Crime & justice

Erin Patterson Allegedly Tried to Kill Husband Before Mushroom Murders

Published AUG 8 2025

Story

Above: Erin Patterson sitting in a prison transport vehicle in Morwell, Australia, on May 12, 2025. Image credit: Martin Keep/Getty Images

The Facts

Erin Patterson, the Australian woman convicted in July of killing her in-laws by poisoning their meal, allegedly also attempted to poison her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, multiple times from 2021 to 2022, resulting in him suffering vomiting, diarrhea and falling into a coma in 2022.
NPR Online News
The Telegraph
Simon declined to attend the fatal July 29, 2023, lunch because he feared his estranged wife would poison him, telling a pre-trial hearing he thought there would be a risk she would poison him if he attended, and previously shared his suspicions with family members.
NPR Online News
Sky News
Prosecutors originally charged Patterson with three counts of attempted murder related to the alleged poisoning of her husband, but dropped these charges without explanation on the eve of her trial in April 2024. The charges were based on Simon Patterson's allegations.
The Telegraph
BBC News
Patterson was convicted of murdering Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, by serving them beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms. She was also charged with attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, who survived.
NPR Online News
The Times (UK)
Justice Christopher Beale kept the jury from hearing about Patterson's alleged poisoning attempts, visit to a local trash dump or a 2020 Facebook post about poisonous mushrooms, ruling these charges should be tried separately to avoid prejudice.
Sky News
ABC
Patterson faces life in prison for each murder conviction and up to 25 years for attempted murder, with sentencing set for Aug. 25, 2024. Her lawyers plan to appeal, and prosecutor Jane Warren expects "a lot" of victim impact statements
NPR Online News
BBC News
The Telegraph

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Patterson's trial omitted a trove of damning evidence — alleged prior poisoning attempts, toxin research, and suspicious visits to trash dumps — that could have made conviction swifter. By shielding the jury from this, prosecutors effectively handled her with soft gloves.

1 News

The Sydney Morning Herald

Narrative B

Despite some evidence being excluded to ensure a fair trial, the court followed protocol. Patterson was still found guilty on all counts after 11 weeks of testimony from over 50 witnesses and now faces life in prison, where she belongs.