In a recent court hearing, it was revealed that Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old Australian woman, allegedly tried to poison her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, multiple times, utilizing pretenses such as cookies supposedly baked by their daughter. Patterson has previously been found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder another by administering a toxic beef Wellington laced with mushrooms.
Initially, Patterson faced three counts of attempted murder against her husband, but these charges were dropped just before her trial. Although the details of these allegations were initially suppressed to maintain the integrity of the legal proceedings, they can now be disclosed to the public.
On July 29, 2023, mere days after a lunch at her residence, three relatives of Patterson-deceased- died in the hospital: her former in-laws, Don Patterson, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, as well as Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband, survived after weeks of hospitalization. Simon Patterson, who had initially been invited to the lunch but opted out at the last minute, suspected his wife of planning to harm him.
Before the trial, it was mentioned in pre-trial hearings that Simon Patterson endured a years-long campaign of attempted poisonings by his wife, involving tainted dishes such as curry, a wrap, Bolognese pasta, and even chocolate cookies. He had become ill after eating these foods and began to suspect that his wife was attempting to kill him. He documented these incidents but did not take any further action, believing he was the only one in danger.
After his parents fell ill, however, Simon Patterson revealed his suspicions to them in the hospital chapel, believing that his estranged wife was responsible for their condition as well. The police suspected that rat poison may have been used in at least one instance during these alleged poisonings.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy3ngr2n3vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
