Netflix just dropped a documentary on one of the wildest true crime cases of recent times

It was the unlikely crime that shocked the world: On 29 July 2023, three people in Australia were poisoned to death after eating a beef wellington containing deadly mushrooms, with a fourth seriously injured.

The heinous case only unravelled when it was found that a fifth diner, Erin Patterson, was the one responsible for planting the deadly death caps in the recipe.

Among the victims were Don and Gail Patterson, her in-laws, along with Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson; the husband of whom survived after being put into a coma.

The 51-year-old's estranged husband was also supposed to be at the lunch, but cancelled last minute - and has revealed his own speculation that she'd been trying to poison him "for years".

It's thought the lunch was arranged under the guise of Erin maintaining good relationships with her husband's family despite their separation.

Getty/Netflix

The mushrooms used, Amanita phalloides, commonly known as the death cap, are responsible for the most fatal mushroom poisonings globally. Just half a mushroom can cause severe liver and kidney failure.

While Patterson has long maintained her innocence, she was given three life sentences for the murders (plus a further 25 years to be served concurrently for the attempted murder), making it the longest prison stint handed to a woman in Australia's history.

She won't be eligible for parole until 2056.

But her story isn't over just yet, as Netflix have dropped a new documentary exploring the crime that gained Victoria's sleepy town of Leongatha notoriety for all the wrong reasons.

Available to stream from 16 December, the documentary unpacks the series of events through those who were involved in the case, from the tipping of a food dehydrator after police began investigating, to claims from Patterson that she'd picked up the mushrooms from a grocery store.

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"I knew. I thought, 'Okay, yep, you did it, you heinous individual. You've poisoned them all,'" Chris Webster, the doctor who treated the victims in hospital previously told the BBC.

The day after the lunch, all four of her guests were admitted to Leongatha Hospital with suspected gastroenteritis. Patterson herself claimed that she was also experiencing symptoms, but never went to hospital - only arousing suspicion about her involvement.

"Erin Patterson you wicked woman", one initial review read, hours after the three-part documentary's release.

Patterson will be in her 80s before being considered for parole.

Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders is now streaming on Netflix

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