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Hi Crime House Community. It's Katie Ring and if you love digging into the most gripping true crime stories, then you need to listen to another Crime House original Crimes of with Sabrina, Deanna Roga and Corinne Vian. Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season from Crimes of the Paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances and more. Sabrina and Corinne have been covering the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains and and this month they'll dive into the paranormal Listen to Crimes of every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts. This is Crime House. Tonight's episode is a wild one. Literally and figuratively. It's a case that made national headlines, but somehow I didn't hear about it until just recently. It's the story of a woman in Australia who plotted to kill her in laws by serving them a homemade beef Wellington that contained poisonous mushrooms she foraged herself in the wild. Let's get into it. Explosive new details about mushroom murderer Erin Patterson we can reveal tonight claims she tried to kill her ex husband long before that infamous Deadly Lunch. Accused killer cook Erin Patterson has had three attempted murder charges dropped over accusations she tried to kill her estranged husband. The case dropped without explanation. Erin Patterson held back tears in the dock as a video of her teenage son speaking to police was played to the jury. He described Erin's relationship with estranged husband Simon as very negative in the lead up to the deadly lunch in July 2023. Hi, I'm Katie R. True crime analyst, self defense instructor and fierce advocate for victims. And this is Crime House Daily, your essential true crime companion. Every weekday morning and night here at Crime House Daily, we dig into the true crime stories making headlines right now, where justice is unfolding, arrests are happening and new evidence is emerging. Every morning, First Watch gets you up to speed on the biggest cases. Every night, Night Watch takes you deeper. If you want to follow a case from the first 911 call to the final verdict, this is the place for you. Follow Crime House Daily wherever you get your podcasts, leave a review and for ad free listening. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. For video, check out our YouTube channel Rimehouse Daily or on Spotify by searching Night Watch True Crime Cases Daily in the Search tab. This episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence, so everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Today's case started off in November 2023, when an Australian woman named Aaron Patterson was charged with five counts of attempted murder. And this case immediately made headlines because she was accused of poisoning her family members with deadly mushrooms cooked inside individual portions of beef Wellington. Aaron tried to cover her tracks, but in September 2025, she was found guilty. And since the judge has handed down one of the harshest sentences a woman in Australia has ever received. So who is the woman that sent shockwaves across the nation? Let's dive in. Erin Patterson was born in 1974 and grew up in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Her whole life, Erin always seemed to have two different sides to her. Some people described her as bright, kind and funny, while others felt she was withdrawn, antisocial, and prone to angry outbursts. This could be due to a tough upbringing. Some would say Aaron's mom, Heather Scudder, was pretty hard on her as she grew up, but I would probably classify it as mentally and emotionally abusive. It is especially bad when it comes to criticism about Aaron's looks and weight. She even weighs her every week to make sure she's not putting on weight. Like most daughters with mothers like this, she struggled from very severe body dysmorphia and developed an eating disorder. It breaks my heart when mothers are their daughter's first bullies, but Erin doesn't let that get in her way of achieving her other goals. In her 20s, she pursues a science degree but later switches courses and becomes an air traffic controller. Her colleagues are impressed with her level of intelligence and ability to minimize risk. However, Erin also has a chaotic streak. She constantly leaves work early without permission and goes out drinking every night, and usually the nights end with her driving home drunk. She even loses her driver's license because of this. Let's just say this is not a good look for someone who is responsible for multiple people's lives. Despite going out drinking so often, Erin's co workers say she's a bit socially awkward and never accepts invitations to hang out with them. Erin is closer with her roommates, but even they have a difficult time managing their friendships with her. She is someone who always seems to put herself first, especially when it comes to money. Despite her job paying pretty well, they pay especially well for overtime, but this eventually results in Aaron getting fired in order to get paid extra for overtime. She starts posing as one of her coworkers and calls in saying that her coworker can't make it in. And then she ends up Picking up that extra shift. That strategy works for a while, but Erin can't keep it up and she's eventually fired for showing up late. Then in 2004, she moves to the city of Monash, also outside Melbourne, to work for the city council there. Erin's new city is where she meets Simon Patterson. Simon's an engineer and Aaron is drawn to his intelligent and kind nature. Pretty soon, the two begin dating. Their relationship seems to have a positive impact on Aaron's life. Simon is close with his family who all live in the area. They spend a lot of time together and go to their local church every Sunday where Simon's uncle is the pastor. Through Simon, Aaron gains a built in support system. After three years of dating, in 2007, the pair gets married. Aaron's parents are on vacation