12 June 2024 , 10:23
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A murderer who is serving 37 years for killing a millionaire husband and wife with fentanyl is being investigated over the deaths of his father and grandfather who died in similar circumstances.
Luke D'Wit was jailed in March after he was found guilty of using the opioid painkiller to poison married couple Stephen and Carol Baxter in West Mersea, Essex. The 34-year-old man, who was described in court as a “nerdy and weird” loner, had befriended the pair over almost a decade, ingratiating himself with the couple and their family before “scheming and planning their demise”.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard from the Baxters’ children, Harry and Ellie, who said they had been “completely brainwashed” by him and viewed him as a brother. 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.
Stephen Baxter, 61, and his 64-year-old wife Carol were killed by D'Wit (PA)The court heard he would make her drink “health drinks” laced with drugs and would film her and giggle at the footage. The couple were discovered slumped in their armchairs in the conservatory of their detached home in the seaside village by their daughter on April 9, Easter Sunday, last year. D'Wit had poisoned them both on Good Friday and watched them die on hidden security cameras in their home.
Detectives are now exploring whether D'Wit was responsible for the death of his father, Vernon, who had been prescribed fentanyl before he was found dead at his home in 2021. He too was found slumped at home in his armchair.
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He is serving a minimum of 37 years (PA)As part of their review, it's understood detectives have also been re-examining how D’Wit’s grandfather died. When he was arrested, D'Wit told police officers the fentanyl found in his bag had belonged to his grandad who had passed away two weeks earlier.
An Essex Police spokesman said: "Up to the conviction and sentence of Luke D'Wit, our determined focus has been securing justice in relation to the murders of Carol and Stephen. As with any investigation of this magnitude, everything we have uncovered is being reviewed and should anything suggest this has been the case we will not hesitate to act."
Ellie Baxter, with brother Harry, found her parents dead (PA)Det Supt Rob Kirby previously told the BBC he had "absolutely no doubt" D'Wit would have committed further murders had he not been caught. He said he could not rule out the possibility D'Wit had already killed others before being convicted of murdering the Baxters. The officer described D'Wit as "one of the most dangerous men" he had seen during his career.