Fentanyl killer who ‘hacked into the lives’ of married couple poisoned victim for 18 months
A “cruel and manipulative” IT worker “hacked into the lives” of a married couple and spent 18 months poisoning the wife with drugged health drinks.
Luke D’Wit was sentenced to life in prison on Friday and told he must serve a minimum of 37 years behind bars for the deaths of Carol Baxter, 64, and husband Stephen, 61.
D’Wit, described as a “nerdy and weird” loner, spent almost a decade ingratiating himself with the couple and their family before “scheming and planning their demise”.
At Chelmsford Crown Court, the Baxters’ children, Harry and Ellie, said they had been “completely brainwashed” by the 34-year-old, whom they viewed as a brother.
The couple were discovered slumped in their armchairs in the conservatory of their detached home in the seaside village of West Mersea, Essex, by their daughter on April 9 last year.
In the months before giving the couple a fatal dose of fentanyl, D’Wit had created multiple fake identities of doctors to trick Carol into taking medication that left her with dementia-like symptoms.
The court heard he would film her and giggle at the footage, after making her drink “health drinks” that would supposedly help with her thyroid condition, but were laced with drugs.
Ellie, 22, read a victim impact statement at Chelmsford Crown Court in which she laid bare the horror of finding her parents’ bodies.
She said she found her parents “stiff and stone cold.
“I have never known an emotional pain to physically hurt so much. It was like my insides were on fire. I pleaded for them to wake up. I begged them.”
She told the court that her parents, who ran a shower mat company, had grown closer to D’Wit, who carried out IT work for them and lived a five-minute walk away, when his father died in 2021.
Over the next 18 months, Carol’s health began to decline and Ellie said her mother had been “completely brainwashed” by a fake doctor D’Wit was posing as, called Dr Andrea Bowden.
In the months leading up to their deaths, Miss Baxter said her father seemed lonely as her mother constantly struggled to stay awake.
“My mum being drugged for so long and needing such constant help was also, slowly but surely, tearing away every last bit of my dad’s soul. I felt so helpless.”
Ellie said her parents, who were planning on taking early retirement, had “so much life left to live and so much to look forward to”.
She added: “All that had been crushed due to one man’s heinous crimes.
“A man my family protected and cared for. A man who lied his way into our lives. A man so manipulative he hacked his way into our lives over a decade ago, schemed and thoroughly planned my parent’s demise.”
Tracy Ayling KC, prosecuting, said D’Wit’s murder plot involved “quite an extraordinary long-term case of manipulation”.
The barrister said D’Wit was drugging Mrs Baxter, causing her to appear as if she had dementia or a stroke, and that the pain he was inflicting on her “was for (his) own satisfaction”.
She said he had previously tried to harm Mrs Baxter by giving her a pill with a tack inside it.
As the couple lay dying in their home, D’Wit watched on remotely via cameras installed in the property. After they had died, a fake will was discovered naming D’Wit as the director of the couple’s business.
Mr Justice Lavender said that while D’Wit had hoped to gain financially from the couple’s deaths, the primary motivation may have been a “desire to control others” as he had done with Mrs Baxter in the months before he murdered her.
“Deciding whether another person lives or dies is the ultimate form of control,” he added.
The judge told D’Wit, who was in a wheelchair and remained emotionless as he was sentenced, that he had been viewed as a member of the Baxter family.
He added: “You spent a great deal of your time in their home and, in particular, you accompanied Carol Baxter on walks and visits to the gym and you regularly mixed what were supposed to be health drinks for her.
“I am sure that it was by means of one such drink, which you had recommended to Carol and Stephen Baxter in the guise of… one of many false identities created by you, that you administered the drugs to Carol and Stephen Baxter without their knowledge.”
In the close-knit coastal community of West Mersea, locals were still coming to terms with the impact of the murders.
Many who knew D’Wit have struggled to accept that the “polite, mild mannered” boy who grew up on the island was capable of such cruelty.
A close friend of the D’Wit family, who did not wish to be named, told The Telegraph: “I’ve known him for 30 years, I knew him as a little boy, he used to come round to our house.
“Throughout that time up until the day he was arrested, I thought he was a polite nice lad. I just can’t understand it”.
12:27 PM GMT
That’s it for today
Thank you for following our live coverage of the sentencing of convicted double murderer Luke D’Wit.
You can read more on the murder trial here and here.
12:15 PM GMT
D’Wit ‘accepts’ lengthy sentence
Adam Davis KC, mitigating for Luke D’Wit at Chelmsford Crown Court, said the defendant knew he faced a lengthy sentence for the murders of Stephen and Carol Baxter.
He said: “The defendant knows, given the conviction of the jury, that he faces a very long time in prison.
“He accepts that.”
12:09 PM GMT
Baxter family leave Chelmsford Crown Court after sentencing
12:04 PM GMT
One of the ‘most complex investigations’ carried out by Essex Police
Det Insp Lydia George, senior investigating officer for the case, after the sentencing 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.
“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.”
She continued: “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 today is entirely fitting for the pathological liar that he is.”
