Mum cleared of murdering son with drug-laced smoothie

A Queensland mother accused of killing her son with a drug-laced smoothie has been found not guilty of all charges by a jury.

Maree Mavis Crabtree, 59, was on trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane accused of killing her 26-year-old son Jonathan with an overdose of prescription painkillers at the family’s home on July 19, 2017, and making a $125,000 insurance claim.

The jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts of murder, attempted murder and fraud on Monday after nearly two and a half days of deliberations.

Crabtree buried his face in his hands as the verdicts were read and refused to comment as he left the court.

Crabtree has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jonathan at his home north of the Gold Coast and attempting to kill him in January 2017.

Judge Martin Burns formally acquitted Crabtree and dismissed him from the court after a very difficult deliberation process, telling the jury they had made a “tremendous contribution” to society.

“I thank the court and the community,” Judge Burns said.

During the 19-day trial, jurors heard conflicting claims that Crabtree either killed his son for financial and personal purposes or that his daughter was falsely accused as part of a revenge plot.

Defense lawyer Angus Edwards argued there were three other possibilities for Jonathan’s death.

“He died of a drug overdose. We know that. He was a drug addict. Suicide or accidental overdose?” Mr Edwards told the jury this in his closing speech.

The court heard that Jonathan had repeatedly tried to commit suicide using different methods over several years, and that his mental health had deteriorated after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a car crash.

Her mother and sister then became violent towards Tara, which Mr Edwards argued could have led Tara to kill him and frame her mother so she could become sole owner of the family home.

“Jonathan had a lot of demons. If he was a good person, he wasn’t anymore,” Mr Edwards said.

According to pre-recorded evidence, Tara said she watched the hallway and kitchen as Jonathan lay unconscious in bed while his mother crushed prescription painkillers and anti-anxiety tablets.

Crown prosecutor Caroline Marco claimed Crabtree wanted Jonathan dead because he feared losing his family home, in a lawsuit filed by a woman affected by the pharmacy robbery.

The jury was told Jonathan part-owned the house and could not be easily evicted as he was a violent drug addict who suffered a traumatic brain injury.

The court heard Crabtree told a neighbour: “I wish Jonathan had died in the car crash. I wish he had died.” Mr Edwards’ words were taken out of context.

Jurors were told Crabtree had stockpiled Tara’s oxycodone medication and was found dead in Jonathan’s bedroom, with no trace of the painkiller in his body.

The court heard Crabtree told Tara that if she heard Jonathan was struggling after drinking the drug-laced smoothie, not to help him and to tell police it was a suicide.

Tara waited two and a half years before reporting her account to police, saying she was angry about being detained in hospital for seven months.

In exchange for his testimony, he was granted immunity from investigation.

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