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Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Carol Baxter slowly poisoned by handyman who 'played' with her health as fake doctor
When 'caring' handyman Luke D'Wit stepped in to look after his ill friend and employer Carol Baxter, it was assumed this was an act of kindness. Little did the local community know that D'Wit was in fact a deceitful killer A community was left in shock after Carol Baxter and her husband, Stephen, were found dead in their Essex home. Then the horrific cause of their deaths emerged. Successful business owners Carol and Stephen, who were well known in the area for their charitable contributions, had been cruelly poisoned by their friend and carer Luke D'Wit, who'd given the couple a lethal dose of Fentanyl. Regarded as a 'caring' handyman, D'Wit, who'd worked for the couple at their shower mat company, Cazsplash, was anything but. The killer even befriended the pair and was a regular visitor at their home. They didn't know at the time that there was an ulterior motive behind his friendliness. As explored in the two-part ITV documentary Essex Millionaires Murder, Carol suffered from Hashimoto's disease, a thyroid condition, which can result in symptoms such as tiredness, weight gain, and muscle weakness. As Carol's symptoms worsened, D'Wit stepped in under the guise of caring for her. He was, in fact, slowly poisoning her. The 64-year-old's condition deteriorated significantly, and she was left suffering from fatigue and forgetfulness. It was later found that this was all the work of deceitful D'Wit, who had posed as a fake doctor online and given her fake medical advice. D'Wit, 35, encouraged Stephen and Carol's to essentially lace their own 'health' smoothies with an opioid painkiller while using fake identities to control their lives while 'caring' for them. His sinister ulterior motives led investigators to find that the kind and helpful family friend had been playing mind games with the family. The manipulative fraudster had been inventing fake online personas, including those of doctors, while giving dangerous medical diagnoses, and secretly filming the couple in their home before murdering them - all for his own sadistic pleasure. Upon his arrest, officers began to uncover the extreme lengths D'Wit explored to control the Baxters. Police found 80 electronic devices at D'Wit's house, some of which had been used to create more than 20 false personas for his manipulation. After analysis, they found he was offering advice "with no clinical basis" while posing as Dr. Bowden, prosecutors told the trial. It was revealed that D'Wit suggested Carol contact an American Hashimoto expert he had found online, Dr. Andrea Bowden. Soon, Carol and Dr. Andrea were exchanging hundreds of emails. This advice included taking smoothies that were rich in health benefits made by D'Wit, who Dr Bowden praised as a good friend, but instead, they were cocktails of drugs and potions which made her far more unwell than she already was. Carol was starting to experience serious fatigue and forgetfulness, and her doctors had no diagnosis to offer other than anxiety. Andrea further instructed Stephen to send twice-daily videos of Carol so she could observe how she deteriorated throughout the day. She also sent strict rules to follow, which she said would cure Carol. They included rest, exercise, and medicinal remedies "that your good friend Luke can make up." Detective Inspector Lydia George of Essex Police said: "Luke D'Wit visited Carol and Stephen on Easter Friday and was messaging them as this fake doctor while he was in the house with them, helping to make a 'medicinal drink' using a fatal dose of Fentanyl, before leaving at 8 pm. A mobile phone had been set up in the kitchen to record and monitor them. He had watched them die." In March last year, D'Wit, 34, was sentenced to life for the murders, with a minimum of 37 years.
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
What happened to Carol and Stephen Baxter and how did they die as ITV airs chilling documentary
ITV documentary Essex Millionaires Murder tells the devastating story of Stephen and Carol Baxter who were poisoned by their employee and family friend Luke D'Wit Last night, ITV aired the first part of two-part documentary Essex Millionaires Murder which tells the the true story of Carol and Stephen Baxter. The couple were found dead in their home in West Mersea, murdered by one of the most dangerous men Essex Police say they've ever come across. Stephen, 61, and Carol, 64, were successful in business and were well respected in the community for their contribution to charity. However, the community were left devastated when they were poisoned by fentanyl by their close friend Luke D'Wit in April 2023. Luke worked for the couple at their shower mat company, Cazsplash. He had started working for the couple in 2012, before befriending them and visiting their home regularly. Throughout his time working for and befriending the Baxters, Luke had 80 electronic devices which he had used to record and monitor the pair. Carol, who suffered from thyroid autoimmune condition, Hashimoto's disease, thought she was being helped by Luke. However, the smoothies he would prepare to "help" her were actually laced with drugs, making her condition worse. In April 2023, both Carol and Stephen were poisoned with fentanyl after their drinks were laced by D'Wit. 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 - which started a murder investigation. Luke had set up hidden cameras to watch his victims die, and framed their daughter Ellie. Ellie discovered both her parents dead in their conservatory armchairs, and later found herself interviewed as a suspect. He had also created a fake will to appoint himself as director of the shower mat company. Working for the company as an, IT consultant Luke 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. D'Wit was later sentenced to 37 years in prison. senior crown prosecutor of the Complex Casework Unit in the CPS East of England called his "levels of deceitfulness and manipulation deeply disturbing." 'Luke D'Wit was the last person to see Carol and Stephen Baxter alive and, in the beginning of the investigation, was treated as a witness. The evidence that was gathered showed the lengths to which he went to so he could gain the trust of the Baxter family and evade suspicion. The levels of deceitfulness and manipulation he used are extremely disturbing."
