A man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend and her young autistic son to death before leading police on a 24-hour manhunt has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years.
Daniel Boulton travelled 28 miles on foot from Skegness to Louth, Lincolnshire, in order to kill his former girlfriend Bethany Vincent and her nine-year-old son Darren Henson at around 8pm on May 31 last year.
The 30-year-old, who was subject to a restraining order, had developed a “hatred” for Darren and “loitered” outside the property for hours before carrying out the murders, Lincoln Crown Court heard.
A nine-month-old baby was crawling around the house when emergency services arrived and the killer had left a note which took responsibility.
He led police on a 24-hour chase and stabbed an off-duty officer in the leg in Louth before being Tasered and arrested on a nearby farm.
Dramatic footage from a police helicopter shows the moment he was cornered on the farm by armed officers.
Bodycam footage of the killer being put into a police van showed him telling on officer: “I know I’m an evil b*****d but can you get me some water please?”
Boulton was convicted on Tuesday of their murders after a trial at Lincoln Crown Court.
Jailing him for life on Wednesday Mr Justice Pepperall told the killer there was a possibility he may never be released.
He told Boulton: “I’m sure that you targeted DJ (Darren Henson) because of your hatred and you were motivated by his autism.
“I’m sure that you are a violent and very dangerous man, and you present an ongoing risk of further violence, and possibly even homicide.
“You killed with ruthless efficiency very soon after breaking into the house.
“You acted calmly, callously and efficiently ... you intended to kill, you knew precisely what you were doing.”
"You said many times to a number of different people that you wanted him dead and out of the way.
"I am sure that you targeted (Darren) because of a hatred motivated by his autism and your irrational fear that such a condition would somehow affect your own son.
"There is ample evidence that you are manipulative and controlling. Your violence to Bethany Vincent was, I am satisfied, borne out of a desire to control her life and her thinking, and a deep sense of frustration when you did not get your own way.”
He added: “I am sure that you are a violent and very dangerous man and you present an ongoing risk of further violence and possible even homicide.”
Boulton had tried to claim at trial was on “autopilot” at the time of the murders, but jurors dismissed his defence of loss of control.
The 30-year-old killer admitted manslaughter on the second day of his trial, as well as assault with intent to resist arrest, and burglary, but denied murder.
The jury heard how the relationship between Boulton and Ms Vincent, which had begun on the Tinder dating app, had “deteriorated” by the end of March 2019 and he was eventually ordered not to contact his ex-partner.
The prosecution said “persistent” Boulton had sent Ms Vincent nearly 900 messages over the bank holiday weekend, including one which said: “You destroyed my life and have the cheek to say I ruined yours.”
The killer had previously told a Salvation Army support worker that he wanted to “wipe out the bloodline” of Ms Vincent’s family.
Speaking about the relationship between Boulton and Ms Vincent in her opening speech to the jury, prosecutor Katherine Goddard QC said despite two restraining orders, he “continued to contact Bethany - by telephone, by text message, by social media messages, and by unannounced and uninvited visits to her home”.
She continued: “None of that contact was sought by Bethany and, in fact, only a few days after her and DJ were stabbed to death, they were due to move to a new house - to an address unknown to Mr Boulton.
“Social services became involved with Bethany and her family after her first complaint to the police of domestic violence in November 2020.
“Their concerns related only to the risk Mr Boulton presented to the family.
“He had, by then, expressed a hatred of Darren, a nine-year-old boy... who had been diagnosed with autism.”
Telling the jury what witnesses had seen of Boulton on the day of the murders, Ms Goddard said: “He was seen running from an alleyway leading to the back of [Ms Vnicent’s property]
“He seemed flushed, agitated, and called out to the witnesses to call an ambulance as someone had been stabbed inside.
“He then casually walked away, not waiting for the emergency services to arrive.”
Thanking the jury for their service on the difficult and “extremely distressing” trial, the judge said after the verdicts: “You have with great calmness listened objectively to the evidence, the arguments and the legal directions. For that you have my very sincere thanks. The case you have had to deal with has had real horrors.”
