A man who led police on a 24-hour manhunt after killing his ex-partner and her son has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years.
Daniel Boulton, 30, stabbed and killed Bethany Vincent, 26, and her nine-year-old son Darren Henson, known as DJ, at their home in Louth, Lincolnshire, in May last year.
At the sentencing hearing at Lincoln crown court on Wednesday, the judge, Mr Justice Pepperall, said: “I’m sure that you targeted DJ 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.”
Boulton pleaded guilty to manslaughter midtrial at Lincoln crown court but denied murder, claiming he had a mental health condition at the time. Jurors took less than 60 minutes to convict him of both murders, and there were shouts of “yes” from the public gallery as the verdicts were read out.
During the three-week trial, the court heard how Boulton walked 28 miles from his hostel in Skegness to Vincent’s house, where he stabbed her nine times. He then went up to DJ’s bedroom and stabbed the boy 14 times. A nine-month-old baby was found at the house when emergency services arrived at the scene
Boulton went on the run and the following day he assaulted an off-duty officer, PC Stephen Dennis, who tried to detain him while walking his dog near Hubbard’s Hills. Boulton was eventually cornered on a farm and armed officers used stun guns on him.
Jurors were told that Boulton had developed a hatred for DJ, who was severely autistic, and he had spoken of how he wanted to wipe out Vincent’s “whole bloodline”.
He was prevented from seeing Vincent by a restraining order issued after a previous incident in which he “threw her around the house”, the court heard. However, he continued to contact her and sent her more than 900 messages the weekend before the stabbings, jurors were told.
The defence claimed Boulton was on “autopilot” at the time of the murders and had a “loss of control”. Experts said the defendant had a dissocial personality disorder, but the prosecutor, Kath Goddard QC, said Boulton had been “fully in control” of his actions.
Lincolnshire county council said a joint child safeguarding practice and domestic homicide review was under way.