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Where is killer Luke D'Wit now after devastating double Essex murder
ITV are set to explore the devastating double murders of Carol and Stephen Baxter who were found dead b their daughter on Easter Sunday two years ago 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.
ITV News
28-04-2025
- ITV News
New ITV documentary on investigation into fentanyl killer Luke d'Wit who murdered Essex millionaires
A new documentary will show never-seen-before footage of a murder investigation which eventually led to the capture of a killer described as one of the "most dangerous men" detectives had ever encountered. Luke D'Wit drugged Stephen and Carol Baxter with the strong painkiller fentanyl at their home in Mersea Island, Essex. Mr Baxter, 61, and his 64-year-old wife were found dead sitting in armchairs in their conservatory on Easter Sunday, 2023. Essex Police said the 'cool, calculated killer' D'Wit went to lengths they had never seen before to plan his crimes and would have gone on to kill again if he was not caught. D'Wit worked for and befriended the Baxters and spent years controlling them, with his elaborate plot involving false identities, fake wills and deadly medication. Det Supt Rob Kirby said the 34-year-old had 'planned their deaths meticulously' and 'appeared to enjoy control' over the family. Mr and Mrs Baxter's daughter Ellie told the trial that D'Wit would come round to their house 'every day', knew the front gate security pin, location of a key safe, and would give medication to Mrs Baxter in the mornings and evenings. He invented fake support groups and doctors to provide advice on Mrs Baxter's thyroid condition, with audio recordings capturing D'Wit 'practising fake voices'. D'Wit was convicted of their murders n March last year and jailed for a life. He'll spend at least 37 years behind bars - one of the longest sentences ever secured after an Essex Police investigation. A separate video captured on police bodycam then showed D'Wit telling an officer outside the couple's home that he had become "uneasy" with the lack of communication from them in the days leading up to their deaths. Luke D'Wit was initially treated as a witness rather than a suspect - watch officers speak to him shortly after discovering the bodies of Carol and Stephen Baxter The day after their deaths, D'Wit wrote a fake will on his phone in which he made himself the beneficiary and inheritor of their shower mat firm Cazsplash. Now the painstaking investigation into the murders will feature in a new documentary called The Essex Millionaire Murders. The two-part documentary begins on Tuesday at 9pm - but is already available to watch on ITVX - features interviews with four Essex Police officers, including Detective Inspector Lydia George, the Senior Investigating Officer on the case. Also featured are DC Kerry Turner, the Family Liaison Officer for the case, DC Emily Larkin, who managed the medical aspect of the investigation, and DC Reuben Brame, who reviewed the vast number of digital devices involved. The documentary explores D'Wit's grooming and control of the Baxter family in the years leading up to their deaths. The couple's daughter Ellena, who discovered the bodies of her parents , also contributes as does Tracy Ayling KC, who led the prosecution of D'Wit at Chelmsford Crown Court. Speaking after D'Wit's sentencing in March 2024, DI George 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. 'What we do know is; the significant sentence handed down is entirely fitting for the pathological liar that he is.'
