The mother accused of murdering her two disabled children, Erin and Jonathan, told friends her 18-year-old daughter contracted autism from a needle, a former girlfriend of Jonathan has said.
Queensland mother-of-three Maree Mavis Crabtree also told people another woman known to her had cancer, the ABC reported. Crabtree’s lawyer says she will ‘defend the charges wholly’.
The 51-year-old is accused of killing her son Jonathan, 26, in July last year and her daughter Erin, 18, in September 2012.
She is further accused of torturing another woman known to her over a period of many years.
A friend of the Crabtree family says Maree Crabtree, 51 (pictured left of right) told people her daughter Erin (left) had contracted Autism from a needle and another woman known to her had cancer
Maree Crabtree (pictured) was charged on Wednesday over the deaths of her 26-year-old son Jonathan and 18-year-old daughter Erin
Police initially believed Jonathan (pictured) and his sister Erin had committed suicide, but now allege they were killed by their mother. The pair died five years apart on the Gold Coast
Police allege both siblings, who were first believed to have committed suicide, had disabilities and died as a result of being forced to take prescription medication.
Jonathon’s body was found at a home in the suburb of Upper Coomera in July 2017 and Erin was located at a property in nearby Maudsland in September 2012.
Two of Jonathan’s ex-girlfriends have expressed their shock at the charges laid against his mother, describing the man as ‘the best person ever’, ‘sweet’, ‘funny’ and ‘faithful’.
Cheyenne Taylor, who dated Jonathan for about a year, said both he and his mother had told her Erin had autism.
‘She had been given a needle when she was younger and got reactions to it, which had somehow given her autism,’ she told ABC.
‘[Erin] would not talk to anybody other than her mum or Jonathan.’
Crabtree (pictured shortly after her arrest) is accused of carrying out the ‘calculated’ killings so she could pocket nearly $1million from insurance payouts
Court documents reveal Crabtree allegedly dishonestly received an insurance pay-out of $567,863, a total permanent disability claim for $238,800 and had attempted to fraudulently obtain a superannuation death benefit of $125,000 after the deaths of her children.
The accused killer has been revealed as a passionate fan of teenage pop stars, reality television – and rats.
‘Hi, I live on the Gold Coast, I love fishing, long walks on the beach, watching TV, reading, cooking, gardening, just love [singer] SIA, Dance Moms, all movies,’ reads her Twitter bio.
Crabtree introduces herself as a beach-loving, Dance Moms watching Gold Coast local
Crabtree’s social media pages are filled with images and messages about Maddie Ziegler
The 51-year-old appears to be a big fan of the American dancer, actress and model
‘So proud of you,’ and ‘such an amazing dancer’ are among the adoring tweets she posted about the teenager
Her social media pages are filled with images of 15-year-old American actress and dancer Maddie Ziegler.
‘So proud of you,’ and ‘such an amazing dancer’ are among the adoring tweets she posted about the teenager.
Crabtree is also a long-time member of the Queensland Rodent Fanciers Society and competed regularly at rat shows, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.
The group’s secretary Sandy O’Hare told the publication the accused killer owned half a dozen rats and attended shows with another family member.
‘The rats are full of personality and Maree loves animals,’ Mrs O’Hare said.
‘I don’t really know the family very well but they haven’t come to any shows for quite a while.’
The 51-year-old, who stands accused of murder, torture and fraud, adores U.S. star Maddie Ziegler (pictured), according to her social media pages
Crabtree, 51, was arrested on Wednesday morning over the deaths of her disabled children
Police have alleged before Jonathan’s death, she counselled him to hold up a chemist with a knife for prescription painkillers
Crabtree faces two counts of murder, one count each of torture and grievous bodily harm.
She will also face two counts each of fraud and attempted fraud and one count of robbery whilst armed.
The 51-year-old allegedly encouraged her son Jonathan to hold up a chemist in Southport, Queensland.
In 2015, he had stormed into the store wearing a balaclava and wielding a knife, The Australian reported.
He told staff to give him ‘all your Tramadol’ – a prescription painkiller the 26-year-old had been addicted to since he was involved in a car accident in 2009.
Crabtree has been remanded in custody and her matter is set to return to court on February 12.
Her lawyer, Ms Bettina Webb, said Crabtree would ‘defend the charges wholly’.
Crabtree was allegedly responsible for killing her son, Jonathan (pictured) whose body was found at an Upper Coomera home in July last year
Crabtree is also a long-time member of the Queensland Rodent Fanciers Society and competed regularly at rat shows (stock)
Police will reportedly allege Crabtree slowly poisoned them over an ‘extended period’
Her 18-year-old daughter and 26-year-old son were found dead around five years apart
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