Maree Mavis Crabtree, a Queensland woman acquitted of murdering her son, is now facing a murder charge over the death of her daughter. The 59-year-old was cleared earlier this month of killing her 26-year-old son Jonathan, whose remains were found at the family's Gold Coast property in 2017.
Prosecutors had alleged Crabtree laced a smoothie with oxycodone before making a $125,000 insurance claim from his superannuation death benefit policy. She denied murder, attempted murder and fraud charges, and a jury returned not guilty verdicts on all counts on May 11.
However, she now faces court over the death of her youngest daughter Erin, who was 18 when found unresponsive at the family home in September 2012. At the time, Crabtree, her son and another daughter were on a Pacific Islands cruise arranged by a disability service to give Erin a break. Her mother had told the travel agent weeks earlier that Erin would not attend.
Details of the second murder allegation were withheld from jurors during Jonathan's trial, although the judge referred to Erin's death in his summing up. In addition to the murder charge, Crabtree faces attempted fraud offences totalling at least $100,000 in December 2018, at least $30,000 between October 2010 and June 2015, and a further attempted fraud in June 2015.
At Brisbane District Court on May 22, Crabtree was also charged with Commonwealth fraud offences, including eight counts of securing financial advantage by deception between 2009 and 2018, and three counts of general dishonesty. Defence solicitor Jodie Mair said those proceedings were on hold until the Supreme Court case was resolved. "I can confirm that the first of those indictments has been resolved by way of a trial," Mair said, referring to the acquittal.
The Commonwealth allegations are due to be mentioned in the District Court on July 16, while the remaining murder and state fraud charges are scheduled for review next month. Mair confirmed ongoing discussions between defence and prosecution over the Supreme Court indictment.
