At the bottom of a picturesque cemetery on the outskirts of their hometown, the graves of Erin Patterson’s alleged victims remain unmarked more than a year after their deaths.
On Wednesday, Patterson will front the Supreme Court of Victoria for the first of a series of preliminary hearings to pave the way for her eventual jury trial next year.
The 49-year old faces three counts of murder over the deaths of her father-in-law Don Patterson, mother-in-law Gail Patterson and extended relative Heather Wilkinson, who attended a lunch at her home in July last year.
She is also accused of the attempted murder of her estranged husband Simon Patterson, who was invited to the same lunch but didn’t attend, and two other alleged attempts in 2022, and another in 2021.
Patterson is also accused of the attempted murder of pastor Ian Wilkinson, who attended the lunch but survived after fighting for his life in hospital.
Their final resting places of her alleged victims are positioned towards the rear of the cemetery among its lush lawns, a stone’s throw from a grassy cow paddock.
While the bodies of Patterson’s in-laws Don and Gail Patterson were buried within a month of their deaths, Ms Wilkinson was not buried until October.
It remains unknown why headstones have still not yet been arranged for the three, more than a year after their tragic deaths.
The lonely burial sites of Don and Gail Patterson (top left) and Heather Wilkinson (centre bottom) on Monday
Erin Patterson is accused of murdering her in-laws at a deadly lunch in July 2023
A memorial for the Pattersons was held five weeks before Ms Wilkinson’s, with hundreds attending the service at the Korumburra Recreation Centre.
A similar crowd attended Ms Wilkinson’s memorial on October 4, where Mr Wilkinson was seen for the first time since the alleged attack on his life.
Simon Patterson
Mr Wilkinson walked into the funeral service for his wife with the assistance of a walking frame just weeks after he was released from hospital.
While he did not address the gathering then, he will be compelled to give evidence if he is called to the witness box at Patterson’s forthcoming trial.
On Monday, neither Mr Patterson or Mr Wilkinson would discuss their scheduled appearances at the upcoming pre-trial hearings.
Warning signs posted at the gates of their respective homes in Korumburra – 120km south-east of Melbourne – threaten media representatives with prosecution for trespassing if they attempted to approach the properties.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and will appear in court on Wednesday via videolink.
The mum-of-two had lived at a property situated among bush and lush green fields in Leongatha – a short drive from Korumburra – at the time of the alleged murders.
On Monday, a warning sign on her gate remained stuck to the electronic gate of her home.
The once prestigious home of Erin Patterson in Leongatha now appears to be overgrown
A legal notice remains cable-tied to Erin Patterson’s front gate
Patterson’s alleged victims are buried in unmarked graves at the Korumburra Cemetery
While Patterson is understood to still own the property, she no longer lives there and it appears to be unoccupied, abandoned and overgrown, with long grass surrounding the property.
It was the same home where police have accused Patterson of murdering her alleged victims with a beef Wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.
The first of Patterson’s pre-trial hearings is expected to wind-up on Monday, with further hearings planned for later this year, ahead of a trial next year.
But evidence details from the hearings will be kept secret from the public to ensure potential jury members do not hear information that is not disclosed at the trial.
Don and Gail Patterson were both allegedly murdered by Erin Patterson
Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Mr WIlkinson survived the deadly lunch that claimed the life of his wife
The graves of Patterson’s alleged victims remain unmarked more than a year after their deaths
The Korumburra General Cemetery is nestled among rolling green hills
The case garnered worldwide attention when news of it broke at the end of July last year, attracting journalists from across the globe.
When the actual trial gets underway next year, the world’s press will be granted full access to proceedings, with US-based documentary crews among the many expected to be in the media pack.
Patterson has always denied any wrongdoing and broke down in tears when she broke her silence prior to her arrest last year.
‘The loss to the community and to the families and my own children who have lost their grandmother… I just can’t fathom what has happened,’ she said at the time.
‘I’m so sorry that they have lost their lives. I just can’t believe it.’