Ms George said it was one of the most “complex investigations” her force had ever carried out.
11:55 AM GMT
Judge says whole life order ‘not appropriate’
Mr Justice Lavender outlined his reasons for imposing a sentence of life imprisonment and not a whole life order.
He said: “The Crown submit that [D’Wit’s] offences are on the cusp of being so serious as to justify my imposing a whole life order. However, I do not consider that a whole life order is appropriate based on the facts of this case.
He continued: “What you did was cruel and senseless, but I am not sure that it is properly to be described as sadistic.
“It is likely that Carol and Stephen Baxter did not endure any pain or suffering, since the drugs which [D’Wit] administered had a sedative effect, putting Carol and Stephen Baxter to sleep and then killing them in their sleep as the drugs affected their brains and caused them to stop breathing.”
D’Wit was told by the judge he did not have to stand to hear his sentence as the double murderer is currently in a wheelchair, claiming to have a growth on his leg.
Miss Baxter snorted dismissively as the judge made the remark.
11:47 AM GMT
Watch: Moment killer left couple’s home after the poisoning
11:35 AM GMT
D’Wit motivated by desire to control victims, says judge
Mr Justice Lavender said the Baxter family had “eloquently and lovingly expressed their profound loss and suffering” in their victim impact statements.
He told D’Wit: “I am sure you intended to kill Carol and Stephen. You have never admitted what you did and have therefore never expressed why you did it.”
The judge said that while financial gain had been a motive, he considered D’Wit had been primarily motivated by a desire to control his victims.
He said: “I consider it is distinctly possible that what really motivated you was a desire to control others, as you controlled Carol Baxter in the two years before her death.”
He concluded: “Deciding whether another person lives or dies is the ultimate form of control.”
11:27 AM GMT
Luke D’Wit jailed for minimum term of 37 years
Luke D’Wit, 34, has been jailed at Chelmsford Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 37 years for the murders of married couple Stephen and Carol Baxter who were poisoned with fentanyl in West Mersea in Essex.
Mr Justice Lavender has said that D’Wit “ended the lives of Carol and Stephen Baxter and caused grief and misery to the lives of others.”
He said he would not be imposing a whole life order as the conduct of D’Wit could not properly be described as “sadistic” as the poisoning of the Baxter’s with Fentanyl meant they would have experienced little pain when they died.
He sentenced Mr D’Wit to life in prison with a minimum term of 37 years.
11:23 AM GMT
D’Wit used pill containing metal tack to harm Carol Baxter
Tracy Ayling KC has said the murders involved “significant planning and premeditation”, pointing to the fact D’Wit had tried to harm Mrs Baxter by giving her a pill containing a metal tack.
Mrs Baxter was taken to the hospital following the incident and tacks matching the one found in her stomach were later discovered in D’Wit’s bedroom.
Detectives discovered the tacks were purchased shortly before the incident took place.
She said the murders were on the “cusp” of calling for a whole life order – meaning he would never be released from prison – given the prolonged suffering the couple experienced amounted to “sadism”.
She said: “The definition of sadism is enthusiasm for inflicting pain, suffering or humiliation, we submit this is entirely present in this case.”
She added the drugging of Mrs Baxter was “for D’Wit’s own satisfaction”.
11:17 AM GMT
Ellie Baxter: Endless memories have been snatched from my family and I
Ellie Baxter, who became emotional several times during her statement, said her parents had “so much life left to live and so much to look forward to” as they planned on taking an early retirement.
She said: “All that had been crushed due to one man’s heinous crimes.”
She continued: “A man my family protected and cared for. A man who lied his way into our lives. A man so manipulative he hacked his way into our lives over a decade ago, schemed and thoroughly planned my parent’s demise.
“Years of pain and trauma were given to us and the chance of countless years and endless memories have been snatched from my family and I.”
11:11 AM GMT
Killer lied to family about having cancer
In her victim impact statement, Ellie Baxter has told the court Luke D’Wit lied to the family about suffering from cancer to elicit sympathy, complaining of constant headaches and fatigue.
She said: “My parents and I would support him through this. But once again that was another lie. Another form of deceit. Another way to emotionally manipulate us all.”
Miss Baxter said her parents had also taken pity on D’Wit after his father died in 2021, believing he was lonely.
“They took him under their wing and would let him join in. Even in our personal family birthday meals,” she added.
She said the stress of discovering that D’Wit, who she previously described as being like a brother to her, was the investigation’s prime suspect almost caused her to lose her unborn baby.
10:55 AM GMT
Ellie Baxter recalls finding her parents ‘stiff and stone cold’ at Essex home
Describing the moment she found her parents on April 9, Miss Baxter said they were “stiff and stone cold” after she found them slumped in armchairs in their conservatory.
She said she never knew “emotional pain could physically hurt so much”.
She added: “It was like my insides were on fire. I screamed and screamed but nothing I done was helping. I pleaded for them to wake up. I begged them. But of course they could not wake. The next time I saw mum and dad they were in body bags.”
