Free Daily Podcast Summary
The Poisoned Wife: Daily Summaries Delivered
by The Australian
Who killed Rosslyn McQueen? The Australian's Hedley Thomas and Karina Berger investigate the unsolved 1986 murder of a 30-year-old pregnant mother, poisoned with strychnine in her own home in country Victoria, as her toddler played nearby. Rosslyn's husband, Ray McQueen, told police and ambulance officers she had terminal cancer. But Ros didn't have cancer and nobody believed she would have taken her own life. This podcast, from the creator of The Teacher's Pet, Bronwyn and Shandee's Story, also features Rex Bakes, a relentless, retired private investigator who once worked for Ray McQueen's defence team. Now, Rex is determined to help get justice for Ros.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago54 min
Episode 9: Bitter Nemesis
Former Bendigo resident Max Miles comes forward to reveal that Ray McQueen asked him troubling questions about autopsy testing in the days immediately after Rosslyn's death. Hedley and Karina delve into strychnine, the toxic farming poison that killed Rosslyn. With help from experts like toxicologist Adjunct Professor Dimitri Gerostamoulos, and historical and modern poisoning accounts, they unpack how the "very nasty poison" can produce violent convulsions in someone who ingests it. Because if Rosslyn died experiencing back-arching convulsions often caused by strychnine poisoning, is it likely that she would have ended up lying across the kitchen chair after her death? Police suspect she was placed there after she died. We talk to experts to tackle these questions. Listen at thepoisonedwife.com, in The Australian’s app or search for The Poisoned Wife on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription. Join the conversation and hear more from Hedley Thomas in The Poisoned Wife Podcast Official Discussion Group on Facebook Do you know more? Contact the team at thepoisonedwife@theaustralian.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 2 weeks ago59 min
Episode 8: Rex and Wendy
For the first time, Rosslyn's best friend Wendy's real voice is heard in the podcast. She has never believed that her friend committed suicide and is sure she met foul play. Wendy reveals that homicide detectives told her some things in 1987 about Ros's poisoning with strychnine and their theory about how her body ended up on a kitchen chair. Wendy recalls how she connected with Rex years ago after he placed a public notice in a newspaper. After many phone calls, the pair meet for the first time in Bendigo during the podcast investigation. Hedley unpacks the highlights of Rex's heroic investigation efforts and the many rejections he received along the way. When Rex's regular phone calls stop, Hedley discovers Rex has been unwell and in hospital. Rex describes his immense relief that Rosslyn's story is finally being told. Subscribers hear new episodes of The Poisoned Wife first. Listen at thepoisonedwife.com, in The Australian’s app or search for The Poisoned Wife on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription. Join the conversation and hear more from Hedley Thomas in The Poisoned Wife Podcast Official Discussion Group on Facebook Do you know more? Contact the team at thepoisonedwife@theaustralian.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 3 weeks ago51 min
Episode 7: Donna
Donna reveals she received a secret letter from Ray after Rosslyn's death. The then teenager tells Hedley and Karina that she didn't give it to police when they came to her home with a search warrant. Donna recalls how the letter "freaked her out" and regrets not handing it over. Donna asks herself whether things might have turned out differently if she and others had "not fought for Ray" had they known about his lies at the time. Back in Bendigo, Rex tells Hedley and Karina why the inscription on the headstone of Rosslyn's grave infuriates him. Subscribers hear new episodes of The Poisoned Wife first. Listen at thepoisonedwife.com, in The Australian’s app or search for The Poisoned Wife on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription. Join the conversation and hear more from Hedley Thomas in The Poisoned Wife Podcast Official Discussion Group on Facebook Do you know more? Contact the team at thepoisonedwife@theaustralian.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Oct 1, 202658 min
Episode 6: Fearful
Former detective Ron Blackshaw breaks his silence to reflect on critical aspects of the police case, 40 years after charging Ray with Ros's murder. Ray told friends, neighbours, work colleagues and teenager Donna that Ros had cancer and might die. Ros and her doctors told a very different story. A former neighbour of Ray and his first wife Jeanette speaks publicly for the first time about helping Jeanette flee the family home. Peter and Yvonne Dixon "call bullshit" on Ray's claims their neighbour Vin McKenzie supplied the strychnine that killed Ros. They say Vin went to his grave heartbroken from the smear. Rex's reasons for relentlessly investigating Ros's death become clearer. Subscribers hear new episodes of The Poisoned Wife first. Listen at thepoisonedwife.com, in The Australian’s app or search for The Poisoned Wife on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription. Join the conversation and hear more from Hedley Thomas in The Poisoned Wife Podcast Official Discussion Group on Facebook Do you know more? Contact the team at thepoisonedwife@theaustralian.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Sep 24, 202658 min
Episode 5: The Charge
Donna drops a bombshell during her police interview. Two months after Rosslyn's sudden death, Ray asked Donna to live with him in a "husband and wife relationship". Her mother and stepfather are horrified. Ray tells his friend Evan Doherty that Donna had offered to live with him to repay him for his help to her. Evan doubts Ray's supposedly altruistic motives in relation to Donna. Donna endures an intrusive medical examination to test her claim to police that she has not had sex with Ray. After hours of questioning by homicide detectives, Ray is charged with murdering his wife. He maintains his innocence, telling detectives he loved Ros, was devoted to her and wouldn't do a thing to hurt her. Subscribers hear new episodes of The Poisoned Wife first. Listen at thepoisonedwife.com, in The Australian’s app or search for The Poisoned Wife on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.Join the conversation and hear more from Hedley Thomas in The Poisoned Wife Podcast Official Discussion Group on FacebookDo you know more? Contact the team at thepoisonedwife@theaustralian.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Sep 17, 202657 min
