Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson could make a final bid for freedom. What are the prospects of a high court appeal?
News Source
•Sat, 31 Oct 2026 02:02:04 GMT
📰 What Happened
Erin Patterson lost her appeal against her murder and attempted murder convictions on Friday. The Victorian court of appeal also raised her sentence. She will now serve life in prison with no chance of parole.
Patterson has 28 days to ask the High Court of Australia for special leave to appeal. If the court says yes, she gets a full hearing. If it says no, her case is over. Legal expert Brianna Chesser says about 90 per cent of such requests fail.
🔍 The Backstory
Patterson was found guilty of murdering three people and trying to kill another. The victims ate a meal she cooked that contained death cap mushrooms. The case drew huge public interest in 2023 and 2024.
An appeal usually needs a legal error, not just a disagreement with the verdict. The High Court only takes a small number of cases each year. It looks for issues that affect the law across the whole country.
The court of appeal said her crimes were so serious that a 33-year non-parole period was too light. Removing parole entirely is rare.
🎯 Why It Matters
The case shows how appeals work at the top level. It also explains what life without parole actually means.
Erin Patterson lost her appeal against her murder and attempted murder convictions on Friday. The Victorian court of appeal also raised her sentence. She will now serve life in prison with no chance of parole.
Patterson has 28 days to ask the High Court of Australia for special leave to appeal. If the court says yes, she gets a full hearing. If it says no, her case is over. Legal expert Brianna Chesser says about 90 per cent of such requests fail.
Patterson was found guilty of murdering three people and trying to kill another. The victims ate a meal she cooked that contained death cap mushrooms. The case drew huge public interest in 2023 and 2024.
An appeal usually needs a legal error, not just a disagreement with the verdict. The High Court only takes a small number of cases each year. It looks for issues that affect the law across the whole country.
The court of appeal said her crimes were so serious that a 33-year non-parole period was too light. Removing parole entirely is rare.
The case shows how appeals work at the top level. It also explains what life without parole actually means.