Ian Wilkinson is the sole survivor of the Australian mushroom poisoning case after losing his whole family to the tragedy caused by none other than one of his own relatives. The deadly lunch laced with toxic mushrooms killed his wife and two of his closest friends. During the sentencing hearing of Erin Patterson, 50, who committed the crimes, Ian said that he feels only half alive after his whole family’s death.
On Monday, the sentencing hearing was held at the Victoria state Supreme Court, during which the sole survivor read the first victim impact statement. “I only feel half alive without her,” Wilkinson said, grieving his wife, whom he described as a person full of love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, gentleness, and self-control, as reported by The Mirror.
The survivor, who is also a Baptist pastor, added, “It’s one of the distressing shortcomings of our society that so much attention is showered on those who do evil and so little on those who do good.”
In his statement, he described Gail and Don Patterson as the closest people to him and his family. The pair were the parents of Erin Patterson ‘s estranged husband, Simon Patterson.
“My life is greatly impoverished without them,” Ian Wilkinson grieved during the Monday sentencing. “I’m distressed that Erin has acted with callous and calculated disregard for my life and the lives of those I love. What foolishness possesses a person to think that murder could be the solution to their problems, especially the murder of people who have only good intentions towards her?” he added.
As a man of faith, he chose to forgive Erin for his crimes. However, he clarified, “I say ‘harms done to me’ advisedly. I have no power or responsibility to forgive harms done to others.”
“My prayer for her is that she will use her time in jail wisely to become a better person,” the man added.
Triple-murderer Erin Patterson has arrived at the Victorian Supreme Court to confront the loved ones of the lunch guests he killed with a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms. Follow live: https://t.co/NcO9774YHV pic.twitter.com/0Bk45h8tnC
— The Australian (@australian) August 25, 2025
A jury convicted Erin of killing Wilkinson’s wife, Heather, her sister, Gail Patterson, and her husband, Don Patterson, in July 2023. Patterson laced their beef wellington pastries with death cap mushrooms, killing the whole bunch except Ian. He had to spend weeks in the hospital and even undergo a liver transplant to survive the tragedy. On Monday, Erin was also convicted of attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson.
During an earlier hearing this month, Erin watched her court date via video link from prison. However, on Monday, he appeared at the Melbourne court in person. Her sentencing hearing will now be resumed on Tuesday. The woman is looking at a potential life sentence for each murder, alongside 25 years for attempted murder.
Apart from Ian, seven of the victim’s family members also attended the ruling to present the impact statements on behalf of the dead.
