National

Victoria

Mushroom trial

Opinion

Patterson’s sentence answers one question. But the two most important remain unanswered

Ahona Guha Psychologist September 8, 2025 — 3.51pm

The trial that has consumed the public since 2023 came to a kind of close on Monday, with Erin Patterson sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years. And yet, two of the biggest questions remain unanswered: what was Patterson’s state of mind at the time of offending, and what motivated her to feed four of her relatives a meal laced with death cap mushrooms?

The prosecution provided no motive for the murders and were not required to. They simply needed to prove that her acts were intentional and designed to cause death. The defence’s case was similarly unilluminating, likely bui

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