal and deeming her sentence as inadequate.

Patterson's actions were described as "extraordinarily cold and calculated" by the court. She was found guilty of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, as well as attempting to murder a local pastor, Ian Wilkinson, who survived the poisoning. The appeal judges ruled that her crimes were so shocking that a non-parole period of 33 years was appropriate.

Despite her legal team's arguments, the court dismissed all seven grounds of appeal. Patterson has 28 days to decide if she will seek further appeal to the High Court of Australia.