at the time and it seems like their relationship was still pretty strained because Erin doesn't want them to come. So Simon's cousin ends up walking her down the aisle. As an adult, Erin still suffered from body dysmorphia, which only gets worse when she and Simon have a son. In 2009, Erin has to have an emergency C section and the recovery process is long and painful. One silver lining is that during this time, Aaron forms a close bond with Simon's parents, Dawn and Gale. She and dawn share a love of learning and Gale helps Erin through her recovery and teaches her how to care for a newborn. However, between the stress of new parenthood and Erin's struggle to feel good in her own body, she and Simon start arguing more frequently and that same year, they separate. For the next several years, their relationship is on and off, but they stay legally married. In 2014, it seems like Aaron and Simon's marriage might be on the mend when they welcome a daughter, but unfortunately, their reconciliation doesn't last long. Finally, the couple separates for good in 2015. However, they still never officially divorce. In fact, on the surface, their relationship seems better than ever. They share custody of their children and continue to go on family vacations together. Aaron and Simon talk all the time and she's super close with his family. But then around 2021, Simon has some serious health scares and eventually starts to wonder if his relationship with Aaron is really as amicable as it seems. It starts in November of that year when Simon eats a bowl of pasta that Aaron made for him. Soon after, he starts experiencing severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhea. It's so bad he has to spend the night in the hospital. Fortunately, he recovers from what seems like a one off incident. However, the Same thing happened six months later in May 2022, after Simon eats some chicken curry that Aaron made. This time his symptoms are much worse. Simon spends days in the hospital and ends up in a coma. Doctors eventually remove a piece of his bowel, but Simon shows no sign of improvement. On two occasions, doctors tell Simon's family they should say their goodbyes, but miraculously he pulls through and despite everything he's been through, Simon is able to return to his normal Life. Then, in September 2022, Aaron makes Simon a veggie wrap and the same symptoms hit him again, except this time they're accompanied by neurological symptoms. Simon's speech becomes slurred and he loses control of his muscles to the point where he can only move his neck and mouth. He manages to pull through again, but now he needs to get to the bottom of what's happening to him. Simon reaches out to a family friend, Dr. Christopher Ford, who suggests he keeps a food journal to try and identify any patterns linked to the onset of his symptoms. After tracking his diet for a few months, Simon realizes there is a common thread between all of his brushes with death and it's Aaron Foreign I've seen so many people on social media talking about how clothes are getting more and more expensive but the quality of the fabrics keeps getting worse and worse. It feels like even designer labels are using polyester but charging the prices of real quality fabrics like cashmere, wool and real silk. I've been searching for some staple pieces for fall and winter that are made of high quality real fabrics that will actually last. And if you're in the same boat, you need to check out Quint's. One of my favorite parts about Quint's is that they are working directly with ethical top tier factories so you get high quality clothes ethically sourced for half the price. I'm also on the quest for the world's comfiest bed, so I ordered their linen duvet and the mulberry silk pillowcases. For anyone who has asked about the hair 100% silk, not polyester. Satin is key to protecting it, so I'll make sure to report back on those. Step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished and last. From Quince, perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself. Go to quince.comchd for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's Q U I n c e.comchd to get free shipping and 365 day returns quince.comchd in early 2023, Simon Patterson realizes that his near fatal bouts of illness all occurred after eating something his estranged wife, 48 year old Aaron Patterson, made for him. Simon now wonders, has Aaron been poisoning him? Hearing this story back, you're probably thinking that after the second time you'd already be suspecting your spouse. But this is extremely hard to grapple with because you don't want to believe the person you're with is capable of doing something like this. As expected, Simon is horrified and in disbelief. Despite their ons and offs in their relationship, he thought they were still pretty good overall. Why would Aaron do this? The couple did have some money disputes within the last year, but it doesn't seem like the issue got too heated. Either way, he's now highly suspicious of his wife. In February 2023, soon after Simon makes this realization, Aaron drops off a batch of cookies that she says their daughter made for the next few days. Erin keeps calling to see if he's had any, but Simon doesn't touch them. I wish Simon had had his friend Dr. Ford test those cookies, but we always think of these things in hindsight, so I hope he isn't ruminating on this because none of this is his fault. Soon, Simon removes Aaron as his medical power of attorney and shares his suspicions with some of his family members. His sister Ana is shocked, but Simon's father doesn't seem to believe it, which might be why Don maintains his friendly relationship with Aaron. They often see each other at church and Don seems to like that they're able to keep things cordial, especially because he loves his grandkids. One day in July 2023, they run into each other at church. Dawn's wife Gail is also there, plus Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather's husband Ian, who