Overview
- The defence, which began its closing on Tuesday afternoon, urged jurors to reject daughter Tara Crabtree’s account and suggested she could be responsible for her brother’s death.
- Prosecutors said Jonathan Crabtree died from a toxic dose of oxycodone that led to choking and pneumonia in the hours before he was found.
- The Crown asked jurors to trust Tara’s testimony that she watched her mother crush pills into a smoothie, saying Maree Crabtree controlled her in a coercive relationship.
- Prosecutors outlined a financial motive, pointing to a $125,000 insurance claim and fears the family could lose a home that Jonathan partly owned and could not be forced to leave.
- The defence cited a note found in Jonathan’s bin and reports of prior suicidal thoughts to argue suicide or an accidental overdose, and it will continue on Wednesday before the jury begins deliberations.