Judge orders murder trial adjournment to get things ‘sorted’

The trial against a Gold Coast mother who allegedly killed her son by giving him a lethal smoothie laced with drugs has been delayed for two days until things get “sorted”, a jury has been told.

Maree Mavis Crabtree, 57, is standing trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court for murder, attempted murder and attempted fraud following the death of her son Jonathan Crabtree, 26, in July 2017. On Wednesday morning, Justice Peter Davis told the jury that he’d decided to adjourn the trial until 10am on Friday.

“There’s been some developments overnight that’s led me to the conclusion that there has to be some steps taken in the meantime,” Justice Davis said. “That’s what I’ve decided. “I’m sorry to have brought you in for a two-minute cameo this morning but sometimes these things just have to be sorted.”

The jury was excused on day three of the trial and will return on Friday. Mr Crabtree died of a suspected overdose of oxycodone, plus a combination of other drugs, in his Maudsland home on the Gold Coast on July 19, 2017.

The court was told his mother was later charged with his murder after she allegedly blended the drugs into a smoothie she made in the kitchen of the home she shared with her son and daughter, Tara. The Crown alleges Mrs Crabtree used her daughter’s medication to make the poisonous drink before giving it to her son.

Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy KC told the jury during his opening address on Monday that Mrs Crabtree also tried to claim her son’s insurance following his death. It’s alleged the insurance claim was more than $100,000.

Mrs Crabtree is also accused of attempting to murder her son in January 2017. He’d been taken to hospital after it was suspected the 26-year-old had attempted suicide.

Police photographs were shown to the jury on Tuesday of Mr Crabtree’s Spider-Man backpack found in his bedroom. The photographs showed the multiple prescription medication bottles and blister packs found in the backpack. The jury was then played an audio recording on Tuesday of Mrs Crabtree telling police during an interview at her home about her son’s drug addiction.

The jury was previously told Mr Crabtree had suffered serious brain injury after a car crash in 2015 and was in the process of getting an insurance payout before he died.