Overview of The Australian Mushroom Murders - H3 After Dark #85
Ethan Klein, Harley Morenstein, and Kate break down the Erin Patterson “mushroom murders” case from Leongatha, Victoria, Australia — the deadly beef wellington lunch that killed three relatives and left one survivor. The episode walks through the family background, the suspicious events leading up to the meal, the investigation and trial evidence, and the eventual guilty verdict, while also noting the upcoming appeals.
Opening Banter and Setup
- The episode opens with typical After Dark chaos, including jokes, camera fiddling, and sponsor banter.
- They briefly touch on another true-crime topic: a kidnapping/ransom-note case involving Nancy Guthrie/Savannah Guthrie’s mother.
- The main story then shifts to the Australian mushroom murders, which the hosts frame as one of the strangest true-crime cases they’ve covered.
Who Was Involved
- Erin Patterson: the defendant, estranged wife of Simon Patterson.
- Simon Patterson: Erin’s separated husband.
- Don and Gail Patterson: Simon’s parents.
- Heather and Ian Wilkinson: Gail’s sister and her husband.
- Ian Wilkinson ultimately survives the poisoning and becomes the key living witness.
Background and Motive
Erin and Simon’s relationship
- Erin and Simon met in Melbourne in 2004, married in 2007, and had two children.
- Their marriage deteriorated over time, with repeated separations before they finally split for good.
- Erin remained close to Simon’s family even after the breakup and appears to have been deeply invested in those relationships.
Money and child support conflict
- Erin inherited significant money from her grandmother and later from her mother’s estate, eventually owning multiple properties.
- The episode suggests the motive was less about money and more about resentment, control, and family conflict.
- Things escalated in 2022 when Simon filed as “single” on tax forms, which affected child support and other payments. Erin became furious over the financial and bureaucratic fallout.
Prior suspicions
- Simon had been hospitalized multiple times in 2022 with severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Medical evidence later suggested symptoms consistent with barium carbonate poisoning.
- Simon suspected Erin may have been poisoning him, and he changed his power of attorney to his father.
The Deadly Lunch
- Erin invited Don, Gail, Heather, and Ian to her home for lunch on July 29, 2023.
- She told them it was an adult-only meal and implied she had serious news to share.
- She had also been faking a cancer diagnosis, which helped lure them in.
- The meal was beef wellington, which she served in individual portions.
The key suspicious details
- Guests were served on gray plates, while Erin ate from a different-colored plate.
- The meal allegedly contained death cap mushrooms, one of the deadliest mushrooms in the world.
- Erin’s children later ate leftovers, which the hosts found especially disturbing.
The Poisoning and Aftermath
- The guests became violently ill after the lunch.
- Don, Gail, and Heather died; Ian survived after a long hospital stay.
- Erin also showed up at the hospital complaining of stomach trouble, but her behavior was inconsistent with the others.
- She left before being properly admitted, and investigators later believed she was trying to avoid detection.
Evidence of concealment
- Police later found that Erin:
- searched for death cap mushrooms online,
- owned and used a dehydrator,
- tried to dispose of it at a dump,
- used a fake phone when police came searching,
- and gave shifting, contradictory explanations.
Police and medical response
- Doctors quickly suspected poisoning because multiple family members had the same severe symptoms.
- The investigation moved fast once the possibility of death cap mushrooms was raised.
- Police believed Erin’s false statements and evidence-destruction attempts made the case increasingly damning.
Trial Highlights
Testimony and contradictions
- Erin’s children testified that:
- their parents had a bad relationship,
- their mother had talked about cancer,
- and the family had eaten leftovers from the lunch.
- Simon testified that he was so concerned about Erin poisoning him that he had already taken precautions.
- Ian Wilkinson testified about the colored plates and how Erin served herself differently.
Erin’s defense
- Erin admitted she lied about having cancer.
- She claimed the lie was tied to embarrassment over planned gastric bypass surgery.
- She insisted the death cap poisoning was accidental and that she never intentionally hunted for poisonous mushrooms.
- The prosecution argued that the evidence showed deliberate murder and concealment.
Viral courtroom sketches
- Because cameras were banned, the courtroom drawings became widely shared online.
- The artist’s sketches of Erin, especially her pained/frozen expression, became iconic during the trial.
Verdict and Sentence
- Erin was found guilty of:
- 3 counts of murder
- 1 count of attempted murder for Ian Wilkinson
- She received three life sentences plus 25 years, served concurrently.
- She will be eligible for parole in 2056.
- At the time of the episode, appeals were scheduled for August 19–20, 2025.
Notable Takeaways
Why the case stood out
- The weapon was not a gun or knife but death cap mushrooms hidden in a fancy family meal.
- The combination of:
- fake cancer,
- family tension,
- earlier suspected poisonings,
- and obvious concealment attempts made the case feel especially calculated.
The main lesson
- If a relative suddenly invites you to a very elaborate lunch, especially after years of tension, don’t ignore the red flags.
- Ian Wilkinson’s impact statement emphasized gratitude, kindness, and community support despite unimaginable loss.
Notable Quote
“What foolishness possesses a person to think that murder could be the solution to their problems?”
This summed up the emotional core of the case from the survivor’s perspective: devastation, confusion, and the impossibility of understanding the crime.