Mushroom killer Erin Patterson’s remaining wealth may become the subject of the next legal battle involving the jailed triple-murderer.
On Monday, Patterson, aged 50, received a life sentence for the murders of Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, and was sentenced to 25 years for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.
The sentence, which comes with a non-parole period of 33 years, has been described as a win for the triple-murderer, given she may one day walk free.
Less clear is what will be left of her once-lucrative estate when an 83-year-old Patterson becomes eligible for parole.
Having reduced her substantial property assets to support a high-level legal defense, her now smaller estate is anticipated to attract victim compensation demands.
Patterson, formerly known as Scutter, was 32 when she inherited the first of two legacies that enabled her to enjoy a lifestyle admired by many Australians.
In 2006, just a year into her relationship with Simon Patterson, her grandmother passed away, leaving her a $2 million inheritance disbursed over eight years.
The second windfall came in 2019 following the death of her mother, Heather Scutter, an academic and expert in children’s literature.
What remains of Erin Patterson’s (pictured) fortune following the lengthy court battle is unclear
Patterson’s home in Leongatha (pictured) was meant to be her ‘forever house.’ However, it is now under a restraining order following a notorious triple murder.
While Simon told the court money wasn’t the focus for either partner, the cash injections allowed the pair to build a sizeable property portfolio.
This property featured her ‘forever house’ constructed on Gibson Street in Leongatha, valued at over $1 million, which was where the deadly 2023 beef Wellington meal occurred.
It also allowed the pair to fund regular trips to New Zealand, a lengthy African holiday, and a prolonged honeymoon after their 2007 wedding.
In the years following their separation in 2015, the pair remained financially connected, with Patterson listing Simon as a joint owner on several properties.
By 2021, Simon began voicing dissatisfaction with their arrangement, leading to the divvying up of their assets. The process was completed by 2022.
Patterson was left with a townhouse in Mount Waverley, a home on Shellcot Road in Korumburra, and the soon-to-be-completed Gibson Street home in Leongatha.
Simon took the former family home in Korumburra.
Patterson’s financial downturn began when police brought charges against her over the 2023 lunch. Six weeks later, she sold her Mount Waverley home for just over $1 million.
Patterson’s Mount Waverley unit was sold for $1.025million six weeks after she was charged
Patterson mounted a top-tier legal defence. Pictured is her legal team, including barrister Sophie Stafford (left), lawyer Ophelia Holloway (back) and Colin Mandy SC (right)
Then, shortly before the trial began, a mortgage was taken out against her Leongatha home, valued at nearly $1.2million in the name of her law firm, Doogue + George.
The guilty convictions then opened up the possibility Patterson’s estate could be contested by, or on behalf of, her victims.
In July 2023, Supreme Court Justice Michelle Quigley imposed a restraining order against Patterson’s Gibson Street home.
Justice Quigley wrote the order, known as a restraining order, was imposed to preserve the property to satisfy any claim for compensation or restitution.
The mother-of-two bought the block in 2019 for $260,000 and saw it as the place where she would grow old – having sketched her vision for the home herself.
Whether victims will apply for compensation, as they are entitled to do for 12 months following a guilty verdict in Victoria, remains to be seen.
Justice Michelle Quigley, however, wrote it was ‘likely’ such a claim would be made in the restraining order.
Proceedings relating to the restraining order over the Gibson Street property are listed to return to the Supreme Court in November.
