Erin Patterson - We the members of the MN jury find the defendant Guilty or Not Guilty?

[Dustyblue]

Well here we are, after 2 years of head-scratching speculation and many weeks of trial detail-thrashing. It looks like the Judge will give his directions to the jury on Tuesday, after which they'll be sequestered in a local motel (I do not envy them this) to reach a verdict.

Clearly we're not privy to every last piece of evidence shown at the trial, but those of us who've been following closely will surely have formed an opinion one war or the other.

So, I ask you- if you were on the jury- what would your verdict be?

Pre-sentencing hearing, with victim impact statements to be heard, is today and tomorrow. Apparently she will be sentenced later this year.

Live updates here

Erin Patterson live: Victims' families address triple-murderer at plea hearing - ABC News

The Victim impact statements are bloody tragic. This is Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor:

Mr Wilkinson describes the grief he feels as he lives without his late wife, Heather.

He then turns his attention to Erin Patterson, slamming her "callous and calculated disregard for my life and the life of those I love".
"What foolishness possesses a person to think that murder is the solution?" he asks.

He tells the court he offers Patterson forgiveness for the harm she caused him, but he has no right to forgive her for the other deaths she caused.
"I bear her no ill will. My prayer for her is that she will use her time in jail wisely to become a better person," he says.

"I am no longer Erin Patterson's victim, and she has become the victim of my kindness."

And yet he bears her no will ill? Amazing. Only a Baptist pastor could say that.

I'd say far worse.

He's a dignified man.

'He tells the court he offers Patterson forgiveness for the harm she caused him, but he has no right to forgive her for the other deaths she caused.

"I bear her no ill will. My prayer for her is that she will use her time in jail wisely to become a better person," he says.

"I am no longer Erin Patterson's victim, and she has become the victim of my kindness."'

Oh, you already quoted this, Dusty! Worth repeating.

She's not looking too good in these photos.

I am surprised to hear Mandy agrees she murdered them now:

“There can be no argument that the acts were deliberate and that the intention was to kill,” Mandy said.

I expect there are all sorts of legal reasons for the change in language, but it is jarring after the tone in the trial. Also, this bit!

“This is very grave offending and we make no argument that the head sentence should be anything other than life in imprisonment,” Mandy said.

Erin Patterson plea hearing LIVE: Family of mushroom murder victims detail impact on Simon, Erin’s children and relatives of Don, Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson

oh they are bringing up the possibility of autism now!

28 victim impact statements

Gosh I hadn’t considered the likelihood that she’ll be in isolation for the majority of her sentence.
I mean it’s nothing less than she deserves but oof-that’s a long time!

Obviously what she did was awful and she deserves a very lengthy sentence. But being in solitary for the duration seems awful

So she is being held in solitary not because she has misbehaved but because it is such a famous case. That is cruel. What she did was horrendous but as a state there is a responsibility to not do cruel punishments.

She can use the intercom to talk to other inmates but only if she knows their name, which she doesn’t as she can’t meet them. Surely there can be a few who are risk assessed to not be volatile she can meet under supervision/ be allowed to talk to.

I guess it is hard as the other inmates in that wing are in there for poor behaviour so can’t be trusted to behave and meet her.

Ian Wilkinson. What a man!

So she is being held in solitary not because she has misbehaved but because it is such a famous case.

She is being held in protective custody. It's for her own safety. And according to the other prisoners quoted in the media, she is rude and unpleasant.

Those impact statements made it so real. What an horrific sad act and all for nothing. Those poor people. Ian was right to say this moment was about Heather.

Sentencing is on 8 September.

"Ms Warren argues Patterson sat on crucial information for hours and days that could have prevented the victims' experiencing pain from death cap mushrooms."

Exactly.

Other prisoners aren’t kept in solitary for being rude and unpleasant. Yes it is for her own protection but I still don’t agree with it.