In the months leading up to their deaths, Miss Baxter has said her mother struggled to cope with the drugs she was being given. She said: “Dad seemed lonely. Mum was too unwell. She struggled to eat and could not stay awake.
“My mum being drugged for so long and needing such constant help was also, slowly but surely, tearing away every last bit of my dad’s soul. I felt so helpless.”
10:49 AM GMT
Loving family torn apart by killing, says Ellie Baxter
Ellie Baxter described her mother Carol as being “full of life” and spoke about shopping trips and days to the spa they used to enjoy.
She said: “She was my best friend. We would laugh together, cry together and support each other. Over the coming years we had planned to go travelling as we both wanted to go to Japan and India. A dream of ours that now can never be fulfilled.”
Speaking about her father, Miss Baxter said he loved playing the guitar and inspired a love of music in his children.
She called him a “strong man” who used to tell her there are no shortcuts in life.
Miss Baxter added: “He worked every day of his life and provided for mum, my brother and I. There was nothing we ever needed. He loved us all.”
10:38 AM GMT
Carol Baxter ‘completely brainwashed’ by killer
Ellie Baxter, the couple’s daughter, has begun reading her victim impact statement to the court.
She said her mum had lost her ability to function in the years prior to her murder because of her illness, which she says was “contrived by D’Wit”.
She added: “Mum felt so alone and lost and there was nothing I could do other then give her my shoulder to cry on and cuddle her.
“I tried to push her to go to the doctors, which she did but she was completely brainwashed by Dr Andrea Bowden.”
Dr Bowden was one of the many aliases D’Wit used to give Mrs Baxter fake medical advice to treat her thyroid condition.
Miss Baxter said that D’Wit would get her mother to send videos to Dr Bowden to help her treatment.
“But in reality Luke just wanted to see and watch the outcome of his twisted, abominable actions. Sometimes even filming my mum himself and laughing,” she said.
10:24 AM GMT
Watch: Moment Luke D’Wit is arrested by Essex Police
10:16 AM GMT
Baxter family arrive at Chelmsford Crown Court
The Baxter’s family members, including their daughter Ellie and son Harry, have arrived at Chelmsford Crown Court for the sentencing.
Before detectives began investigating D’Wit, Ellie was initially arrested on suspicion of their murder.
Miss Baxter was discounted as a suspect after a new will – written the day after the couple died – and empty packets of fentanyl linked to D’Wit were discovered in the Baxters’ home.
10:12 AM GMT
In full: Harry Baxter’s statement following D’Wit’s conviction
After Luke D’Wit was found guilty of the murders of Carol and Stephen Baxter, their son made the following statement outside Chelmsford Crown Court.
“Luke D’Wit took what we all held most sacred and found a way to extract it for himself.
“Our life will forever be punctured by the gravity of his actions. My eldest daughter will forever have lost the wealth of wisdom and experience my parents possessed.
“My mum was the definition of the word ‘love’. I do not refer to April of 2023. I refer to the day Luke began his foul games torturing and drugging her. Unbeknownst to me, I had already lost my mother a long time ago.
“I feel great sadness looking back on the videos of her when she was acting strangely and seeing him in the background giggling and smiling knowing he’s the one inflicting this pain as we were all dolls in his dollhouse victim to his manipulation.
“My father on the other hand is the definition of intelligence. A critical thinker and problem solver and a person people could absolutely rely on. Most of all thorough to an astounding level of excellence. Revered within his industry, it was almost as if it seemed like he never broke a sweat.
“He sacrificed his life for us to live on and when the days came where he could finally take time and retire and have time to teach me, a young man, naive and keen at the beginning of his adult life it was stolen away by someone we all trusted the most.
“Luke D’Wit completely destroyed everything we held close to our hearts and every memory and future dream we could have shared.
“All I can do now is focus on my family by loving and protecting my partner and baby and our future members of the family. We have the important role of not only mother and father, but also capture the memory of a now sadly lost grandmother and grandfather.”
09:51 AM GMT
Who is Luke D’Wit?
Luke D’Wit was convicted of the murders of Carol and Stephen Baxter at Chelmsford Crown Court on March 20.
D’Wit is an IT worker from Essex who befriended the couple in 2014 after they advertised for help with their business. The court heard he portrayed himself as a slightly weird, geeky, but ultimately harmless friend.
D’Wit lived at home, shared a bedroom with his mother, Janatha, showed little interest in careers or relationships, played video games and occasionally attended Comic Con, a comic book fan convention.
Numerous friends gave evidence saying he “had a good sense of right and wrong” and often helped out at a local soup kitchen.
During the trial a copy of D’Wit’s CV was shown to the jury in which he said he had an MSc in computer science from the University of East Anglia. The university has said they have no knowledge of D’Wit.
The jury heard D’Wit created an “elaborate” network of up to 20 fake identities, which he used to give Mrs Baxter misleading advice about how to manage a thyroid condition she had called Hashimoto’s.
09:46 AM GMT
Good morning
Welcome to The Telegraph’s live coverage of the sentencing of the convicted double murderer Luke D’Wit.
We’ll be bringing you the latest updates from Chelmsford Crown Court.
