Erin Patterson, the Australian woman convicted of murdering three lunch guests with death cap mushrooms, has been sentenced to three concurrent life terms with a non-parole period of 33 years.

The ruling, delivered live from the Supreme Court of Victoria, concluded a high-profile case that has captivated the nation and drawn global attention, inspiring podcasts and documentaries.

Patterson, 50, was found guilty in July of killing her estranged husband Simon’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson, with a beef wellington meal laced with toxic mushrooms gathered near her Leongatha home in 2023.

She also received a 25-year sentence for the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor, whose wife of 44 years succumbed to organ failure days after the July 29 lunch. Justice Christopher Beale highlighted the “substantial premeditation” and “elaborate cover-up” involved, noting Patterson’s intent to kill all invited guests under the pretense of discussing a fabricated medical issue.

Crown prosecutors had sought a life sentence without parole, but Beale considered Patterson’s notoriety and likely solitary confinement for safety, citing the “enormous betrayal of trust” that devastated her own children by robbing them of their grandparents.

The case, centered in the small Victorian town of Morwell, saw intense media scrutiny, with Patterson’s trial revealing her purchase of a dehydrator to prepare the mushrooms and subsequent disposal of evidence as guests lay dying. Despite her defense claiming an accidental mix-up with foraged mushrooms, a unanimous jury verdict upheld her guilt after six days of deliberation.

Patterson has until October 6 to appeal her sentence or conviction.