also happens to be the pastor. After the service, Aaron pulls all four of them aside and says she has something serious she needs to talk to them about, and she says it has to do with some health issues she's going through. She doesn't want to talk about it now, though she'd rather they all get together another time when they can sit down and have a conversation. Even though Simon and Aaron are separated and have plenty of issues, she's still family, so they all agree, and Aaron sets a lunch date for July 29th. She also invites Simon, but for obvious reasons he declines. Aaron sends him a long text message telling him how disappointed she is, but he is not swayed. At the same time, Simon isn't too worried about stopping his family members from going because while he is suspicious of Erin, he believes he is her only target. Simon's sister, however, does does try to stop her parents from going, but unfortunately, they don't seem to take her seriously. Meanwhile, Erin is hard at work preparing for this lunch. She plans to make everyone their own individual beef Wellington and wants to make everything from scratch, including the mushroom pate that goes between the beef and the breaded pastry. But when Don, Gail, Heather and Ian arrive at Aaron's house and sit down at the table, they all notice something odd. Erin has served all of their meals on gray colored plates. There's even one for Simon in the fridge in case he changes his mind and shows up after all. But she serves her own meal on an orange plate. It seems oddly intentional, but no one really thinks twice about it because everyone finished their plates. When everyone's done eating, Erin finally reveals the news everyone's been waiting to hear. She tells him she has cancer. The specific details of what she tells him haven't been disclosed, but everyone's saddened and concerned. Erin's in laws offer their sympathy, love and prayers. After they talk everything through, they thank Erin for the lovely meal and say goodbye. Dawn, Gail, Heather and Ian leave that day feeling worried about Erin. But soon they'll have some dire health concerns of their own to worry about. Later that night, Heather and Ian are at home when they both get hit with severe gastrointestinal symptoms. It's so bad, they can't even sleep through the night. The next morning, they check themselves into their local hospital where Dr. Chris Webster begins treating them for a bad case of food poisoning. Heather And Ian told Dr. Webster about the beef Wellington they ate the day before, and he thinks undercooked me meat may be the culprit. So he draws blood and gives the Wilkinsons fluids. Everything seems to be going okay until Dr. Webster gets a phone call from another hospital about an hour and a half away, where dawn and Gail Patterson are fighting for their lives. The doctor on the phone says that Don and Gail came in earlier with serious symptoms. That doctor put two and two together and ran some tests and discovered that the beef isn't causing their symptoms. The mushrooms are. This doctor tells Dr. Webster that all four patients consumed something called death cap mushrooms. And yes, if you're wondering, death cap mushrooms are as dangerous as the name implies. They look harmless enough with an olive yellow or bronze green cap and a white stalk. However, they contain a deadly toxin known as amanitin, which causes organ failure. For centuries, death cap mushrooms have been Recognized as a weapon used by murderers and assassins going as far back as ancient Greece, Death caps bear a striking resemblance to other safe edible mushrooms. Which could explain why they're responsible for 90% of of all deaths by fungus. And here's the thing. In recent weeks, local naturalists have been posting on a mushroom foraging blog about an increase in death caps in the area. It's possible that that's how the other doctor thought to test for signs of amanitin poisoning. Now Dr. Webster springs into action. He transfers Heather and Ian to a larger facility that's more equipped to handle this kind of thing. As he rushes to make other arrangements, another patient arrives. It's a middle aged woman who says she's having GI symptoms. Dr. Webster asks her what her name is and she says Aaron Patterson. By now, Dr. Webster knows Erin is the one who made the beef Wellington. And since he knows that death caps resemble other harmless mushrooms, he asks her where she got the one she used in the Wellington. Aaron tells Dr. Webster that she got them at the grocery store. However, it's highly unlikely that a grocery store would make this kind of mistake. Although this clearly is not the case in this story. From personal experience, don't trust everything you see in the grocery stores, especially if you come by fresh elderberries. I got excited when I saw them at our local grocery store since they're known for their health properties and thought, oh wow, how cool. But no, it was not cool because I ended up poisoning myself. Luckily it wasn't deadly, but it was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. Anyways, Dr. Webster tells Aaron that she and her in laws were likely exposed to a deadly toxin. But she doesn't seem worried at all. Dr. Webster is highly suspicious of Aaron's lack of concern, but for now he needs to keep an eye on Heather and Ian. So he leaves Erin in the care of a nurse. About five minutes later, he returns to check on Erin and she's gone. Apparently she's checked herself out against medical advice. Dr. Webster calls Aaron, but she doesn't pick up, so he calls the police. Officers head to Erin's house. However, before they get there, she's already on her way back to the hospital to see Dr. Webster. When she gets there, she tells him something that makes him even more concerned. Apparently, Erin also served the beef Wellington to her kids when they got home later that day. Dr. Webster tells Erin that she needs to bring her kids in for testing immediately, and Erin says no. She claims she doesn't want to scare