The daughter of a couple who were murdered with fentanyl by an IT worker has described the horrifying moment she found them dead, telling a court: “It was like my insides were on fire.”
Ellie Baxter found her parents Stephen and Carol dead at their West Mersea home when she went to visit on Easter Sunday last year.
The couple had been murdered by IT worker Luke D’Wit, 34, who was jailed on Friday for life with a minimum term of 37 years.
The trial heard how D’Wit posed as a doctor from Florida, Dr Andrea Bowden, and also members of a fake support group for the thyroid condition Hashimoto's, which Mrs Baxter suffered from.
In a powerful victim impact statement, Ms Baxter told Chelmsford crown court that her mother “lost her freedom” in the last two years of her life as she battled the health condition, as she was sucked by D’Wit into believing shewas getting help.
“Mum felt so alone and lost and there was nothing I could do other then give her my shoulder to cry on and cuddle her”, she said.
“I tried to push her to go to the doctors which she did but she was completely brainwashed by Dr Andrea Bowden.
“I even suggested completely removing her thyroid because we all believed that was the root of the problem. No thyroid, no more of mum’s life being destroyed.
“Luke D'Wit, who was behind the persona Dr Andrea Bowden, thought sending videos of my mum for Andrea to see would be a good idea. But in reality Luke just wanted to see and watch the outcome of his twisted, abominable actions. Sometimes even filming my mum himself and laughing.”
Ms Baxter was caught on CCTV entering the home just moments before she found her parents dead.
“I found both my mum and dad stiff, stone cold, blue and leaking from their mouths”, she said.
“I have never known an emotional pain to physically hurt so much. It was like my insides were on fire.
“I screamed and screamed but nothing I done was helping. I pleaded for them to wake up. I begged them. But of course they could not wake.
“The next time I saw mum and dad they were in body bags.”
Ms Baxter, who was pregnant at the time, said her parents were “manipulated” by D’Wit who was “someone we had loved, trusted and looked after for many years”.
“Mum and dad looked after Luke”, she added.
“They just decided he was lonely especially after Luke's dad died.
“They took him under their wing and would let him join in. Even in our personal family birthday meals. Luke had his cancer treatment every Thursday and he would say it would take it out of him. Complain of headaches and fatigue. My parents and I would support him through this. But once again that was another lie. Another form of deceit. Another way to emotionally manipulate us all.”
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Lavender said D’Wit had poisoned the couple with a drink he said had been recommended to him by a doctor, but that was in fact an alias he had created.
After administering the drugs, D’Wit took the “macabre step” of leaving two mobile phones in the house to “monitor” the unconscious couple.
He also drew up a document to ensure he was paid £60,000 from their estate if they died, and he stole £6,000 from Mrs Baxter’s bank account.
D’Wit attended the funeral as a family friend and it was not until three months later that he was arrested and exposed as the killer.
