Erin Patterson husband Simon Patterson to pen memoir after mushroom murder case
The husband of death cap mushroom killer Erin Patterson will share his story publicly for the first time as he prepares to publish a tell-all book.
Simon Patterson, who was invited to the fatal lunch that killed three family members in 2023, told the court that he had long feared that his wife had poisoned him because of the meals she had prepared for him, years after they separated but remained married.
The memoir will tell Simon Patterson’s story outside the courtroom for the first time of surviving what he feared were repeated attempts on his life before his parents and aunt died after eating poisoned beef in Wellington.
Details of the publishing company and the final release date have not been announced yet.
The announcement comes almost three years after Erin Patterson was murdered her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, and attempted to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, at his home in Leongatha, regional Victoria, with a lunch decorated with death mushrooms.
Jessica O’Donnell, spokeswoman and communications manager for Simon Patterson, who advised him throughout the court process, said the book is still a work in progress and will likely be published after the legal proceedings are completed.
Last year, both Erin Patterson and the Crown prosecution filed applications to object to parts of the court process. Erin Patterson is calling appeal your convictionAnd prosecution He is trying to appeal his sentence and the hearing is likely to take place later this year.
In an interview with this imprint, O’Donnell said the memoir will be her client’s way of “cataloging” her experiences over the last few years.
“Being able to put something in the library is permanent, it’s your voice. It’s going to create some excitement, we know that, but we’re trying not to compromise too much for now,” he said.
“Throughout the whole process, Simon has been and will remain a special person. When the memoir is published, he will be able to tell all this through the words of his book.”
“This is the best way he can express all of this.”
O’Donnell said working with Simon Patterson throughout the case led him to question how best to support a person who had been under constant scrutiny for so long.
The book launch announcement coincides with O’Donnell’s new career move, which sees her expanding her crisis management work to focus on how it can help people recover from high-pressure situations; Simon Patterson is his first such client.
“It’s been so all-consuming for a long time. It’s such a big story that gets so much attention, but it’s such a human story with so many people on the other side,” he said.
“Print doesn’t create character; it reveals it.
“An official announcement on the memoir, including the publisher and timeline, will come in due course.”
This imprint has previously revealed that a key part of the police investigation revealed that the deaths of Don, Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson were not the defendant’s first dabbling in poison.
Erin Patterson was originally charged with attempting to kill her husband three times in 2021 and 2022, but that part of the case was withdrawn after charges related to the fatal lunch were dismissed by court order.
Before the charges were withdrawn, the prosecution argued that there was medical evidence showing that Simon Patterson had become seriously ill after eating meals prepared by his wife, including on camping trips.
He once spent 16 days in a coma in intensive care before three sections of his intestines were removed during emergency surgery.
The pre-trial hearing was told the killer cooked Simon Patterson penne bolognese on September 19, 2021, before he was hospitalized in Leongatha with stomach-related symptoms. He later said he was served a chicken curry dish during a trip to Howqua in May 2022, followed by a chicken curry wrap during a trip to Wilsons Promontory in September 2022.
He was hospitalized all three times.
On the eve of the trial, the judge was told that police discovered an article about barium carbonate, also known as rat poison, had been accessed on one of Erin Patterson’s electronic devices and that a medical expert could prove the man’s illness at the time was consistent with such poisoning.
The withdrawal of charges meant the jury in the mushroom lunch murder trial never learned of Simon Patterson’s suspicions.
On September 8, Erin Patterson was sentenced to 33 years in prison without parole for the murders of her father-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson.
This ended after an 11-week trial in Morwell, with a jury finding the 51-year-old mother of two guilty of all charges, including the attempted murder of Baptist pastor Ian Wilkinson, who survived the luncheon.
No date has been set for Erin Patterson’s appeal or a decision has been made as to whether any appeals will be heard.
Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
