The case that has consumed the public since 2023 came to a kind of close on Monday, with Erin Patterson sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years. And yet, two of the biggest questions remain unanswered: what was Patterson’s state of mind at the time of offending, and what motivated her to feed four of her relatives a meal laced with death cap mushrooms?

The prosecution provided no motive for the murders and were not required to. They simply needed to prove that her acts were intentional and designed to cause death. The defence’s case was similarly unilluminating, likely built around her instructions that the mushrooms were mistakenly placed in the meal.

Erin Patterson leaves court after being sentenced to life in prison on Monday.Credit: Wayne Taylor

In the absence of any clear motive or information about her mental state and functioning, and even before sentencing, many armchair detectives and faux psychologists have been quick to theorise about the diagnosis that may have explained Patterson’s actions.

When I tuned into Justice Christopher Beale’s verdict on Monday morning, I was especially surprised that no pre-sentence reports that might have been completed on Patterson were submitted. These reports are usually ordered by the court or the........

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