Luke D’Wit: Fentanyl And The Betrayal of Carol and Stephen Baxter

Luke D’Wit was in his mid-twenties and appeared helpful and kind. He became a frequent visitor to their home and grew close to the family. The Baxters saw him as slightly odd but essentially harmless.

Beneath his helpful exterior, something far more sinister was taking shape. A calculated game of manipulation, control and betrayal was already in motion. No one in their peaceful community could have imagined the devastating events that would unfold or the dark truth that lay behind this seemingly innocent friendship.

BACKGROUND

Carol and Stephen Baxter were successful entrepreneurs in their sixties. Carol, 64, had invented a unique curved bathmat that formed the foundation of their company, Cazsplash. Stephen, 61, was known for his intelligence and problem solving abilities. Together they had built not just a business, but a legacy they hoped to pass on to their children, Ellie and Harry.

Carol was described by loved ones as the embodiment of love itself. She suffered from Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune condition affecting her thyroid, but remained active and engaged in both business and family life. Stephen was a dedicated father and grandfather, looking forward to spending his retirement years with his growing family.

In 2012, through a mutual friend of Carol’s, they met Luke D’Wit. He quickly became more than just their technical advisor. He spent increasing amounts of time at their home, joining Carol for walks and gym sessions. He showed particular interest in Carol’s health, preparing special drinks he claimed would help with her medical condition.

The Baxters’ children noticed D’Wit was different. Ellie described him as “weird, but nerdy weird.” Yet her parents had taken him under their wing, especially after his father passed away in 2021. He presented himself as helpful, kind, and involved in local charity work. The community saw him as an upstanding member of society.

THE LONG GAME

By 2021, Luke D’Wit had positioned himself as an essential part of the Baxters’ daily life. But behind his helpful facade, he was orchestrating an elaborate scheme of deception that would span several years.

D’Wit created more than 20 fake online personas to manipulate the Baxters. His most significant creation was Dr. Andrea Bowden, a fictional physician from Florida who communicated with Carol about her Hashimoto’s disease. Through this fake identity, he encouraged Carol to ignore her real doctors’ advice. He even created fictional support groups and other characters, including a woman named Jenny, whose voice he practiced mimicking for voice messages.

Carol’s health began to deteriorate. She appeared confused at times, with symptoms that mimicked dementia or stroke. Unknown to anyone, D’Wit was secretly administering capsules containing antihistamines to her. In one particularly disturbing incident, he gave her a pill containing a metal tack, which resulted in her hospitalization.

The manipulation extended beyond Carol. D’Wit created elaborate scenarios involving multiple fake personalities who communicated not only with Carol but also with her daughter Ellie. He spent hours crafting detailed conversations between these fictional characters, slowly isolating the Baxters from their real medical support system and increasing their dependence on him.

Throughout this time, D’Wit maintained his image as a caring friend. He attended family events, continued his local charity work, and presented himself as someone devoted to helping others. No one suspected that beneath this carefully constructed persona lay a calculated plan that was slowly unfolding.

THE FINAL DAYS

On Good Friday, April 7, 2023, Luke D’Wit arrived at the Baxters’ home at 10:20 am. He came bearing what appeared to be his usual health drinks for Carol and Stephen. What the Baxters didn’t know was that these drinks contained lethal doses of fentanyl, extracted from patches originally prescribed to D’Wit’s late father. Carol’s drink also contained promethazine.

The drugs D’Wit used revealed his calculated plan. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, is typically prescribed in patch form for severe chronic pain in cancer patients, but even a tiny amount can be lethal by causing respiratory failure.

In Carol Baxter’s case, D’Wit had also been secretly administering promethazine, an antihistamine used to treat allergies and nausea, which contributed to her declining health in the months before her murder. On the day of their deaths, both Baxters were given fentanyl in what they thought were health drinks.

After administering the fatal drinks, D’Wit didn’t leave. Instead, he stayed in the house, watching as the poison took effect. He had installed a surveillance camera in their conservatory, linked to an app on his phone. This allowed him to monitor the Baxters as they became increasingly incapacitated in their armchairs.

He remained in their home until 7:55 pm that evening. Before leaving, he double locked the front door. The next day, while Carol and Stephen lay dead in their chairs, D’Wit went out for breakfast and ice cream with his mother, showing no signs of distress.

On Easter Sunday morning, April 9, Ellie Baxter arrived at her parents’ home. She discovered them lifeless in their armchairs. In a state of shock and grief, she called emergency services. D’Wit arrived shortly after, taking over the 999 call and identifying himself as a “friend” of the family.

The initial response treated the deaths as unexplained. But even in these early moments, something about D’Wit’s behavior caught the attention of one police officer. The officer noted how D’Wit seemed unusually eager to “check on them,” saying “I always pop in.”

The day after discovering the bodies, while the family was deep in grief, D’Wit was already putting the next phase of his plan into action. He created a fake will on his phone, making himself director of Cazsplash and transferring £6,000 from Carol’s bank account to the company account.

UNRAVELING THE TRUTH

The investigation into the Baxters’ deaths quickly revealed an elaborate web of deception. Toxicology reports confirmed lethal levels of fentanyl in both victims’ bodies, with Carol’s system also containing promethazine.

