At 10:18 on Monday, Erin Patterson was led from courtroom four inside Melbourne's Supreme Court building to begin a life sentence in prison.
Her slow shuffle took her directly past two rows of wooden benches squeezed full of journalists, each scrutinising Patterson's exit for any final detail.
Upstairs in the public gallery, observers craned their necks to get a last glimpse – possibly for decades, perhaps ever – of the seemingly ordinary woman who is one of Australia's most extraordinary killers.
Also watching her was Ian Wilkinson, the only survivor of Patterson's famous mushroom meal in 2023, a cruel murder plot the judge decried as an enormous betrayal.
Mr. Wilkinson, who had for months walked in and out of court without uttering a public word, paused on the courthouse steps to thank police who brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people and the lawyers for their hard work and perseverance.
There was praise too for the medics who saved his life and tried desperately to halt the other lunch guests' brutal decline.
For the 71-year-old, it is now back to the house he shared with Heather, his wife of 44 years, who raised their four children before becoming a teacher and mentor.
The silence in our home is a daily reminder, he reflected, emphasizing the emotional void left by his wife's absence.
I only feel half alive without her, he added.
The case revolves around Erin Patterson's toxic mushroom meal, which claimed the life of Heather Wilkinson and two of her friends. Despite Patterson's elaborate planning, the jury ultimately reached a unanimous guilty verdict. Justice Christopher Beale described Patterson's actions as a profound and devastating betrayal of trust.
Erin Patterson now faces a life sentence but will be eligible for release when she turns 82, in 2056. Meanwhile, Ian Wilkinson made a heartfelt plea for kindness in the layers of trauma surrounding the community and expressed a desire for privacy for his family as they process their grief in the aftermath of this high-profile case.
