An inquest into the deaths of an elderly Hobart couple who died within two days of each other has concluded that their doctor-son injected his mother with a lethal cocktail of drugs with the “express intention” of ending her life.
Nelda Edwards, 88, passed away two days after her husband David Edwards, 90, at their Sandy Bay home in March 2016.
In his ruling handed down on Friday, Coroner Simon Cooper determined that while Mr Edwards died from natural causes, lymphoma, Mrs Edwards passed away as a result of mixed drug toxicity, including morphine, midazolam, oxazepam and valproic acid.
The drugs were legally prescribed to David Edwards, who was battling cancer and dementia.
Cooper said that Stephen Edwards, a former Hobart medical practitioner, was “deliberately lying” while giving evidence during the inquest held in October and November 2023 and January 2024.
“In my assessment, Stephen Edwards when giving his evidence, was frequently querulous, argumentative and indeed arrogant … a singularly unimpressive witness,” Cooper said.
“I unhesitatingly reject Stephen Edwards’ evidence at the inquest that he gave his mother a cocktail of Schedule 8 drugs (drugs of dependence subject to strict legal controls) to help her sleep and for back pain.”
Stephen Edwards was initially charged with murder over his mother’s death, but the charges were dropped after it was discovered he too had cancer.
Cooper found there was nothing suspicious about David Edwards’ death.
