Mushroom Killer’s Ex-Husband Claims He was Placed in a Coma for 16 Days amid Multiple Poisoning Attempts Before Fatal Lunch: Reports

An Australian woman convicted of murdering her ex-in-laws and a third family member with death cap mushrooms had allegedly made multiple prior attempts to kill her estranged husband, according to newly released court evidence.

On July 7, the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in Morwell, Victoria, found Erin Patterson, 50, guilty of killing her former husband Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, along with Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, 9 News reported. She was also convicted of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, 68, who was hospitalized for weeks after the family meal.

The victims fell ill after eating a Beef Wellington served at Erin’s Leongatha home in July 2023, which authorities say was laced with death cap mushrooms, PEOPLE previously reported.

Newly unsealed evidence reveals that Simon Patterson — who had been invited to the lunch but declined — told pre-trial hearings last year that he suspected Erin had been trying to poison him for years, according to the BBC.

The details were made public after the Supreme Court of Victoria lifted a suppression order on Aug. 8, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. Erin had initially faced three counts of attempting to murder Simon, but prosecutors dropped those charges the night before her trial began in April, meaning they were never heard by the jury, Sky News noted.

Simon testified that he first suspected Erin in 2021, when she gave him a Tupperware container of Bolognese penne pasta the night before a planned family camping trip. He told Erin’s lawyer that, at the time, there was “nothing untoward” in their relationship that would make him think she intended to harm him, per the BBC. After eating the meal, Simon suffered vomiting and diarrhea and spent the night in the hospital.

In May 2022, Simon became ill again during a camping trip in Victoria’s High Country after eating a chicken korma curry Erin prepared. He was treated at Mansfield Hospital, but his condition worsened after returning home, leading to a coma and life-saving surgery at Melbourne’s Monash Hospital, according to the ABC. In a since-deleted Facebook post that June, he said his family had been told twice to say goodbye to him.

Simon fell seriously ill once more in September 2022 during a trip to Wilsons Promontory. Erin had brought food for the trip, including a vegetable wrap for Simon. He recalled that her own lunch contained some of the same ingredients, though not in wrap form. The ABC reported that Simon later lost consciousness and was hospitalized again with slurred speech and possible seizures.

Family friend and doctor Christopher Ford told the court he advised Simon to keep a food diary after witnessing his repeated near-death experiences. In February 2023, Simon reported that Erin had claimed his daughter baked cookies for him and repeatedly asked whether he had eaten any.

While it’s unclear exactly what substances were allegedly used, investigators suspect rat poison may have been involved in at least one instance after finding a related file on Erin’s computer, the BBC reported.

Erin’s sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 25. The Supreme Court of Victoria did not immediately respond to a request for comment.