Maree Crabtree stands trial for murder of son Jonathan Crabtree in their Maudsland home

Shocking new claims have emerged as a mum accused of giving her adult son a fruit juice laced with a fatal dose of prescription medication stands trial for his murder.

A mum accused of giving her adult son a fruit juice laced with a fatal dose of prescription medication allegedly had her daughter stand lookout as she blended the deathly drink, a court has heard.

Maree Mavis Crabtree pleaded not guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday to murder, attempted murder and attempted fraud following the death of her son Jonathan Crabtree in July 2017.

Maree Crabtree is standing trial over the alleged murder of her son Jonathan Crabtree. Picture: Supplied

Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy KC told the jury the body of the 26-year-old was “found draped across his bed” and he had allegedly “been dead for hours” before paramedics were called to the Maudsland house on the Gold Coast on July 19, 2017.

It will be alleged Mr Crabtree died from a fatal overdose of oxycodone, plus a combination of other drugs, which was later discovered in his bloodstream.

The jury was told Mrs Crabtree allegedly deliberately gave her son a fruit juice drink containing oxycodone that she’d made using a blender hours before his death.

Maree Crabtree allegedly gave her son a fatal cocktail of drugs in a fruit juice.

She had used prescription medication that was prescribed for her daughter, Tara, which was readily available in their home.

Mr McCarthy alleged Mrs Crabtree gave the drink to her son to kill him.

Mrs Crabtree allegedly blended the drink in an attempt to hide the smell of the oxycodone, the court was told.

Mr Crabtree allegedly drank the juice prepared by his mother in the kitchen before returning to his bedroom.

The jury was told they would hear evidence throughout the trial from Tara Crabtree, the daughter of the accused, who lived in the Maudsland home with her mother and brother.

“Tara will tell this trial of her mother’s plan to kill her brother,” Mr McCarthy said.

“Tara will tell us she helped her mother, she helped by keeping a lookout (while her mum went) to prepare the drink in question to ensure her brother didn’t come from his room.

Jonathan Crabtree died in July 2017.

“His sister Tara will tell us from her room she could hear her brother coughing and struggling into the night.

“How next morning her mother told her not to go into her brother’s room and he was dead.”

Mr McCarthy said the jury will hear that this was “not the first time” Mrs Crabtree tried to kill her son.

The Crown will allege Mrs Crabtree had tried to fatally overdose her son in January 2017 but her attempts were unsuccessful.

Following his death in July 2017, Mrs Crabtree is also alleged to have tried to claim more than $100,000 from her son’s life insurance.

The jury was told Mr Crabtree, his mother and sister had been in a car accident in 2015 before and he was entitled to an insurance payout.

Mrs Crabtree had been previously appointed by a court order as her son’s guardian, including his financial decision.

Mr McCarthy said the jury would hear that Mr Crabtree was “no saint” and was a “troubled young man” who “abused drugs”.

He’d also been investigated by police over an alleged armed robbery of a chemist.

Mr McCarthy said Mrs Crabtree had told police after her son’s death he’d been “upset” after an appointment with a specialist determining his insurance case the day he died.

Mr McCarthy said this specialist was the final appointment Mr Crabtree required before he was granted the insurance money.

Maree Crabtree was also charged with attempted murder and attempted fraud.

The Crown will allege Mrs Crabtree killed her son for his insurance money because she was concerned about financial stress placed upon them following his alleged involvement in the armed robbery.
“Tara will tell us that Jonathon’s involvement in an armed robbery had placed their finances in jeopardy and also their family home,” Mr McCarthy said.

“That was the express reason his life had to be ended … he had to be killed.”

The jury were told Mrs Crabtree had told a number of friends about her concerns of how violent her son had become since the car crash.

Several witnesses are expected to give evidence throughout the trial about conversations they’d had with Mrs Crabtree where she’d told them her son “didn’t have long to live”.

The jury was told Mrs Crabtree had also told friends on several occasions she’d wished her son had died in the car crash in 2015 because he’d become a burden on the family.

Mr McCarthy said Mrs Crabtree would had “significant financial reasons to end her son’s life” because Mr Crabtree was “difficult to live with” and “her son was violent”.

The jury was told she was also concerned they would lose the family home and about the likelihood Mr Crabtree would be sued by the victims of the armed robbery

Mrs Crabtree’s defence barrister Angus Edwards KC said the jury would have to decide whether they believe the story Ms Crabtree told police more than two years after her brother’s death.

He said the jury would need to consider whether there were multiple possibilities that could have led to Mr Crabtree’s death.

Mr Edwards said Mr Crabtree could have “deliberately or accidentally taken his own life” or had been given the drugs by someone else.

The court was told Mr Crabtree had previously taken his sister’s medication during separate incidents before his death.

Mr Edwards said the evidence suggested by the Crown that friends had heard Mrs Crabtree saying she wished her son was dead could also be interpreted as concerns “from a mother dealing in the context of her violent, drug-addicted 26-year-old son”.

The jury heard evidence late on Monday from paramedics who were called to the Maudsland home and found Mr Crabtree’s body in rigor mortis, indicating he had been dead for some time before he was found.

Bottles of prescription medication were also found in a backpack belonging to Mr Crabtree, the jury was told.

The trial continues on Tuesday.

Originally published as Maree Crabtree stands trial for murder of son Jonathan Crabtree in their Maudsland home