Totally different scenario but I’m using it to illustrate my point. Child A is being badly bullied so isn’t allowed into the playground with other children, can only use the library when no one else is there and is kept at all times away from all other children. Has to be escorted everywhere with 2 members of staff keep to them safe. Child A isn’t the nicest child and can be rude etc…

Erin is being punished for other inmates behaviour. That is wrong. Her punishment, is incarceration not solitary. There isn’t an easy fix as staffing in prisons is hard, but I don’t think just shrugging and saying she will spend the rest of her life there is good enough.

Other prisoners aren’t kept in solitary for being rude and unpleasant. Yes it is for her own protection but I still don’t agree with it.

I said she is in protective custody. Obviously she is not in protective custody for being rude! You've conflated two statements.

You also made this point:

She can use the intercom to talk to other inmates but only if she knows their name, which she doesn’t as she can’t meet them.

Other prisoners, who have had the opportunity to socialise with Erin describe her social demeanour as follows:

“She is just a real rude bitch,” one former inmate tells news.com.au.

Those she shares her life with now say she treats them like dirt.

Any interaction with people, she tried to make them feel like shit.

Erin Patterson sentencing: Ex inmate reveals she ‘won’t cope’ in prison | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlines

She is being held in protective custody. It's for her own safety. And according to the other prisoners quoted in the media, she is rude and unpleasant. it was the and that made me think you were conflating the two points.

Regardless of if she is rude or unpleasant she shouldn’t be punished (which solitary is) for other inmates behaviour. If the need a safety wing of vulnerable prisoners, which still gives them freedom of movement and socialising then that is different. But they are expensive with very high staffing ratio needed. If an inmate is then aggressive to another in that wing then they should be moved to isolation.

I have tried to explain my statement already, fairly thoroughly. One more try.

1. she is in protective custody for her own safety.

2. she is rude and unpleasant when she has had the opportunity to socialise

Therefore, I would think, chances are she is not after socialising with the other prisoners, who you say she can't as she doesn't know their names - but she is aware of many of the other prisoners from her time there prior to her trial. So... I expect she does know a few names.

At no point have I said she is in protective custody because she is rude!

In the isolation wing there is an intercom system so you can speak to others. But you need to know who is there, which she doesn’t as she can’t socialise with them at all. She might know others in a different wing but that doesn’t help with the intercom. People usually come in and out of the wing as it is used as a punishment for poor behaviour elsewhere in the prison.

Long term solitary confinement is cruel. I disagree that a solitary confident punishment should be used as protective custody

From that article linked above.

“When she first moved to the Murray Unit (protection), girls would say hello to her and she would just ignore them. She was just a real rude bitch.”

In your fantasy, she is dying to get onto that intercom. In reality, she has been, by all accounts, unsociable in the last two years almost she's been in that prison. From what the media have said, she was moved to that unit last year when they were investigating the allegations she attempted to poison another prisoner.

Why are we so concerned about the solitary confinement aspect today? Don't think you've mentioned the victim impact statements at all 🙄 @JamesWebbSpaceTelescope

I mean, my heart fucking bleeds

@JamesWebbSpaceTelescope She can use the intercom to talk to other inmates but only if she knows their name, which she doesn’t as she can’t meet them. Surely there can be a few who are risk assessed to not be volatile she can meet under supervision/ be allowed to talk to

You seem to have missed the point, that seemingly, when she has interacted with other prisoners they don’t want continue to meet and talk with her, because she is rude to them. That’s not a problem for others to solve. It’s a cause and effect with her own behaviour, not a justice system problem to fix.

The impact statements were as heartbreaking as expected in such a horrific case. She sat there and chatted as her victims ate poison. That is incredibly cold blooded and almost beyond comprehension.

I am against cruel punishments though, regardless of how abhorrent the crime. Solitary confinement is cruel, and it has been debated many times if it is ‘cruel or unusual’ or even tipping into torture. I can see its use in a prison discipline structure but disagree with it being used as an indefinite protective measure.

She isn’t in the Murray unit which is less restrictive but the Gordon unit, and she is even more restricted than the other inmates in that as she can’t come into contact with anyone else. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-25/blog-erin-patterson-plea-hearing-august-25/105692288