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The families of those who perished due to Erin Patterson’s fatal meal plan to face the convicted triple murderer in court, though her estranged spouse Simon is anticipated not to attend.
In July, Patterson, age 50, was convicted of the murder of her ex-husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, after a lengthy trial.
In addition to the three murders, Patterson was also convicted for attempting to kill Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.
Simon’s four relatives, who had been invited to Erin Patterson’s Leongatha residence on July 29, 2023, were served a beef wellington containing poisonous death cap mushrooms, leading to their deaths.
On Monday, Patterson will be transported from Dame Phyllis Frost Centre to face a pre-sentence hearing in Melbourne’s Supreme Court.
At the hearing, Patterson will have to listen as the families of her victims express the personal impact of her actions through their victim impact statements.
It’s understood that Simon Patterson will not attend Monday’s hearing in person.
Recently, when Justice Christopher Beale of the Victoria Supreme Court inquired about the anticipated number of statements, Crown prosecutor Jane Warren responded: ‘All I can say is a lot.’
Erin Patterson (pictured) last month was found guilty of killing three of her estranged husband’s relatives
Heather (left) and Ian Wilkinson (right) attended a lunch at Patterson’s home on on July 29, 2023. Ian was the only survivor
Among those expected to confront Patterson are Ian, Don and Gail’s four children, and Heather and Ian’s four children.
They will be given the option to read out their statements or have them shared by a prosecutor.
One of the most anticipated statements is from Simon, who did not attend the trial in person except for the three days he testified as a witness.
On the stand, Simon expressed that the emotional toll of the legal proceedings and Patterson’s acts would take him ‘years’ to fully process, as he felt his own pain was largely overlooked.
Three attempted murder charges against Patterson were dropped before the trial.
Those allegations had stemmed from three occasions she allegedly tried to kill Simon before or during camping trips to Wilsons Promontory and Howqua.
In evidence kept secret from the jury, Simon claimed Patterson had served him various poisoned meals, including penne bolognese, chicken korma and a vegetable curry wrap, between November 2021 and September 2022.
He was hospitalised several times during that period and at one point underwent lifesaving surgery in which a large portion of his bowel was removed.
Patterson (pictured) was convicted for poisoning her husband’s relatives by serving them a beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms
Don (left) and Gail Patterson (right) were killed by the deadly lunch
In court, but without the jury present, Simon told Justice Beale the trial was ‘very difficult’.
‘I’m sitting here, half thinking about the things I’m not allowed to talk about and … I don’t actually understand why… it seems bizarre to me, but it is what it is,’ he said.
The pre-sentence hearing comes as Patterson’s high school classmates have opened up on what she was really like.
Patterson, then known as Erin Scutter, was accepted into an ‘acceleration program’ at University High School, in Melbourne’s inner-city, in the mid 1980s.
A former student told the Herald Sun that members of the specialist unit mostly kept to themselves as they had a seperate program from the rest of the school.
The gifted students, nicknamed ‘The Taskforce’, were known for being ‘super bright’ but often ‘odd’.
Patterson in particular was very reserved and considered a ‘STEM girl’ for her passion for math and science.
‘I remember most people from the year, but not her … which is quite strange, because I knew a lot of the Taskforce kids,’ the former student said.
Patterson (pictured during high school) was remembered by her former schoolmates as ‘brilliant but unhinged’
‘The Taskforce kids stuck to themselves. They were a distinct group, because they were getting a different sort of schooling to the rest of us.
‘They have to be quite gifted. There are lots of tests and stuff to get in. They’re usually really interesting kids, obviously very smart, but they were also a little bit kooky. They always had some sort of interest that was a bit unusual.’
Many of her classmates – including famous alumni University of Melbourne vice chancellor Emma Johnston and actress Marisa Fraser – didn’t realise Patterson had attended their school until gossip spread.
One woman, whose sister was friends with Patterson in school, described her as ‘brilliant but unhinged’.
Another said any strange traits that may have caused Patterson to stand out as a future murderer likely went unnoticed as many ‘Taskforce’ kids were unusual and ‘everyone was accepted’.
Once the court is finished hearing the victim impact statements on Monday, the prosecution is expected to read out the ‘aggravating’ factors of the case.
The defence is set to also submit ‘mitigating’ factors, including psychiatric reports.
While murder carries a maximum sentence of life behind bars, the defence is likely to argue for a non-parole period or minimum sentence.
Justice Beale will indicate a timeline for sentencing on Monday.
Patterson is expected to file an appeal against her convictions within 28 days of being sentenced.
If successful, her convictions could be overturned and she we go to retrial..
