Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • All Woman
  • Career & Education
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Classifieds
  • Design Week
Husband feared Australia’s mushroom killer had poisoned him before
International News, Latest News
August 8, 2025

Husband feared Australia’s mushroom killer had poisoned him before

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s recently convicted mushroom murderer also tried to poison her husband with bolognese pasta and chicken korma curry, according to testimony aired Friday after a suppression order lapsed.

Home cook Erin Patterson was found guilty in July of murdering her husband’s parents and elderly aunt in 2023, lacing their beef Wellington lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms.

A series of potentially damning allegations about Patterson’s behaviour in the lead-up to the meal were withheld from the jury to give the mother-of-two a fair trial.

Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale on Friday rejected an application to keep these allegations secret.

Patterson tried to kill her estranged husband, Simon, on three occasions between 2021 and 2022, police alleged in one of the major claims not heard during the trial.

She was accused of serving him poisoned dishes of pasta bolognese, chicken curry and a vegetable wrap, according to freshly released evidence.

Simon told a pre-trial hearing in October last year how Patterson had asked him to taste test a batch of curries she had made.

“I remember Erin saying that the purpose of the taste test was so she could, I guess, customise future curry production for our respective tastes,” he said in testimony suppressed until now.

He later fell ill after eating a mild chicken korma served by Patterson on a camping trip in 2022.

“At first I felt hot, especially in my head, and that led to feeling nauseous and then that led to me quite suddenly needing to vomit,” he said.

Simon eventually fell into a coma before receiving life-saving surgery to remove a section of his bowel.

He later told doctor Christopher Ford that he had come to suspect Patterson might be deliberately poisoning him.

He became worried when Patterson offered him a batch of homemade cookies, Ford said.

“Simon was apprehensive about eating the cookies, as he felt they may be poisoned,” the doctor told a pre-trial hearing last year.

“He reported to me that while they were away, Erin called several times and enquired about whether he had eaten any of the cookies.”

When his parents fell gravely ill after eating at Patterson’s house, Simon would regretfully confide those fears to his family.

“He wanted to tell us that he had suspected his own illnesses had been a deliberate act,” cousin Ruth Dubois told a pre-trial hearing.

“He had stopped eating food that Erin had prepared, because he suspected that she might have been messing with it.

“And that he was really sorry that he hadn’t told our family.”

Prosecutors dropped those charges before the start of Patterson’s trial, with tight restrictions preventing the media from revealing any details.

Patterson hosted an intimate meal in July 2023 that started with good-natured banter and earnest prayer — but ended with three guests dead.

A 12-person jury found the 50-year-old guilty of murdering Simon’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, as well as his aunt Heather Wilkinson.

She was also found guilty of attempting to murder Heather’s husband Ian, a well-known pastor at the local Baptist church.

Simon had been invited to that lunch as well, but pulled out because he felt “uncomfortable”.

At the time, Patterson’s relationship with Simon was starting to turn sour.

The pair — long estranged but still legally married — had been fighting over Simon’s child support contributions.

Patterson’s trial drew podcasters, film crews and true crime fans to the rural town of Morwell, a sedate hamlet in the state of Victoria better known for prize-winning roses.

Newspapers from New York to New Delhi followed every twist of what many now simply call the “mushroom murders”.

Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world’s most lethal fungus.

Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties, and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity.

Patterson will return to court on August 25 for hearings that will determine how long she spends behind bars.

Her legal team has 28 days after sentencing to appeal both her criminal convictions and her sentence.

Tags:

Australia Mushroom murder Sentencing
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Portmore beat Cavalier to take JPL crown
Latest News, Sports
Portmore beat Cavalier to take JPL crown
PAUL A REID Observer writer 
May 24, 2026
Portmore United returned to the pinnacle of club football in Jamaica on Sunday, beating defending champions Cavalier 5-3 on penalties after they playe...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Latest News, News, Videos
WATCH: Granville residents protest police killings
May 24, 2026
ST JAMES, Jamaica — In keeping with the call from the police, residents in Granville staged a peaceful protest in the community where they again prote...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference set for June 5 in South Florida
Business, Latest News
From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference set for June 5 in South Florida
May 24, 2026
Leading Jamaican professionals, developers, investors, and industry experts will converge at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sunrise - Sawgrass Mills o...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Mt Pleasant outscore 10-man Montego Bay for third in JPL
Latest News, Sports
Mt Pleasant outscore 10-man Montego Bay for third in JPL
May 24, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Angelo Exilus scored a brace as Mt Pleasant FA rebounded from their semi-final disappointment to beat 10-man Montego Bay United 3-...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Unity Cup gets FIFA Tier 1 designation – report
Latest News, Sports
Unity Cup gets FIFA Tier 1 designation – report
May 24, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Unity Cup has reportedly been confirmed as a FIFA Tier 1 event, days before the four-team tournament involving Jamaica’s Regga...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
WATCH: Mayor urges calm after murder of beloved Papine Market supervisor
Latest News, News, Videos
WATCH: Mayor urges calm after murder of beloved Papine Market supervisor
May 24, 2026
Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby has urged residents of Mona Commons in St Andrew not to take matters into their own hands following the murder of one of t...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Enhanced Games doctor ‘reasonably confident’ nothing will happen
Latest News, News
Enhanced Games doctor ‘reasonably confident’ nothing will happen
May 24, 2026
LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — Juiced-up athletes gathered in Las Vegas on Sunday for the first-ever Enhanced Games, where organisers predict world ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
JIBA hails Lalor as visionary, transformational leader
Business, Latest News
JIBA hails Lalor as visionary, transformational leader
May 24, 2026
Jamaica Insurance Brokers Association has hailed late Jamaican business titan Dennis Lalor as a transformational figure whose impact extended well bey...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct