Maree Crabtree on trial for allegedly poisoning her son Jonathan with oxycodone-laced drinks
Consensus Summary
Maree Mavis Crabtree is on trial in Brisbane for the alleged murder of her 26-year-old son Jonathan Crabtree in July 2017, accused of poisoning him with a lethal dose of oxycodone in a fruit juice. The prosecution alleges she also attempted to murder him earlier in the year with a poisoned milkshake and later fraudulently claimed death benefits from his superannuation fund. Key evidence comes from Jonathan’s younger sister Tara, who testified she witnessed her mother preparing the fatal drink and crushing prescription drugs with a hammer. Tara admitted to lying to police initially due to fear of arrest but later provided detailed testimony implicating her mother. Jonathan had a troubled history, including a severe brain injury from a 2015 car crash, drug addiction, and a robbery charge. Neighbours and friends testified about Maree’s alleged frustrations with Jonathan, including statements like ‘I wish Jonathan would overdose and die.’ The defence argues Tara’s account is unreliable, pointing to inconsistencies and delays in coming forward. The trial, which began in April 2026, is examining whether Maree acted deliberately or if Jonathan’s death was accidental due to his drug use.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Maree Mavis Crabtree is on trial in Brisbane Supreme Court for the murder of her 26-year-old son Jonathan Crabtree in July 2017, with charges including attempted murder and attempted fraud.
- Jonathan Crabtree allegedly died after consuming a fruit juice laced with a lethal dose of oxycodone (OxyNorm) prepared by his mother.
- Tara Crabtree, Jonathan’s younger sister, testified that she witnessed her mother prepare the fatal drink, including crushing tablets with a hammer and adding six bottles of liquid oxycodone.
- Maree Crabtree pleaded not guilty to all charges, including murder, attempted murder, and fraud involving Jonathan’s superannuation benefits.
- Jonathan Crabtree suffered a severe brain injury in a car crash in 2015, leaving him with the cognitive capacity of a six to eight-year-old child, according to medical assessments.
- Jonathan had a history of drug abuse, including prescription medications like oxycodone, and was accused of robbing a chemist in 2017.
- Tara Crabtree admitted to lying to police initially due to fear of arrest and losing her home, but later provided testimony implicating her mother in the murder.
- Maree Crabtree allegedly attempted to claim death benefits from Jonathan’s superannuation fund despite not being entitled to them.
- The trial began on April 7, 2026, and is expected to last over three weeks, with evidence from more than 35 witnesses.
- Jonathan’s body was discovered on July 19, 2017, with signs of rigor mortis indicating he had been dead for several hours before emergency services arrived.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Tara Crabtree claimed her mother told her Jonathan was violent and would ‘end up killing us,’ justifying his murder to her.
- Maree Crabtree allegedly broke oxycodone bottles and poured the contents into a two-litre milk bottle before returning the tampered bottles to the chemist.
- A neighbour testified Maree Crabtree said she wanted to ‘put something in his syringe’ multiple times.
- Maree Crabtree texted a neighbour saying she was ‘fed up with Jonathan’ and couldn’t afford to buy him out of the family home.
- Tara Crabtree moved into her dead brother’s bedroom after his death and claimed she was legally immune from prosecution for witnessing the murder.
- Maree Crabtree allegedly told a neighbour she wished Jonathan had ‘died in the car accident’ and that she was ‘scared to go to sleep’ due to his behaviour.
- A friend of Tara’s testified that Tara claimed Jonathan was killed with a Boost Juice drink or something similar.
- A neighbour, Gemma Buchholz, testified Maree Crabtree allegedly said, ‘Jonathan is like a potato, he has no life, I just want to put something in his drink so he will just not be here.’
- Tara Crabtree admitted she lied to police because she had ‘watched a lot of crime documentaries’ and feared arrest.
- Maree Crabtree told police Jonathan would ‘inject anything he could get his hands on,’ including Vegemite and over-the-counter pain medication.
- Maree Crabtree’s defence argued Tara’s testimony was fabricated and only came forward after two and a half years.
- A friend of Tara’s testified that Tara had deleted messages related to the case and refused to show them to police without a warrant.
- Maree Crabtree’s defence questioned Tara’s inconsistencies in her testimony, including the quantity of drugs used and the timeline of events.
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- Newscomau reports Tara Crabtree claimed she saw her mother use six bottles of liquid oxycodone in the fatal drink, while ABC reports Tara initially struggled to specify the exact quantity and later backtracked on her claim.
- Newscomau states Tara Crabtree saw her mother feed fruit scraps from the poisoned drink to chickens, but later claimed she ‘just knew’ this happened without directly observing it.
- Newscomau reports Tara Crabtree claimed she spoke to triple-0 after Jonathan’s death, but later retracted this statement, saying she could not remember.
- Newscomau and ABC both report Tara Crabtree’s testimony about the fatal drink, but ABC emphasizes inconsistencies in her earlier statements to police and hospital staff, while Newscomau focuses more on her detailed account of the events.
- Newscomau reports Maree Crabtree told police Jonathan had the best day of his life before his death, while ABC notes she also speculated he may have had a heart attack due to his weight.
Source Articles
Daughter sees mum kill brother: court
Maree Mavis Crabtree is accused of killing her son Jonathan with fruit juice laced with a lethal dose of oxycodone.
Mum to fight poison juice claim in son’s death
An almost decade-long wait for justice will near its end on Tuesday as a mother accused of murdering her own son with poison juice faces trial.
Murder-accused kept son from friends, court told
Friends of a man allegedly murdered by his mum have told a court he felt isolated and barred from seeing them, and that his mother did not want a “vegetable” in her home.
‘My best’: Murder accused on son’s death
The mother accused of murdering her son told police his supposed troubles with addiction led him to inject himself with Vegemite, a court has been told.
Murder-accused mum’s texts revealed
A mother told friends and neighbours she was exasperated with her son, wishing he would overdose and musing about tampering with his drugs, a court heard.
Mother-son DV before alleged murder
Months before his untimely death, a troubled man and his mother were involved in a domestic violence incident, a court heard. Now his mother is on trial for murder.
Mother accused of son's murder told police he would 'shoot up Vegemite'
Maree Mavis Crabtree is on trial in Brisbane charged with the murder of Jonathan Crabtree in July 2017, and his earlier attempted murder.
Jury hears mum accused of son's murder allegedly claimed she 'wanted to put something in his drink'
A Gold Coast woman accused of killing her son allegedly called him a "potato" with "no life" and claimed she "wanted to put something in his drink so he will just not be here", a jury heard.
Woman tells jury she lied after allegedly seeing mum prepare fatal smoothie
Maree Mavis Crabtree is fighting three charges at a trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, including the murder and attempted murder of her son Jonathan Crabtree.
Sister moved in dead brother’s bedroom: court
The sister of a man allegedly murdered by his mum has told a court she moved into her dead brother’s bedroom after allegedly watching her mother prepare to murder him.
Gold Coast mother pleads not guilty to murdering son with spiked smoothie
Maree Mavis Crabtree has pleaded not guilty to the murder of her son Jonathan in 2017, his attempted murder earlier that year, and attempted fraud.
Daughter tells jury she saw mum crush drugs into lethal smoothie
The daughter of a Gold Coast woman accused of killing her son alleges she saw her mum use a hammer to crush up drugs before putting them into a lethal fruit smoothie.
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