Mum accused of killing drug addicted son who would inject ‘no matter’ – even ‘vegemite’
A 59-year-old mother is on trial accused of killing her 26-year-old son with a smoothie allegedly spiked with oxycodone to claim a payout, as jurors heard shocking police recordings
A mum, 59, is accused of murdering her drug-addicted son, 26
A mum, 59, is accused of murdering her drug-addicted son, 26, by feeding him a fruit smoothie laced with a lethal dose of oxycodone to claim a AUS $125,000 (£65,842) death benefit from his superannuation. Maree Mavis Crabtree is currently facing trial in Brisbane, Australia.
She’s accused of murdering her son, Jonathan Crabtree, in July 2017, as well as an earlier attempt on his life. On Thursday (April 9), jurors reportedly heard recorded interviews in which Crabtree spoke to officers who came to the family home shortly after she found her son dead in his bedroom.
Prosecutors reportedly allege the Gold Coast mother fatally drugged her son for financial gain. Moreover, the jury heard she told police he was a drug user who would inject “anything he could get his hands on” that he “would shoot up Vegemite”.
The defense has suggested that her son may have died from an accidental or deliberate self-administered overdose, noting the high availability of various drugs in the household. Meanwhile, the disgraced mum has reportedly denied all allegations.
Jurors in the Supreme Court have already been told prosecutors allege Crabtree gave her son a blended drink containing a fatal dose of the prescription painkiller Oxycodone at their home in Maudsland, Australia, ABC.net.au reported. In opening statements, the court heard Crabtree’s son had suffered injuries in a traffic crash years earlier, and that he had a history of prescription drug misuse.
They also reportedly heard that he had previously been charged with robbing a chemist. Furthermore, jurors heard audio recordings of Crabtree speaking to officers who came to her home soon after she found her son dead in his bedroom.
In the first interview, she said she was “shocked” and referred to earlier occasions when he had tried to self-harm, as per ABC.net.au. “It’s just devastated me, I can’t believe it,” she said.
Crabtree reportedly added that she “did not see a suicide coming” this time, saying there were usually warning signs when he looked “drugged out” and she could tell “something was going on”. “I would have picked it,” she said.
She reportedly told police he appeared “peaceful” when she discovered him, and she wondered whether he may have suffered a heart attack rather than an overdose because he was overweight. At other points, she suggested he might have been distressed after a doctor said he would likely need to go into a “geriatric” care facility, though she also said he had recently told her he’d had “the best day I’ve had in years”, according to ABC.net.au.
The jury has previously been told that after Crabtree’s death a large number of prescription medicine packets, some empty and others still containing tablets, were found in his room, including inside a backpack. The court reportedly heard Oxycodone was not located in the bedroom but was found elsewhere in the house.
Additionally, Crabtree reportedly said he had bought illegal drugs from a “bikie”, including “black tarry stuff”, and that she had reported it to Crime Stoppers. She described it as “strange” that his addiction “never went” away.
The murder trial is still ongoing at the Brisbane Supreme Court. No final verdict has been reached yet and is expected to last approximately five weeks in total.
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