Onlookers tried to take selfies of mushroom killer during murder trial
Share and Follow

Erin Patterson’s mushroom murder trial attracted so much interest that onlookers were escorted out of court for taking selfies with the now-convicted triple murderer in the background.

The 50-year-old was today found guilty of murdering in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and also of attempting to murder local pastor Ian Wilkinson in an infamous beef Wellington lunch in July 2023.

The case has attracted an enormous amount of attention around both the country and world, generating headlines as far afield as the United Kingdom and United States.

Erin Patterson has been found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder. (Jason South)

Now the jury has been discharged, it can be revealed that the local interest in the case reached the extent that some people faced stern talking-tos from the court for attempting to take pictures of Patterson inside the courtroom.

“There were actually people who were getting in trouble at times for taking photos of Erin Patterson in the dock,” 9News court reporter Amber Johnston said.

“So members of the public who managed to snag a seat inside would get their phones out, and they were trying to take selfies with Erin Patterson when they were in the dock.

“And during those moments, that’s when the lead informant, Detective Stephen Eppingstall, would have to drag them out of the courtroom, would scold them, tell them off, threaten that they were going to be held in contempt of court, and he would have to go through their phones and delete those photos of Erin Patterson.

“I can’t think of any other case when we have seen scenes like that.”

Patterson had pleaded not guilty to all four charges, and now faces a sentence of up to life in prison for the triple murder and attempted murder.

She will return to the court for a pre-sentence hearing later this year.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

YouTube to Be Part of Australia’s Social Media Restrictions: Key Information You Should Know

YouTube has criticised the Australian government’s decision to include the video platform…
Then-senior constable Kristian James Samuel White, 35, fired his Taser at 95-year-old Clare Nowland.

Court Maintains ‘Lenient’ Sentence for Officer in Taser Incident Involving Great-Grandmother

A decision not to imprison the former police officer who fatally tasered…
(L-R) Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne

Birmingham Pays Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with Hearse Procession

The “home of metal” is honoring one of its most cherished sons.…
I was broke and homeless but now I make six figures… here is how I turned my life around

From Homeless to Six Figures: My Journey to Success and Financial Freedom

A man who was broke and homeless but now rakes in hundreds…
Gareth Ward arrives at the Darlinghurst Courthouse in Sydney, Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

Former State MP Gareth Ward Sentenced to Prison for Sex Abuse Crimes

A disgraced NSW MP has been escorted behind bars days after he…

Understanding ‘megathrust faults’: Why they pose a significant tsunami risk in Russia and beyond

A very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka coast…
A row of soft drink cans.

How Drinking Soft Drinks Can Raise Your Diabetes Risk by Over 30%

Drinking artificially-sweetened soft drinks increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes…
Police examining bone in decades-old Adelaide Oval abduction case

Authorities Investigate Bone Discovery in Long-Standing Adelaide Oval Kidnapping Case

There’s been a major development in the search for two girls abducted…