PRAY FOR THE PREY
INSIDE THE TRIAL OF ERIN PATTERSON
A firsthand account from inside the public gallery during the Erin Patterson trial, one of Australia’s most closely watched criminal trials in recent years.
Written by court watcher David Peters, Pray for the Prey goes beyond the headlines to explore the evidence, the legal arguments, the public fascination, and the human grief at the centre of the case.
It is a book about truth, doubt, justice, and the real people caught in the public glare through no choice of their own.
THE MACHINERY OF JUSTICE
01 / THE EVIDENCE
The evidence did not arrive as a neat story. It came in fragments — forensic findings, phone data, witness accounts, expert opinion and unanswered questions.
02 / THE LEGAL ARGUMENTS
Inside Courtroom Four, two competing narratives took shape: one built around intent, the other around doubt.
03 / THE HUMAN COST
Behind the case that gripped Australia were real people — grieving, surviving, watching, and living with consequences they never chose.
04 / THE PUBLIC FASCINATION
As the trial unfolded, the courtroom became only one part of the story. Outside it, the case became content, commentary and cultural fixation.
