The sister of a man allegedly killed by his mother has told a court how she became involved in his alleged murder.
Maree Mavis Crabtree is charged before the Brisbane Supreme Court with murder, attempted murder and attempted fraud after allegedly using a fruit juice laced with a lethal dose of oxycodone to kill her 26-year-old son Jonathan.
She is also alleged to have tried to collect on his superannuation benefits despite knowing she was not entitled to them.
Ms Crabtree pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On the last day of the second week in her trial, the jury heard evidence from Ms Crabtree’s surviving daughter, and Jonathan’s younger sister, Tara Crabtree.
Tara told the court her mother prepared a drink containing various prescription medications including OxyNorm, Endone, Tramadol, Valium and Seroquel.
The court was previously told the OxyNorm was prescribed to Tara and contained oxycodone.
“She told me to keep a look out in the hallway … and she cut up all the fruit and then she put it in the Nutribullet (blender) and she crushed up tablets with a hammer,” Tara said.
The court heard Tara gave evidence earlier this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, from a separate interview room without the jury present.
Her evidence was recorded and played before the court on Friday.
Tara said she saw her mother pour a large amount of 250ml OxyNorm liquid bottles into the blender.
“I want to say five to 10 bottles,” she said.
“I believe it was around six bottles.”
Tara said Jonathan took the drink from his mother and then returned to his room where she claimed he was just previously “passed out” and “high on drugs”.
“He went straight back to his bed,” she said.
“I went to my room and watched TV.”
Tara claimed she heard her brother struggle throughout the night.
“(He was) loud moaning, groaning, gasping for air … and struggling to breathe,” she claimed.
“It was very loud.”
She told the court Ms Crabtree warned her not to help her brother.
“My mum told me not to; and, if I did, she would be arrested and I would be placed in a group home or living with my father and we would lose everything,” she said.
Jonathan’s younger sister said she heard Ms Crabtree check on Jonathan throughout the night; adding her mother told her “Jonathan is dead” the next morning.
“She just said not to talk about the police if they come,” Tara claimed.
“He committed suicide and we found him that morning – that is what she told me to say.”
Tara claimed her mother would consistently tell her they would lose their home due to Jonathan’s alleged involvement in an armed robbery of a chemist some months earlier; adding their lives would have “more peace” without him.
“(She said) he was violent and we would be better off without him,” Tara told the court.
“(She) said Jonathan would end up killing us so we’d be safe.”
She also told the court the night of Jonathan’s alleged murder was not the first time her mother had fed him a poisoned drink – pointing to a milkshake Ms Crabtree made Jonathan the same year as his death.
“She asked me to (look out again) but at the time we had a very unhealthy relationship where she controlled me a lot,” she said.
According to Tara, Ms Crabtree used less prescription medication in the milkshake than the fruit juice.
However, Tara claimed Ms Crabtree did not go through with her first alleged attempt to murder Jonathan.
“He had very loud snoring and very loud moaning … you could hear it all through the house,” she said.
“My mum rang an ambulance because he was so loud and she was paranoid the police were going to come.”
She said Ms Crabtree told emergency officers Jonathan had an “accidental overdose”.
She further alleged, sometime before Jonathan’s death, she saw Ms Crabtree purposefully break OxyNorm bottles and pour the contents into a two-litre milk bottle before taking the tampered bottles back to the chemist to avoid suspicion.
Speaking on his alleged violent tendencies, Tara said Jonathan physically assaulted her once.
She said Jonathan would often “yell and scream” and “lose his temper”.
“I was scared of him,” she said.
“He could do a lot of damage if he wanted to.”
Tara told the court Jonathan would “beg” his mother for his sister’s prescription oxycodone, claiming Ms Crabtree would give him 15 to 20ml of the drug in an oral syringe on occasion.
“Only when he didn’t have enough drugs for his fix,” she said.
DEFENCE CLAIM DAUGHTER LIED
In cross examination, Tara admitted she had first told police about her mother’s alleged actions two and a half years after Jonathan’s death.
She said, immediately after Jonathan’s death, she told “half truths, and half lies”.
The court was told Tara learned through a friend that her mother was reportedly gathering funds to take ownership of the family home, prompting her to talk to police.
“What (my friend) told me about …. (my mum trying to) get the house out of my name and kick me out of the house – that’s what’s changed,” the court heard Tara previously said.
“I do love that house,” she said in the testimony heard on Friday.
Tara accepted she had previously made the remarks, but denied her testimony was false.
“It wasn’t a story,” she said.
“I was healed and I was ready and mentally stable and able to talk.
“It was the right time.”
She admitted she had deleted the messages between herself and her friend.
“You knew we wanted to see these messages,” Defence barrister Angus Edwards KC asked.
“Only after I deleted them,” Tara replied.
“I delete every message on my phone unless it’s an important date or a doctor’s appointment.
“You could’ve tried to recover them I suppose, I don’t know.”
Tara said she instructed her friend to delete the messages “if she didn’t want to be involved in the case”.
The court was shown texts between Tara and her friend on March 29, 2021.
“I’m glad we deleted our convod (sic),” a text from the friend read.
“That’s why I warned you,” Tara replied.
“I deleted it straight after then,” the friend said.
In a Facebook messenger conversation on April 8, 2021 tendered to the court, Tara and her friend discussed her ownership of the family home.
“Do you care that if she gets off that means you lied and tarnish(ed) your name,” the friend wrote to Tara.
“I honestly do not care if she does that, in the end I have the house,” Tara wrote back.
The trial continues.
