Source : Perth Now news
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, after walking their dogs in the afternoon before Jonathan’s death, 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 had 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.
“I didn’t say a word, I was in too much shock about what happened,” Tara claimed.
“She just said not to talk about the police if they come.
“(She told me to say) that 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” and they would “have a better life” 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.
“It wasn’t right,” she said of her alleged involvement the other murder attempt.
“She asked me to (look out again) but at the time we had a very unhealthy relationship where she controlled me a lot.”
According to Tara, her mother did not use as much prescription medication in the first drink she gave to Jonathan.
“It wasn’t as much as it was in the final one,” she claimed.
However, Tara claimed Ms Crabtree did not go through with her first alleged attempt to murder Jonathan, fearful she would too easily be caught.
“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.”
Tara claimed the first attempt occurred much earlier in the day and so Ms Crabtree was concerned neighbours would be alerted to Jonathan’s cries.
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.
The jury is due to hear from Ms Crabtree’s defence team later today.
The trial continues.
More to come.
