As she continues to protest her innocence, Erin Patterson was sighted by the outside world for the first time in 11 months last week. Appearing via video link from Melbourne’s Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, where she is currently serving three life sentences, the woman known as the “Mushroom Murderer”, 51, cut a sombre and solitary figure.
Apart from her legal team, Patterson didn’t have any supporters in court for what was set to be a two-day hearing. Yet Woman’s Day has learnt that behind the scenes, the killer’s only friend was watching the livestream from afar.
Social worker Ali Rose has remained loyal to Patterson through the court case that saw her convicted of three murders and one attempted murder in July 2025.
Standing by Erin
Ali was even seen shedding tears when Patterson was found guilty and told the press she was “saddened” by the outcome.
Behind the scenes, even now, Ali has reportedly been helping support her incarcerated friend.
“Ali is probably in a unique position because Erin trusts her,” a source close to the woman tells us.
“She has quietly taken care of a lot of the practical things around Erin’s life.”
On Reddit, a user claiming to be Ali’s friend slammed the backlash she’d received after being dubbed a “groupie” for her loyalty to Patterson. Under the anonymous username NoCover8820, the pal wrote about wanting to “set the record straight”.
“Ali really believes that everybody should have somebody in their darkest hours – even if that person is guilty of a heinous crime,” the friend shared, adding that she “supported Erin, her children, kept her home looking immaculate and sacrificed her time to just be a kind human being”.
The house left behind
However, Patterson’s Leongatha house – which now stands empty and is thought to be worth around $1.3 million – has an order on it from the Supreme Court that prevents its sale. According to neighbours, Ali still visits occasionally, although the property is now showing signs of wear and tear without any residents.
It’s been reported in The Australian that the home’s gate was damaged during a break-in, bark from nearby trees has gathered on the roof, moss is growing on the pathway and local kids have built a fort nearby, complete with a couch, chair and empty beer bottles.
Patterson, who currently has a non-parole period of 33 years, is desperately hoping her fight for freedom will see her back in what she once described as her “forever home” soon.
Killer image
Courtroom sketch artist Anita Lester last captured Patterson’s likeness during the 2025 trial and was present at Melbourne’s Victorian Court of Appeal last week to do the same. The image produced above shows the killer hasn’t changed much in the past year.
“Her hair is a bit longer and she was wearing her glasses, which she often does when she’s in her studious mode,” Anita told Woman’s Day just hours after completing her first sketch.
On the second day of court proceedings, Patterson was seen showing a rare sign of emotion, shaking her head and saying no as the prosecutor made their argument.
Sole survivor
Seated just behind the prosecution, the sole survivor of Patterson’s mushroom lunch watched last week’s proceedings with a grim expression and arms crossed. Ian Wilkinson attended Patterson’s trial last year and was back in court as her defence team argued her convictions should be quashed, arguing the trial represented a “catastrophic” failure of the justice system because jurors stayed in
the same hotel as police and prosecution.
The state’s director of public prosecutions argued, conversely, that the sentence handed down was “manifestly inadequate” and should be extended. They want Patterson to be jailed for life without parole.
All the while, Ian, 70, whose wife Heather died after eating Patterson’s poisonous lunch, watched on with his daughter Ruth Dubois. Victim Don Patterson’s brother Colin was also in court. Ian, a Baptist pastor, who spent seven weeks in hospital following the fateful lunch, said last year that he has forgiven Patterson for trying to murder him.
