'Mushroom Murderer' Tried to Off Me a Few Times: Ex

Erin Patterson was found guilty last month of killing her in-laws with a poisonous mushroom meal, but details on her case continue to trickle out post-trial. This time, the news revolves around the fact that three counts of attempted murder against Patterson involving her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, were unexpectedly dropped, without explanation, right before her trial started. Those counts were reportedly tied to the fact that Simon Patterson had claimed his wife had tried to kill him multiple times before the doomed dinner on July 29, 2023, that killed his parents and aunt and injured his uncle, per the BBC.

Simon Patterson, who'd thought their 2015 separation was fairly amicable, had detailed those previous incidents during pretrial hearings, revealing that Erin Patterson had served him a meal of penne with Bolognese sauce in November 2021, after which he started throwing up and suffering from diarrhea, landing him an overnight hospital stay. "I had the idea I got sick from Erin's food [but] I did not give it too much thought," he said in his police statement. Other incidents, per Simon Patterson's statements:

• He fell ill during a May 2022 camping trip with his estranged ex after consuming a chicken curry dish she'd prepared, sending him into a coma and requiring the removal of a significant part of his bowel. "My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live," he said in a social media post later that year.
• A few months later, in September, Simon Patterson says he started slurring his words, vomiting, and experiencing diarrhea after eating a vegetable wrap.
• In February 2023, just months before the meal that killed his family members, Simon Patterson told a doctor who was a family friend that he was starting to suspect his ex for his illnesses. He cited another instance in which Erin Patterson tried to get him to eat chocolate chip cookies she claimed were baked by their daughter; Simon Patterson said his ex kept calling to ask him if he'd tried any.

The Guardian notes that after these incidents, Simon Patterson secretly removed the medical power-of-attorney privileges he'd bestowed on Erin Patterson and transferred them to his father, Don Patterson. That outlet has more, including on a jar filled with vomit that Don Patterson had in his possession before he was killed, ostensibly as evidence he hoped to bring forward at some point.