Erin Patterson’s remaining assets are likely to come under scrutiny after the 50-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of Don and Gail Patterson and Gail Wilkinson and given a non-parole period of 33 years, legal observers said.
Patterson was also sentenced to 25 years for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. The length of the non-parole period means she could be eligible for release at about age 83, prompting questions about what, if anything, will remain of the estate she used to fund a high‑cost legal defence.
Court documents and published reporting outline a history of substantial inheritances and property holdings that allowed Patterson and her former partner, Simon Patterson, to build a significant portfolio before criminal charges and trial costs reduced available assets. Patterson, née Scutter, received a roughly $2 million bequest from her grandmother in 2006 paid over eight years, according to reports, and an additional inheritance after the death of her mother, Heather Scutter, in 2019.
Those funds helped finance a lifestyle that included international travel and the construction of a so‑called "forever house" on Gibson Street in Leongatha, the site of the 2023 fatal lunch. The home, purchased as a block in 2019 for $260,000 and later developed, has been valued at more than $1 million in court records. A Mount Waverley unit owned by Patterson was sold for $1.025 million about six weeks after she was charged in relation to the killings.
Patterson and Simon Patterson married in 2007 and separated in 2015 but retained financial ties for several years. Property records and court filings show the couple had listed each other as joint owners on multiple assets; the division of those assets was completed in 2022. At that point, Patterson retained a Mount Waverley townhouse, a house on Shellcot Road in Korumburra and the nearly finished Gibson Street residence. Simon Patterson took the former family home in Korumburra.
Her financial position shifted markedly after charges were filed. Reports say she placed a mortgage on the Leongatha home shortly before trial in the name of her law firm, Doogue + George, and mounted a high‑cost legal defence led by senior counsel and a team of lawyers. Those legal expenditures, along with the sale of at least one property, have reduced the estate available to creditors or claimants.
In July 2023, Supreme Court Justice Michelle Quigley imposed a restraining order over the Gibson Street property to preserve it to satisfy any potential claims for compensation or restitution. Justice Quigley noted in the order that it was "likely" a compensation claim would be made. Proceedings relating to that restraining order are listed to return to the Supreme Court in November.
Under Victorian law, victims are entitled to apply for compensation within 12 months after a guilty verdict; whether any victims will lodge claims in relation to Patterson’s estate has not been made public. If claims are made, they will be considered alongside any secured interests, including mortgages, and the costs already incurred in Patterson’s defence.
Legal experts say the interplay between secured lending, the proceeds of property sales and victim compensation claims can complicate recovery efforts. A restrained asset can be sold or otherwise dealt with by court order to satisfy liabilities, but the timing and outcome depend on the claims filed, the priorities of creditors and any ongoing litigation.
Court records and public reporting list members of Patterson’s legal team, including barrister Sophie Stafford, solicitor Ophelia Holloway and Colin Mandy SC. Defence expenditures have been cited in reporting as a primary reason for reductions in Patterson’s formerly sizable holdings.
With the restraining order still in place and a November court date set, the ultimate disposition of Patterson’s properties and the extent to which any assets will be available to compensate victims remain unresolved. Authorities and court registries did not provide additional comment outside of filed orders and published sentencing remarks.