BBC News
28-04-2025
- BBC News
Luke D'Wit ITV documentary to show fentanyl murders in Mersea
The case of an IT worker who used fentanyl to fatally poison his family friends will be the focus of a two-part Baxter, 61, and his 64-year-old wife Carol were found dead at their home in West Mersea, Essex, in April were manipulated by Luke D'Wit, 38, who laced their medication with the opioid painkiller while using fake identities to control their Police said unmasking the killer, described as "nerdy weird" by the couple's daughter, Ellena Baxter, was one of its most complex ever was jailed for life with a minimum tariff of 37 years at Chelmsford Crown Court in March who is Luke D'Wit and how did he carry out the murders? Who is Luke D'Wit? With family ties going back generations on the insular island of Mersea, Luke D'Wit was seen as a pillar of the computer science graduate lived with his mother in a small semi-detached home in Churchfields, a stone's throw from the knew him as a quiet man who volunteered at a soup kitchen and helped to organise the town was why many refused to believe he orchestrated the murders of two millionaires in the desirable detectives uncovered D'Wit, who met the Baxters sometime around 2012 or 2013, was not the upstanding member of society he had disguised himself as. He was introduced to the couple through his work as a freelance web designer, and helped to create a website for Mrs Baxter's shower mat business, relationship evolved when D'Wit started keeping Mrs Baxter company on walks and at the gym. He also helped her take medication and performed odd this period, he faked a cancer diagnosis to gain the family's sympathy, his trial got to the point where "he was always there" with the Baxters, family friend Kate Dawson told the BBC. A web of false personalities When Ellena found her parents dead in their armchairs on Easter Sunday 2023, she immediately suspected carbon monoxide poisoning was to was not until post-mortem examinations took place that fentanyl and promethazine were found to be a significant factor in both deaths.A falsified will inside the couple's home in Victory Road, which named D'Wit as director of Cazsplash, led detectives to the his arrest, they began to uncover the extreme lengths D'Wit explored to control the manipulation mainly targeted Carol Baxter, who suffered from the thyroid condition Hashimoto's created a fake doctor, called Andrea Bowden, who gave Mrs Baxter advice about her condition and put her in touch with a wide network of pretend Baxter desperately wanted solidarity, and on one occasion, the couple drove three hours to a hotel to meet one of the false identities who cancelled on them at the last minute. Police seized 80 electronic devices at D'Wit's house, some of which had been used to create more than 20 false personas used for his of the devices found he was offering advice "with no clinical basis" while posing as Dr Bowden, prosecutors told the advice included taking smoothies that were rich in health benefits made by D'Wit, who Dr Bowden praised as a good they were cocktails of drugs and potions which made her far more unwell than she already told jurors D'Wit used Dr Bowden to enforce "this set of rules we had to follow" for her mother's the dementia-like symptoms and deterioration Mrs Baxter was suffering from were not typical of Hashimoto' were the effects of her being slowly poisoned by D'Wit, who ensured Mrs Baxter kept him updated on her decline via video messages she sent to Dr police investigation uncovered an email sent by D'Wit to the couple on the morning of their deaths, detailing a "liver cleanse recipe" they should explained how the fatal dose of fentanyl had been administered into their bodies.D'Wit then watched them die between Good Friday and Easter Sunday in a video stream he set up from a phone hidden in their property. Why did D'Wit carry out the murders? Sentencing D'Wit, the Honourable Mr Justice Lavender said he was motivated by a "desire to control others"."Deciding whether another person lives or dies is the ultimate form of control," he said.D'Wit used fentanyl patches prescribed to his late father, Vernon, to carry out the BBC revealed in July that detectives were also reviewing the deaths of D'Wit's father and grandfather in case he had killed them and avoided opened and unopened patches were found in a bag at his home by police, as well as metal same tacks were found during a scan of Mrs Baxter's stomach when she was alive."Your relationship with the Baxters and Carol Baxter's illness had led the Baxters to trust you to prepare supposed health drinks for her for some time," the judge said."This is what gave you the opportunity to do what you did." Mr Justice Lavender criticised D'Wit's "amateurish" attempt to create a will, which named him as their "dear friend".However, it was suggested the will was more of an afterthought rather than the ultimate judge said D'Wit maintained his grip over the family in the three months between the murders and his arrest by targeting did so by taking her out for dinner on the night he killed the Baxters, as well as arranging the funeral and using one of the false identities to console a final attempt at manipulation, he used a wheelchair throughout the trial in what prosecutors said was an effort to gain the jury's the killer, the judge concluded: "What you did was cruel and senseless."Essex Millionaire Murders airs on ITV1 at 9pm on both Monday and Tuesday. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
