U.K. man gets 37 years for fatally poisoning couple with fentanyl, rewriting their will

Stephen and Carol Baxter were discovered unresponsive at their seaside home in April

An IT worker who fatally poisoned a couple with the opioid painkiller fentanyl and manipulated their will has been sentenced to a minimum of 37 years in prison.

Stephen Baxter, 61, and his wife Carol, 64, were discovered dead at their residence in West Mersea, Essex, in April 2023.

Luke D'Wit, 34, employed fake identities to control the couple before introducing the drug into their medication, as revealed during a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

D'Wit, a resident of West Mersea, has been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 37 years.

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby, head of major crime at Essex Police, expressed certainty that D'Wit would have committed additional murders if not apprehended, labeling him as "one of the most dangerous individuals" encountered in his policing career.

The couple were found dead in the conservatory by their daughter

During the trial, it was disclosed that D'Wit surreptitiously laced the Baxters' medication with fentanyl and ensured its consumption during a visit to their residence on Victory Road on 7 April 2023.

The Baxters' daughter, Ellie, made the grim discovery of her deceased parents in their conservatory when she visited two days later on Easter Sunday.

Upon D'Wit's arrival shortly afterward, he falsely identified himself as a "friend" to a 999 call operator, providing a fabricated narrative while Miss Baxter was heard in distress in the background.

In her victim impact statement presented at Chelmsford Crown Court, Miss Baxter described D'Wit as a "man so manipulative he hacked his way into our lives over a decade ago, schemed and thoroughly planned my parents' demise."

She recounted her parents' compassion towards D'Wit, noting that they had taken him under their wing, believing he was lonely following the death of his father.

Luke D'Wit was found guilty of murdering Stephen and Carol Baxter on Wednesday

Regarding the moment she discovered her parents deceased, she expressed, "I have never known an emotional pain to physically hurt so much. It was like my insides were on fire. I screamed and I screamed."

The court learned that D'Wit initially met the Baxters between 2012 and 2013 when he was tasked with creating a website for their shower mat company, Cazsplash.

Additionally, it was revealed that D'Wit altered their will the day after their deaths to gain control of the business.

Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC detailed the extensive manipulation orchestrated by D'Wit over several years, primarily targeting Mrs. Baxter but also involving her daughter at times.

A CCTV camera on the Baxters' house showed him leaving the property after administering lethal doses of fentanyl

Mrs. Baxter had developed a friendship with D'Wit through the business and trusted him for assistance with her thyroid condition, Hashimoto's disease.

D'Wit utilized multiple false personas, electronic devices, and posed as a doctor to offer medical advice without legitimate qualifications. Miss Baxter testified that her mother became desperate and was willing to try anything to improve her health.

Despite D'Wit's defense claiming that the false identities were at the request of Stephen Baxter, the court found no credible motive behind these actions, ultimately leading to the tragic deaths of the Baxters.