Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial hears husband tell of strained relationship

1/5/2025 16:22

The estranged husband of an Australian woman accused of murdering three of his elderly relatives with a meal laced with deadly mushrooms told a court on Thursday their relationship had become increasingly strained in the year before the deaths.



Erin Patterson is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, in a case that has gripped Australia.



All four fell ill after a lunch of Beef Wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans, the court has heard. Prosecutors allege the accused laced the meal with highly poisonous death cap mushrooms at her home in Leongatha, a town of around 6,000 people some 135 km from Melbourne.



Erin Patterson denies the charges, with her defence saying the deaths were a "terrible accident".



Erin's husband, Simon Patterson, wept as he told the Supreme Court of Victoria relations between the pair, who had separated amicably in 2015, deteriorated in late 2022, when he listed himself as separated on a tax return.



The decision triggered a system of child support payments, meaning Simon Patterson no longer paid their two children's private school fees directly, he said.

"I was sure she was very upset about that," he told the court.