Police discovered used and unused fentanyl patches during a search of D’Wit’s workplace. When questioned, he claimed they belonged to his late father. But investigators found the patches matched those discovered in the Baxters’ home, from the same manufacturer and batch.

The digital investigation proved even more revealing. Police uncovered D’Wit’s extensive network of fake personas on his electronic devices. They found evidence of his fictional doctor, Andrea Bowden, along with more than 20 other fabricated identities he used to manipulate the Baxters. The surveillance app he used to monitor their deaths was still on his phone.

The fake will surfaced during the investigation. Created just one day after the Baxters’ deaths, it attempted to give D’Wit control of Cazsplash. He had even created another fictional character, a solicitor named Martin Ellison, to validate the document.

In July 2023, police arrested Luke D’Wit and charged him with two counts of murder. During questioning, he maintained his innocence. He even tried to claim Stephen Baxter had been involved in creating the fake personas, a defense that crumbled when investigators read the messages between these fictional characters.

The police investigation was described as one of the most complex ever undertaken by Essex Police. Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby would later say D’Wit was “one of the most dangerous men” he had encountered in his career, believing he would have killed again if not caught.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The trial of Luke D’Wit opened at Chelmsford Crown Court on Valentine’s Day 2024. Over the next six weeks, the prosecution constructed a meticulous case that exposed the calculated nature of his crimes.

In the courtroom, prosecutors Tracy Ayling KC methodically presented their evidence. They detailed how D’Wit’s digital footprint revealed his elaborate schemes. Financial records showed suspicious transfers made while the Baxters lay dying. Toxicology reports confirmed the lethal cocktail of drugs he had administered.

D’Wit’s defense strategy backfired spectacularly. His attempts to shift blame onto Stephen Baxter only served to highlight the calculating nature of his crimes. He appeared in court in a wheelchair, a move the prosecution suggested was unnecessary and manipulative.

The jury took little time to reach their verdict. On March 20, 2024, they unanimously found D’Wit guilty on both counts of murder.

During sentencing, Lord Justice Lavender delivered a scathing assessment of D’Wit’s character and crimes. The judge revealed he had considered a whole life term, noting D’Wit was on the “cusp” of receiving the maximum possible sentence. Instead, he imposed life imprisonment with a minimum term of 37 years.

In the courtroom, D’Wit remained emotionless as his sentence was read. The contrast between his blank expression and the raw grief of the Baxter family highlighted what Detective Inspector Lydia George would later describe as his true nature: that of a pathological liar who had devastated countless lives.

PSYCHOLOGY OF LUKE D’WIT

A close examination of Luke D’Wit’s behavior reveals a level of manipulation rarely seen in criminal cases. His ability to maintain multiple fictional personas while presenting himself as a caring friend demonstrated exceptional planning and emotional detachment. What made D’Wit particularly concerning was his capacity to integrate himself into his victims’ lives while systematically destroying them.

The creation of more than 20 distinct personas showed remarkable commitment to his deception. Each character had its own voice, personality, and role in manipulating the Baxters. His impersonation of medical professionals displayed both his confidence in deceiving others and his desire for control over his victims’ lives.

Lord Justice Lavender pinpointed control as D’Wit’s likely primary motivation. The evidence supported this assessment. D’Wit didn’t simply want to steal from the Baxters or take over their business. He wanted to direct every aspect of their lives, from Carol’s medical care to their final moments.

His behavior after administering the fatal drinks proved particularly revealing. Installing surveillance cameras and watching his victims die demonstrated a disturbing need to maintain control even in their final hours. The next day, his casual outing for ice cream with his mother showed a chilling ability to compartmentalize his actions.

Perhaps most telling was D’Wit’s complete lack of remorse throughout the investigation and trial. He never admitted his crimes or provided any explanation for his actions. This absence of emotional response, combined with his sophisticated methods of deception, led investigators to believe he would have continued to seek out and harm other victims if he hadn’t been caught.

Beyond the immediate tragedy, the Baxter family must navigate both grief and betrayal. Their mother’s final years were orchestrated by someone they trusted, while their father’s retirement dreams vanished under the weight of betrayal.

The sentencing of Luke D’Wit brought justice but no closure for the Baxter family. As their daughter Ellie told the court, the pain remains raw. “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.”

Her brother Harry spoke of futures forever altered: “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.”

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby’s warning resonates beyond this single case. His belief that D’Wit would have killed again if not caught serves as a sobering reminder of the potential for predatory behavior to escalate.

The peaceful community of Mersea Island, where the Baxters once built their dreams, now grapples with the knowledge that trust can be weaponized. A seemingly helpful IT consultant transformed their lives into a calculated game of manipulation and control, ending in unimaginable tragedy.

Luke D’Wit used his IT skills both to deceive and kill the Baxters, but these same digital tools ultimately helped expose his crimes. What started as building their company website ended in a trail of digital evidence that led to his conviction.

The impact of Luke D’Wit’s crimes extends beyond the loss of two vibrant lives. Carol and Stephen Baxter were more than business owners. They were loving parents and grandparents whose lives were cut short by calculated deception. Their children, Ellie and Harry, continue to honor their memory by sharing their story, ensuring the truth about their parents’ murders serves as a powerful reminder about trust, deception, and justice.