Erin Patterson Appeal Ends With 33-Year Sentence and Retrial Bid Under Review
Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 20
Erin Patterson Appeal Ends With 33-Year Sentence and Retrial Bid Under Review
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 20
Summary
Australia’s appeals court wrapped Erin Patterson’s hearing after defense lawyers sought a retrial and prosecutors argued her 33-year non-parole term should be replaced with life without parole.
Seven appeal grounds centered on trial fairness, led by claims that jurors shared a Morwell hotel with prosecutors and an informant, plus arguments that cross-examination and some evidence were unfairly prejudicial.
Prosecutors challenged the sentencing judge’s reliance on Patterson’s notoriety and likely solitary confinement, saying the woman convicted of three murders and one attempted murder should never be released.
Patterson, who poisoned a 2024 beef wellington lunch with death cap mushrooms, listened by video link from maximum security prison; the court will rule later on whether to order a retrial or lengthen her punishment.