Simon Patterson's Story: Surviving Australia's Chilling Crimes and Court Trials

Simon Patterson is at the heart of one of Australia’s most chilling crimes, as the estranged husband of convicted murderer Erin Patterson. 

In this episode, we delve into the tragic story behind this high-profile court case, exploring Simon’s life after the devastating events surrounding a family lunch that went horribly wrong. 

He narrowly escaped death after missing a notorious mushroom meal that claimed the lives of his parents and aunt, which gives us a glimpse into the tragic aftermath of this case. We hear from friends who describe him as a survivor of toxic domestic abuse, and learn about his love for adventure and photography, capturing travels across the globe.

 As the case unfolds in the courts, we investigate Simon’s profound journey, showing the human side of a man entangled in a chilling narrative that has captivated Australia. 

Join us as we examine the unfolding court trials, revealing new insights into this tragic story.

Head to mushroommurdertrialcom to subscribe to the newsletter where I'll share photos related to this episode. Join me for an upcoming interview with John Ferguson from The Australian. You can follow me on social media or support my work through a $5 coffee membership that helps cover editing, studio hire, insurance and equipment.

#TrueCrimeAustralia #ErinPatterson #MushroomMurders #AustralianTrueCrime #CrimePodcast #TrueCrimeObsessed #CourtroomDrama #RealCrimeStories #WomenWhoKill #TrueCrimeCommunity #DeathCapMushrooms #UnderTheMicroscope #TrueCrimePodcasts #AussieTrueCrime #CrimeInvestigation #ErinPattersonCase #PodcastPromotion #TrueCrimeReel #TrueCrimeBreakdown

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, it's Lisa and welcome to the podcast about
convicted triple murderer ErinPatterson and her murder trial.
Before we launch into today'supdates, please head to my
website mushroommurdertrialcomto subscribe.
If you haven't yet, pleasesubscribe to this podcast as
well on your preferred platformso you never miss a thing.

(00:23):
Also, I'm going to be sendingthrough the photos that relate
to this episode on thenewsletter tomorrow, so get
ready.
So today we're going to talkabout Simon Patterson, the
survivor father, and his life onthe beaten track.
For someone so central to thismost bizarre and tragic case in

(00:45):
recent Australian history, simonPatterson has remained
remarkably private.
Do you blame him?
I don't.
He's Aaron's estranged husband,the man who was meant to be at
that infamous lunch that killedhis mother and father and his
aunt, but Simon didn't attend.

(01:07):
While much of the focus hasbeen on Erin, I want to take a
moment to look at Simon, the manbehind the headlines, because
if you dig a little deeper,you'll find someone who, long
before the courtrooms and mediafrenzy, had a deep love of
remote travel, family time andthe Australian outback.

(01:27):
John Ferguson, from theAustralian, had yesterday an
excellent article in the Ozabout Simon.
I won't go into too much detailhere today because John's going
to be on our show, hopefullythis week if I can get hold of
the studio.
But moving on, this is howJohn's article in the Oz started

(01:48):
.
Quote Simon Patterson lost alot when he married the woman
who was a stranger to the truth.
Erin Patterson could beaggressive, nasty, vindictive,
manipulative and lazy oh my God,she would hate that, can you
imagine.
But she was also the ultimatecontradiction.

(02:09):
If you believe the evidence,she could be a good mother,
generous at times and bright.
The Supreme Court heard.
But how can a killer whoselegacy is grief across two
families and two communitiesever be anything but bad?
You'll have to excuse me now.
It's absolutely pelting rain atthe moment.

(02:30):
I will try and get rid of mostof it, but you'll have to
forgive me.
Those hardest hit by themurders, the Pattersons and the
Wilkinsons, are in the midst ofa very difficult recovery
process, with experts warningthat the post-verdict
environment poses uniquechallenges for anyone.
To some of his friends, simonwas a victim of sustained

(02:54):
domestic violence from a nastyand unpredictable wife who
manipulated situations and thechildren to maintain power over
him.
Quote Simon is a very goodperson, says one friend.
He is decent and warm.
But Erin, this is not John'sarticle anymore, this is me, but

(03:15):
Erin loved to spin a tale inthe Facebook group about the man
who she originally called Hubby, even though this was 2019 and
they had originally split in2015.
Hubby that implies to meconnection and regard.
I don't know what she was up tothere.
Maybe it was perceptionmanagement.

(03:37):
Others from the group told melater that Patterson had a very
unhappy marriage and she allegedquote coercive control.
Looks like someone was givingherself away unintentionally
there.
In my opinion, to date we don'tknow a lot about Simon because
he's chosen to stay silent,which is his choice, and no one

(03:59):
would ever blame him for thatbut a few things have flown
under the radar.
He was a keen photographer wholoved to travel to places such
as China, iran and Africa.
Now his photo blog was deleted,but I'm fortunate that I saved
on my iCloud a few things thathe had put out publicly, such as

(04:21):
photos from China of his dad,don, frozen in time outside a
refreshment stand where theymade their way to the top of the
world.
And this is what he said.
I've just come back from a tripto China, an amazing country
with probably an extreme and ahighly photogenic example of

(04:42):
about every natural phenomenonthere is.
My favourite China experiencewas Mount Everest, beautifully
moonlit at night.
Standing at the foot of theworld's highest mountain is
simply incredible.
I stood transfixed for aboutfive hours and I couldn't drink
it all.
In Quote where would you liketo go next?

