Maree Mavis Crabtree has been charged with murdering her daughter just weeks after she was cleared of killing her son in a separate case that drew major attention in Australia.
The Queensland mother had been accused of poisoning her 26-year-old son, Jonathan Crabtree, with a smoothie allegedly laced with oxycodone before making a $125,000 insurance claim linked to his death benefit policy.
Crabtree denied the allegations throughout the trial, and earlier this month, a jury found her not guilty ofmurder, attempted murder, and fraud charges. Now, the 59-year-old is set to face court again over the death of her youngest daughter, Erin, who was found unresponsive inside the family's Gold Coast home in 2012 while the rest of the family was away on a Pacific Islands cruise. The new charge has placed fresh attention on a case that prosecutors had kept out of the earlier trial involving Jonathan's death.
Jonathan Crabtree's body was discovered inside the family home in 2017. Prosecutors had alleged that his mother prepared a smoothie containing oxycodone before later attempting to claim money through his superannuation death benefit policy. During the proceedings, Maree Mavis Crabtree pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against her, including murder, attempted murder, and fraud.
Earlier this month, the jury returned not guilty verdicts on each count, bringing that particular trial to an end. However, attention quickly shifted to another death within the family after authorities confirmed Crabtree would now face a separate murder charge over the death of her daughter, Erin.
Erin was 18 years old when she was found unresponsive at the family home in September 2012. At the time of her death, her mother, brother, and sister were away on a Pacific Islands cruise. According to the details presented, the holiday had originally been organised by a disability service so Erin could enjoy the trip herself. However, just weeks before departure, her mother informed the travel agent that Erin would no longer be attending.
Details connected to Erin's death were not presented to the jury during Jonathan's murder trial. Despite that, the judge referenced her death while summing up the case before deliberations.
The latest charge means Crabtree is once again preparing to return to court, this time over allegations connected to the death of her daughter eight years before Jonathan was found dead.
Alongside the murder allegations, Crabtree is also facing severalfraud-related accusations. Court documents state she has been charged with attempted frauds involving at least $100,000 in December 2018, another amount of at least $30,000 between October 2010 and June 2015, as well as an additional attempted fraud allegation from June 2015.
Separate Commonwealth fraud charges were also brought before Brisbane District Court on May 22. Those matters include eight counts of allegedly obtaining a financial advantage by deception between 2009 and 2018, along with three charges of general dishonesty.
Source: International Business Times UK
