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

The Australian woman found guilty of killing her ex-in-laws and a third family member by poisoning them with death cap mushrooms at a lunch had allegedly previously tried to murder her estranged husband on multiple occasions, according to newly released evidence.

On July 7, the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court in the South-Eastern Victoria town of Morwell heard that Erin Patterson, 50, had been convicted of the murders of her ex-husband Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, as well as Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, 9 News reported at the time.

She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson, 68, who was hospitalized for weeks following the family lunch, the outlet stated.

Don, Gail and Heather were taken to the hospital and died within days after consuming the Beef Wellington served by Erin, which had been laced with the deadly mushroom at her Leongatha house in July 2023, PEOPLE previously reported.

It’s now been revealed that Erin’s ex Simon Patterson, who was invited to the lunch but chose not to attend, claimed during pre-trial hearings last year that he’d suspected Erin had tried to kill him with tainted food for years, per the BBC.

The pre-trial evidence details have only just been reported after the Supreme Court of Victoria lifted a suppression order on Friday, Aug. 8, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Erin had initially been charged with three counts of attempting to murder Simon, but prosecutors dropped all charges relating to her former husband the night before her trial began in April, so they never went before the jury, Sky News reported.

The pre-trial hearing heard that Simon had first accused his former partner, whom he still isn’t divorced from despite them separating in 2015, of trying to poison him with a Tupperware container of Bolognese penne pasta, the BBC noted.

The ABC stated that the incident occurred between Nov. 16 and 17, 2021, the night before the family was due to go on a camping trip to Wilsons Promontory National Park.

Simon confirmed he felt “nothing untoward” in terms of their relationship at the point of the Tupperware incident, telling Erin’s lawyer, “If by ‘nothing untoward’, you mean anything that would make me think she would try and kill me, correct,” per the BBC.

After eating the food, Simon ended up spending the night in the hospital after suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, the outlet stated.

Another incident saw Simon fall sick with the same symptoms during a camping trip at Howqua in Victoria’s High Country between May 25 and 27, 2022, the ABC noted.

“We had a chicken korma curry on the second night,” he told the pre-trial hearing in October 2024, the outlet stated. “While Erin was preparing food I was getting the fire going so I didn’t watch her prepare it.”

He was assessed at the Mansfield Hospital, but was discharged later that afternoon. His condition then worsened a few days later once he’d returned home, and he claimed he ended up in a coma and required life-saving surgery at Melbourne’s Monash Hospital, the ABC reported.

Per 9 News, Simon shared a since-deleted Facebook post in June 2022, stating he’d almost died and was placed in an induced coma for 16 days.

“My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, I collapsed at home, then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had 3 emergency operations mainly on my small intestine…” the post read, according to the outlet.

Simon then fell seriously ill again on Sept. 6, 2022 after he and Erin had gone back to Wilsons Promontory, and she allegedly said she’d “bring food for the trip,” the ABC noted.

“She brought items to make a curry, a vegetable wrap for me. I think she had some of those things but not in a wrap,” Simon said, according to the outlet.

Related Stories

She Made Beef Wellington — with a Side of Poison? After 3 People Died, Police Say It Was No Accident

Woman Accused of Killing Ex-Husband’s Family with Poisoned Meal Tells Court ‘Exotic Mushrooms’ Have ‘More Flavor’: Reports

“I trust my memory of this. The wrap was prepared and when I see that I can picture the wrap in the aluminum foil, and I can picture the ingredients in her lunch which weren’t wrapped,” he added.

Simon ended up passing out and was hospitalized again, with him experiencing slurred speech and possible seizures, the ABC stated.

A family friend called Christopher Ford, who was also a doctor, suggested Simon start a food diary after he’d fallen ill multiple times, per the BBC.

“I couldn’t understand why these things kept on happening to him in such a way that he had essentially three near-death experiences,” Ford told the court, the outlet stated.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.  

The pre-trial hearing heard that Simon had returned to see Dr. Ford in February 2023, stating that Erin had claimed his daughter had baked a batch of cookies for him. She then repeatedly checked to see if he’d eaten any, per the BBC.

It’s not known what Erin had allegedly been feeding Simon, but investigators suspect rat poison could have been used on at least one occasion after a file with information about it was found on Erin’s computer, the outlet stated.

A sentencing hearing for Erin has been set for Aug. 25. The Supreme Court of Victoria didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.