(05:04):
He says the Silk Road from farWestern China to Turkey would be
an amazing journey.
In a blog post titled AustralianOutback Adventures the Anne
Beadle Highway, simon wroteabout taking his family on a
1,350-kilometre journey acrosssome of the most isolated desert

(05:27):
highways in Australia.
He described now, if you're onYouTube, I put a photo up of a
campsite with stars.
That's Simon and Erin and theiryoung son.
He described the experience ofcamping under the Milky Way, far
from civilisation, pitchingtents near an old nuclear test
site, though carefully avoidingthe radioactive zones.

(05:51):
Here's a quote.
There's nothing like the peaceand tranquillity hundreds of
miles from civilisation.
It's a real privilege to safelypitch a tent with one's family
and enjoy a simple campfire mealin the crisp, clean air.
Moreover, he said they were ona corrugated sandy track through

(06:11):
the Australian desert and theywere moving a corrugated sandy
track through the Australiandesert and they were moving home
across Australia.
So that's obviously whenthey're coming back from Perth.
So maybe we're talking 2013,especially when it's a
four-year-old child travelingwith his dad, even more so when
the route goes past old nuclearbomb sites, which continue as an

(06:32):
active military testing rangeto this day.
I'll put this in the newsletteras well.
It's quite jarring to seephotos of their campsite, their
grey four-wheel drive's in thebackground, and there's three
camp chairs set up outside atent.
One is a tiny child's seat.
And then Simon writes aboutplaying cricket several times a

(06:53):
day with their four-year-old son.
This is a man, at least at thattime, who found value in
simplicity, in unplugging, inwatching the stars with his
family.
It's an image that's hard toreconcile with the horror that
would unfold years later.
Ports describes Simon as a quitedecent man who is deeply

(07:14):
religious.
He's respected in his Gippslandcommunity and someone who,
after separating from Erin in2015, tried to maintain civility
for the sake of their twochildren.
And yet there were questions.
He'd been hospitalised in 2022with a mysterious stomach

(07:34):
illness.
He wrote in a since-deletedFacebook post that he'd nearly
died and had to be revived manytimes.
In court.
Salmon became a crucial witness.
He spoke with visible emotionabout his parents and their
faith.
He confirmed that he'd fullycooperated with the police
handing over his devices andtheir faith.
He confirmed that he'd fullycooperated with the police
handing over his devices andassisting the investigation.

(07:57):
Simon never asked to be at thecentre of this story, but here
he is a father, a son and asurvivor, not just of a toxic
lunch but of the fallout thatfollowed.
Now it's interesting.
In one of the photo blogsSimon's mentioned in, he
describes himself as discoveringthe truth of things Interesting

(08:18):
.
He is a very enthusiasticamateur photographer and he
wrote about being a volunteerphotographer for a small-town
community magazine.
That might have been the onethat Erin coordinated, and so
did Don and Gail Patterson, hisparents.
He was asked to shoot a newlyrepurposed meeting room.
The challenge the room wasformerly a public toilet, making

(08:41):
it a less than ideal subject.
The task came with a tightdeadline, just days after he
returned from overseas.
He also writes about Namibia,days after he returned from
overseas.
He also writes about Namibia.
He describes Namibia in Africaas a great place for
self-driving and camping, withsafe, comfortable accommodation.
English and German are thecommon languages and there's

(09:04):
affordable food and fuel.
Now Simon has a photo here of aself-contained setup with two
rooftop tents on theirfour-wheel drive that they hired
in Namibia.
He said it was a good way totravel, and they've got bamboo
ladders that lead to the tents.
I've just got to say something.
I would take my chances withthe wildlife rather than camping

(09:27):
with Erin Patterson in Namibia,just saying Because she's her
own type.
She's a predator at the end ofthe day.
So it was a really good placefor them to self-drive and camp,
and there were supermarketseverywhere and they're full of
food for a westerner's palate.
Accommodation was safe andcomfortable.

(09:48):
Simon also mentions that theygot a four-wheel drive that had
a missing wheel nut, and theyhad to drive on the flat, lonely
desert road in Namibia andattach a spare tire as best they
could.
So they drove for a fortnightthrough Africa with one wheel
not entirely attached to the car.

(10:09):
The wheel never fell off,though, so we learnt in Namibia
that attaching wheels via allsix nuts is perhaps overrated.
So thank you for listening.
For more information, go to mywebsite.
Make sure you subscribe to thenewsletter
mushroommurdertrialcom.
I will be speaking with JohnFerguson this week, so hope you

(10:31):
tune in for that one.
Speaking with John Fergusonthis week, so hope you tune in
for that one my social media.
You can follow me there.
That's linked in the show notes.
And also, if you would like toreward me for all these hours of
research and reporting andsocial media, you can buy me a
coffee membership for just $5.
And I would appreciate that somuch, but only if you can afford

(10:54):
it.
This money goes towards editing, studio hire, liability
insurance, equipment, sound andvoiceovers.
Plus, there's exclusivemembership material on the site
just for you that I'm going toupdate very soon.
So thank you so much forlistening today.
I appreciate it so much and Iwill speak to you very, very

(11:14):
soon.
Thank you, goodbye.