Australia's Toxic Mushroom Murders Sole Survivor Says He's 'Half Alive' After Wife's Killing

He Testifies on Impact of Murderer's Crimes, Says He Seeks Justice for Her Three Victims

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MELBOURNE — The only guest to survive a toxic mushroom lunch with Australian murderer Erin Patterson said on Aug. 25 that he feels "half alive" without his wife, who was one of the three victims.

Pastor Ian Wilkinson wept in court as he spoke of the loss of his wife, Heather, after she ate a Beef Wellington dish laced with death cap mushrooms — the world's deadliest fungi.

Patterson, 50, was convicted in July of serving the poisonous fare to her husband's parents, aunt, and uncle at a sumptuous lunch in her rural home in the state of Victoria in 2023.

Within days, the parents and aunt were dead, but the uncle — Mr. Wilkinson — survived after weeks in hospital to testify at his host's murder trial, which became a global media sensation.

Patterson was at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne for a two-day hearing, set aside for the victims' relatives to testify about the impact of her crimes and for lawyers to argue over the severity of her sentencing.

"The silence in our home is a daily reminder. I continue to carry a heavy burden of grief over her untimely death," the pastor said of his wife.

"It is a truly horrible thought to live with — that somebody could decide to take her life. I only feel half alive without her."