A Gold Coast woman allegedly fed her son a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs in a fruit smoothie in 2017 and attempted to gain access to his finances after his death, a court has heard.
Maree Mavis Crabtree pleaded not guilty to the murder and attempted murder of her son Jonathan Crabtree, as well as attempted fraud, in Brisbane's Supreme Court on Monday.
Crown prosecutor Phillip McCarthy KC said Tara Crabtree, Ms Crabtree's daughter and Jonathan's sister, will tell the court about how the mother allegedly used a blender to mix prescription opioid drugs and fruit — while Tara kept watch — at their Maudsland home on July 18, 2017.
It's alleged Ms Crabtree asked Tara if she could still smell the drugs, and she replied 'yes', so more fruit was added to the blender.
Jonathan then allegedly came down from his bedroom and drank the smoothie, before returning to his room.
"Tara will tell you she could hear her brother struggling and coughing into the night," Mr McCarthy said.
"The next morning the defendant told Tara not to go into Jonathan's room and he was dead."
Mr McCarthy said Ms Crabtree allegedly told Tara they had to go for a walk and visit the shops to alleviate suspicion.
While out, Ms Crabtree allegedly withdrew more than $800 from Jonathan's bank account.
She allegedly called triple-0 on her return and told Tara not to tell police anything or they would lose everything.
Mr McCarthy said it's alleged Ms Crabtree had unsuccessfully attempted to kill Jonathan previously.
He told the court Tara will give evidence that Ms Crabtree put a number of bottles of prescription opioid mixture into a milkshake in January 2017, which Jonathan consumed.
He was taken to hospital and survived until his mother's second attempt later that year, the court heard.
Jonathan 'violent and abusive' to mother
Mr McCarthy told the court Jonathan "was no saint" and had used drugs, saying he required significant physical care after he was injured in a traffic accident in 2015.
The prosecution alleged, when Jonathan committed an armed robbery prior to the accident, Ms Crabtree believed her son had put their family in danger.
"She regarded her son as difficult and abusive, and believed the armed robbery of a chemist had placed their finances and home in jeopardy, and that was the express reason he had to be killed," Mr McCarthy said.
Ms Crabtree had allegedly made several pertinent comments to friends about Jonathan prior to his death, according to the prosecution's submission in court.
Mr McCarthy said one family friend alleged Ms Crabtree told her in early 2017 Jonathan "was like a potato, he has no life, I want to put something in his drink so he won't be here".
Another friend allegedly said Ms Crabtree had told her she wished Jonathan had died in the crash, the court was told.
No need for 'blood money'
In conversations with police officers shortly after her son's death, Ms Crabtree allegedly told police Jonathan had been "addicted to anything he could get his hands on" and had attempted to take his own life.
On one occasion she allegedly told police, "I was told I did this because I want his blood money" but explained that couldn't be the case as she wouldn't receive his assets, and Tara would receive the family home.
She allegedly said, "If I wanted to rip these kids off I would've done it five years ago."
Mr McCarthy said Ms Crabtree was allegedly motivated to kill her son due who had a windfall he had come into of hundreds and thousands of dollars.
He said the Queensland mother had been put in control of Jonathan's finances in late 2016.
The prosecution noted, the day before Jonathan's death, he had completed a final appointment with a specialist to sign off on an insurance payment from his traffic accident, meaning he would have received a payout of $238,000 soon after.
Ms Crabtree allegedly applied for a disability payout and a death benefit on Jonathan's superannuation following his death, worth more than $200,000.
Mr McCarthy said this constituted an attempt to defraud the insurer.
"You can't make a claim on death policy if you are the person who killed the insured person," he said.
One family friend alleged Ms Crabtree told her she wanted to sell the family home after Jonathan's death, the court heard.
The friend queried this, believing it to be Tara's home, and Ms Crabtree allegedly told her, "Tara will do anything I say, besides I'm the one who put money in that home".
Defence questions account of daughter
A defence lawyer for Ms Crabtree, Angus Edwards, told the court the prosecution's case rested solely on Tara's story, asking the jury to examine her motives and the evidence at play.
"Has Tara Crabtree always been honest and consistent? Has she always told the same story or flat out lied to police? Has she told different stories, different versions? Has she chopped and changed the story she came up with two and a half years after her brother died?" Mr Edwards said.
"Listen to the evidence about Jonathan's mental state. Was he a man who was depressed and suicidal? Was he a person who ever took drugs?
"Have the key investigators in this matter kept an open mind or has one of them in particular failed to remain impartial?"
Ms Crabtree wept while Mr Edwards made his opening remarks.
The trial continues in Brisbane Supreme Court.