Essex murderer Luke D’Wit’s chilling crimes are set to become the focus of a new ITV documentary. The cold blooded killer left Carol and Stephen Baxter dead at their home on Mersea Island on April 9, 2023, with their daughter Ellena finding their bodies.
Although their deaths was initially treated by Essex Police as unexplained, it later transpired that the couple had deadly levels of fentanyl in their blood. Shortly after this discovery, a murder investigation was launched to trace the individual behind the atrocious killing.
The police managed to trace D’Wit following a “complex investigation” and following a trial, he was convicted of their murder. The police discovered that D’Wit, a family friend, had laced their medication with the opioid painkiller which is used to treat severe pain from surgery or pain from cancer.
Fentanyl is only available on prescription from a doctor and can come in the forms of patches to place on the skin, lozenges and tablets which dissolve in the mouth, nasal sprays and injections which are only given out in hospital. Essex police later discovered a number of items which were not present in the home of Carol and Stephen, including fentanyl patches and a fake Will.
D’Wit had rewritten the Will and made himself the director and person of significant control of Carol’s business, Cazsplash. He worked for the company as an IT consultant and had made more than 20 fake accounts to communicate with Carol – including one being a US doctor, Andrea Bowden, who was experienced in Hashimoto’s disease, which Carol had been diagnosed with.
He directed Carol’s medical treatment which caused a deterioration in her health. He had administered a fatal dose of the painkiller to the couple and set up a secret camera in their home to monitor them.
But where is D’Wit now? The cold-blooded killer was last year sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court to a minimum of 37 years behind bars. Following the trial and sentencing, Essex Police stated that it was one of the “most significant” sentences they had managed to secure.
Detective Inspector Lydia Georgia said: “It is simply impossible to put a number on the lives of Carol and Stephen. They were loving, generous parents. They helped people and touched the lives of many. They were entering a period in their lives where they should have been able to enjoy precious time with their grandchildren.
“They should have been planning holidays, looking forward to spending Christmases with family and living their lives to the full. Luke D’Wit took all that away in April 2023. He tried to cover it up. He went to great lengths to blame others who we know were not involved in any way. He clearly enjoyed the control he exerted over people, especially Carol and Stephen.
“Ultimately, the only person in this world who knows why he acted this way is Luke D’Wit – and he has proven time and time again to be a manipulator. What we do know is; the significant sentence handed down is entirely fitting for the pathological liar that he is.”
However, a bid to extend his sentencing was rejected. Documents published by the Attorney General’s office stated that an application was processed to determine whether D’Wit received an lenient service. The case wasn’t referred to the Court of Appeal after it was reviewed by the chief legal adviser to the UK.
During the trial, D’Wit claimed to have no knowledge about the fake Will for Carol, which was created on the day he murdered the couple. He also claimed that the fake accounts to communicate with Carol had been made following a request from her husband.
Officers found an Adidas bag belonging to D’Wit which had packets of fentanyl in, following his arrest. Prosecuting, Tracy Ayling stated that four patches of the drug were missing from the bag and that four patches from the same supplier were found at the Mersea Island home.
Essex Police have said that viewers of Essex Millionaire Murders will watch the investigating team “unravel the Baxter murder case and secure justice for Carol, Stephen and their family.”
The documentary also features interviews with detectives from Essex Police, as well as footage from the body cameras worn by cops, CCTV and more.
Essex Millionaire Murders continues tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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