Episode 4: Volatility
Ray's mother Beryl McQueen tells police they used strychnine to poison foxes on the family farm, where Ray lived for about 25 years. Ray's first wife Jeanette McQueen makes startling disclosures to police about the tumultuous end of her marriage to Ray and his violence towards her. Ros is so concerned about Ray and Donna's closeness that she involves her mother-in-law. Friends notice Ray and Donna's intimacy and ask Ros if something is going on. In the months before Ros dies, Donna and Ray are often seen close together in Ray's car at the local tennis club. Members of the club are highly suspicious of the friendship.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Sep 10, 202656 min
Episode 3: Contradictions
Homicide squad detectives rush from Melbourne to Bendigo. They hit the ground running, questioning Donna and Ray within days of one another. Detectives identify contradictions in their accounts, including when Ray denies kissing Donna before Ros's death. Ray suggests that his neighbour Vin, who found Ros's body, might have been the source of the strychnine that killed Ros. Ros's mother pleads with her daughter's best friend, Wendy, to tell the police everything she knows. Subscribers hear new episodes of The Poisoned Wife first. Listen at thepoisonedwife.com, in The Australian’s app or search for The Poisoned Wife on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.Join the conversation and hear more from Hedley Thomas in The Poisoned Wife Podcast Official Discussion Group on FacebookDo you know more? Contact the team at thepoisonedwife@theaustralian.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Sep 3, 202649 min
Episode 2: False Trail
Documents from the brief of evidence reveal that when police ask Ray McQueen whether he has any idea why his wife died at the kitchen table, he tells them “Yes, she’s had cancer”. Police decide there are no suspicious circumstances, but her general practitioner refuses to provide a death certificate. Almost three months later, toxicology tests show strychnine killed Rosslyn. Hedley Thomas, Karina Berger and Rex Bakes meet in Bendigo for new interviews and investigations. Subscribers hear new episodes of The Poisoned Wife first. Listen at thepoisonedwife.com, in The Australian’s app or search for The Poisoned Wife on Apple Podcasts to connect your subscription.Join the conversation and hear more from Hedley Thomas in The Poisoned Wife Podcast Official Discussion Group on FacebookDo you know more? Contact the team at thepoisonedwife@theaustralian.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Get The Poisoned Wife summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Listeners also like.
True Crime Conversations
A true crime podcast featuring interviews with experts and insiders about infamous criminal cases.
Unravel
A journalist investigates the 2005 murder of German backpacker Simone Strobel in Lismore and the unresolved questions surrounding her death.
Murder With My Husband
A true crime podcast examining dark crimes from the perspectives of a wife who loves the genre and a husband who doesn’t.
Legally Brunette
A lawyer and his wife analyze high-profile true crime cases, breaking down legal details and courtroom strategies.
Murder on Songbird Road
Re-examines the unsolved 1980 stabbing of an 11-year-old Illinois girl and questions the conviction of her father's fiancée.
Betrayal Weekly
Real-life stories of broken trust and hidden lives, told through gripping firsthand accounts of deception and resilience.
Murder, Mystery & Makeup
A beauty influencer explores true crime stories, from serial killers to cannibals, while doing makeup.
Murder She Watched: True Crime Documentaries & Docuseries Recaps
Women analyze true crime documentaries and cold cases with sharp intuition and life experience, dissecting evidence and spotting lies.
Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
A veteran journalist explores true crime cases with a personal perspective and investigative depth.
Juicy Crimes with Heather McDonald
Explores sensational true crime cases with a focus on greed, deception, and celebrity, blending humor and insight with guest experts.
Anatomy of Murder
A true crime podcast analyzing homicide cases through firsthand accounts from victims' families, prosecutors, and law enforcement.
Serialously with Annie Elise
Annie Elise investigates true crime cases with deep detail and a conversational tone, uncovering overlooked facts and breaking developments.
About The Poisoned Wife
Who killed Rosslyn McQueen? The Australian's Hedley Thomas and Karina Berger investigate the unsolved 1986 murder of a 30-year-old pregnant mother, poisoned with strychnine in her own home in country Victoria, as her toddler played nearby. Rosslyn's husband, Ray McQueen, told police and ambulance officers she had terminal cancer. But Ros didn't have cancer and nobody believed she would have taken her own life. This podcast, from the creator of The Teacher's Pet, Bronwyn and Shandee's Story, also features Rex Bakes, a relentless, retired private investigator who once worked for Ray McQueen's defence team. Now, Rex is determined to help get justice for Ros.
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from The Poisoned Wife in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's The Poisoned Wife daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of The Poisoned Wife as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the The Poisoned Wife podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official The Poisoned Wife product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by The Australian.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts, any in the catalog. Basic raises that to 15, Pro to 40 and Max to 100. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does The Poisoned Wife release new episodes?
The Poisoned Wife publishes weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does The Poisoned Wife cover?
The Poisoned Wife covers topics including True Crime, Documentary, Culture, Society & Culture. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting The Poisoned Wife summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.