Before Poisoned Lunch, She Urged Hubby to Attend 'Special Meal'

The invite came at church. During his estranged wife's murder trial on Thursday, Simon Patterson recalled that on July 16, 2023, Erin Patterson invited himself, his parents, and his aunt and uncle, the latter of whom served as pastor of the church, to a lunch at her home in Australia's Victoria state, saying she had an announcement to make about her health. Simon Patterson initially agreed to attend the lunch on July 29 but changed his mind the day before. "Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable," he wrote in a text, per the Guardian. Within minutes, Erin Patterson responded with disappointment, saying she'd "spent many hours" and "a small fortune" making "a special meal" of beef Wellingtons. "It's important to me that you're all there tomorrow," she added.

Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson, ultimately died after consuming highly poisonous death cap mushrooms. Ian Wilkinson survived only after a liver transplant. Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Her lawyers claim it was a "terrible accident," per Reuters. Testifying on day three of the trial at the Supreme Court of Victoria, Simon said he and Erin separated in 2015 but remained amicable until late 2022 when an accountant listed Simon as separated on a tax return, prompting changes in how he paid to support his children. "I was sure she was very upset about that," Simon told the court.

Simon said Erin relied on his family members for support even after the couple's separation. "Mum and Dad were really active in maintaining a good relationship with Erin and I think it was mutual," he told the court. Prosecutors have not presented a motive for the alleged murder but argue Erin lied about the purpose of the lunch to keep her children from consuming the food. She said she wanted advice on how to break a health concern to her kids. In the text to Simon, she claimed preparations for the lunch were "exhausting in light of the issues I'm facing," adding, "I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time." She ultimately claimed she had ovarian cancer, which the defense acknowledges wasn't true. (More Erin Patterson stories.)