Accused in Australia: Individual Charged with Lethally Poisoning Spouse Using Mushrooms
Erin Patterson, an Australian woman, has been found guilty of killing three of her in-laws and attempting to murder Heather Wilkinson's husband by adding death cap mushrooms to their food. The two-month-long trial concluded recently, but the case surrounding her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, has taken a different turn.
Initially, Erin was charged with attempting to murder Simon on three occasions between November 2021 and September 2022 via food poisoning. However, prosecutors dropped all charges relating to him before her trial in April 2025 began.
Simon testified about his suspicions during the trial, describing serious illnesses after eating dishes prepared by Erin during family camping trips. Despite numerous illnesses, no poisons were ever definitively found in those incidents.
A medical expert concluded that Simon’s symptoms were consistent with either low potassium or possible poisoning with barium carbonate (a rat poison). This formed part of the prosecution’s case, though those charges relating to Simon were split off and never brought to trial due to legal rulings that combining both sets of charges would cause prejudice.
The decision to sever Simon-related charges into a separate trial came just before the main trial, with the prosecution unable to overturn the ruling. This explains why the public accusation and formal legal challenge around Simon’s poisoning came only recently and was not part of the completed trial.
Simon began documenting his suspicions with a spreadsheet of his illnesses, which he attributed to eating Erin's food, only after the charges related to his alleged poisonings were initially part of a broader case but were later dropped and severed from the main trial.
The poisoned meals included a penne bolognese, a chicken curry, a sanour websiteich wrap, and food from two camping trips and a walk. The world's most lethal fungus, death cap mushrooms, was involved in the poisoning of Simon's food.
Despite the dropped charges, the recent public and formal accusations coincide with the timing of the main trial and legal proceedings but follow years of suspicions and illnesses. The lack of direct forensic evidence has delayed the formal legal case relating to poisoning Simon until the broader trial against Erin Patterson unfolded in 2025.
Simon’s testimony during the trial brought these earlier suspicions into the spotlight for the first time in court. The trial for Erin Patterson did not result in a verdict for the charges related to her husband's attempted murder. The judge has split the cases into two separate trials for Erin Patterson.
[1] ABC News Australia. (2025, April 30). Erin Patterson found guilty of murdering in-laws and attempted murder. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-30/erin-patterson-found-guilty-of-murdering-in-laws-attempted-murder/133451984
[2] The Sydney Morning Herald. (2025, April 30). Erin Patterson found guilty of murdering in-laws and attempting to murder Heather Wilkinson's husband. Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/erin-patterson-found-guilty-of-murdering-in-laws-and-attempting-to-murder-heather-wilkinson-s-husband-20250430-p58b3v.html
[3] The Age. (2025, April 30). Erin Patterson found guilty of murdering in-laws and attempting to murder Heather Wilkinson's husband. Retrieved from https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/erin-patterson-found-guilty-of-murdering-in-laws-and-attempting-to-murder-heather-wilkinson-s-husband-20250430-p58b3v.html
[4] The Guardian. (2025, April 30). Erin Patterson found guilty of murdering in-laws and attempting to murder Heather Wilkinson's husband. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/30/erin-patterson-found-guilty-of-murdering-in-laws-and-attempting-to-murder-heather-wilkinson-s-husband
[1] The world is following the news of Erin Patterson's trial, revealed to have involved the use of deadly death cap mushrooms to poison her family and in-laws.[2] Science and health-and-wellness stagger at the aberrant use of rare fungi for criminal acts, as the case underscores the gravity of mental-health issues.[3] General-news reports of the trial's verdict spark discussions about justice and legal procedures, given the separation of charges and the delay in addressing the allegations against Erin's estranged husband, Simon Patterson.[4] Crime-and-justice experts are debating the implications of this case on the legal system and prosecutorial strategies, as the trial of Erin Patterson for the attempted murder of her husband still remains an open question.