them. Dr. Webster is baffled he tells Erin her kids can either be, quote, scared and alive, or they can be dead. Erin finally gives in and picks her kids up from school. Then all three of them get tested. Fortunately, there's no sign of the toxin in their blood. Dr. Webster is relieved, especially because when police got to Erin's house, they searched her garbage and found some of the leftover Wellingtons. The mushrooms are tested and it is confirmed that they are death caps. Over the next week, Don Patterson, Gail Patterson, and Heather Wilkinson each die of organ failure. Fortunately, Ian Wilkinson survives after undergoing a liver transplant and being placed in a medically induced coma. Three people have died, and Erin is now officially under investigation for murder. Hello, friends. Guess who? That's right, it is I, the replacer. Once again, I've been called on so you can play the new Call of Duty Black Ops 7 with three expansive modes, 18 multiple player maps, and the tastiest zombie gameplay you've ever freaking seen. Available November 14th pre order Call of Duty Black Ops 7, now rated M for mature. After Aaron Patterson falls under suspicion of poisoning her family with death cap mushrooms, the authorities quickly get warrants to search her home and cell phone. Officers know the mushrooms used in the beef Wellingtons had to have been dehydrated beforehand. And they find a manual for the kind of dehydrator she could have used. But they don't find the dehydrator itself. They also discover a picture of what appears to be death cap mushrooms on her phone being weighed on a kitchen scale. When they search her Internet history, they find posts from Erin in a true crime Facebook group where she brags about hiding powdered mushrooms in her kids food as a way to sneak them healthy food without knowing. As they dig further into Erin's digital footprint, police discover that her cell phone recently pinged in the area where the death caps were spotted growing in the wild. Finally, officers obtain CCTV footage from a local dump and Erin is seen disposing of the dehydrator. Just one day after she's discharged from the hospital, police are able to get the dehydrator from the dump and test it for traces of death cap mushrooms. And as no surprise to anyone, the results come back positive. Now that investigators have more evidence that Erin intentionally poisoned her in laws, investigators want to understand her motive. They've heard that Erin told her family she had cancer. But when Dr. Webster looked through her medical records, it turns out that was a lie. Erin used claims of a health scare to lure her family to her house the day she poisoned them. While this paints A picture of a cold, calculated killer. It still doesn't explain why she did it. So next, authorities zero in on perhaps the biggest inconsistency in Erin's story. If this was an accident, how come she was the only one who didn't get sick? When they bring Erin in for questioning, she tells them that dawn and Gale had brought a cake over that day. She says that when everyone left, she ate the entire cake and then felt so guilty she made herself throw up. But this doesn't seem to explain why there was no trace of the toxin in her system. Plus, Dr. Webster has already told investigators about Aaron's complete lack of concern when he broke the news that her in laws were dying and that she and her children might be at risk. Eventually, Aaron is charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She pleads not not guilty. After investigators speak with Simon, they also file charges related to his earlier alleged poisonings. But those charges are dropped before Aaron's trial begins. By this point, Aaron's case has become notorious in Australia. Because of this leading up to her trial, Aaron spends 22 hours per day in solitary confinement. Finally, in July 2025, her trial begins. In the courtroom, the prosecution argues that Aaron deliberately sought out deadly mushrooms to kill her husband and his family. Meanwhile, Erin maintains her innocence. Her defense says there are logical explanations for everything. They say she didn't seem worried about her family at the hospital because she was in shock and that she lied to police because she was afraid of getting in trouble. Finally, Erin's lawyer said she lied about having cancer to cover up the fact that that she was actually planning to have gastric band surgery. In the end, none of this persuades the jury. They deliberate for a week before finding Aaron guilty on all counts. On September 8, 2025, the presiding justice, Christopher Beale, calls Patterson's crimes the worst of their kind and sentences her to three life terms in prison with the possibility of parole after 33 years. It's one of the longest sentences ever handed down to a woman in Australia. Erin plans to appeal her conviction, and so far, her legal team has kept their strategy under wraps. The process is underway as of this recording. Many are hoping to finally receive answers regarding Aaron's motive. But since she's never owned up to the crimes and that doesn't seem likely, we'll be sure to bring you all of the major developments as they unfold. What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. If you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel Rimehouse Daily and follow us on social media Rimehouse247 for real time updates. Because the pursuit of justice never stops. Looking for your next crime house? Listen, don't miss Crimes of. With Sabrina Deanna Roga and Corinne Vien, Crimes of. Is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season from Crimes of the Paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances, and more. More. Their first season is Crimes of Infamy, the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains. And coming up next is Crimes of the Paranormal, real life cases where the line between the living and the dead gets seriously blurry. Listen to Crimes of every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcast.