A man smothered his wife and then killed himself after hiring a private investigator to investigate unfounded fears she was having an affair, an inquest has concluded.
David Boulter, 60, killed his wife, Deborah, 53, at their home in Mapperley, Nottingham on 9 October 2023, after becoming convinced she was in a sexual relationship with a friend.
An inquest into the pair’s deaths, which concluded on Monday, found Boulter had unlawfully killed Deborah before taking his own life.
The hearing heard Boulter had instructed a private investigator from 27 September to 8 October 2023 to find evidence of his wife having an affair but nothing was found, NottinghamshireLive reported.
Boulter apparently wanted them to keep looking, the inquest was told, and had been searching online for methods of finding out if a partner was cheating, including via lie detector tests and learning how to study body language.
The hearing heard that Boulter had confronted his partner about his suspicions, and spoken to estate agents about selling their home.
On 9 October, Boulter called his son and told him that he was going to end his life, and that his money and possessions would be passed to him. This prompted his son to call the police, who visited the couple’s house to check on his wellbeing.
DC Rebecca Hopson, the Nottinghamshire police detective who investigated the case, said officers were searching the property for Boulter when they found Deborah’s body in a bed.
“They have searched for David as at the time that is who the concern was for,” the detective said. “They have located a person in bed, who they initially thought was David, but on removing the covers they found it to be Deb.”
Officers then saw a light in an outbuilding where they found Boulter’s body, Hopson said. CPR was carried out on the couple but they were pronounced dead shortly afterwards, she added.
A postmortem examination found Deborah had sustained injuries to the head and face, with lip and tongue injuries suggesting she had been smothered, either by being pushed against the bed or having an object like a pillow pushed against her head.
Boulter had bruises on his arm that could have been sustained during an altercation between the couple, the inquest heard. He had previously experienced depression and had expressed suicidal thoughts before, the inquest was told. Boulter’s GP said he had been given antidepressants but was not referred to mental health services.
The assistant coroner, Nathanael Hartley, said: “I find on the balance of probabilities that David carried out an intentional act resulting in her [Deborah] suffocating. This is a desperately sad case. I would like to offer my condolences to the friends and family of Deb and David.”
In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
