Man accused of murdering couple ‘told by victim to create fake IDs’
A TECH ‘nerd’ charged with murdering a wealthy couple with fentanyl told a court yesterday that he created fake online personas on the instructions of the husband.
Luke D’Wit is accused of slipping the powerful prescription painkiller into drinks he made for Stephen, 61, and Carol Baxter, 64, who died last April.
The prosecution claims he then added a clause to their will naming himself as a director of their bath mat company Cazsplash Ltd where he had done IT work.
D’Wit, 34, also allegedly invented online identities to manipulate Mrs Baxter, who had a thyroid condition, and her daughter Ellie. The 22-year-old, who has labelled him a ‘nerdy weirdo’, found her parents’ bodies at their £1million home on Mersea Island, Essex.
In evidence, the defendant said he created the contacts and faked messages on behalf of Mr Baxter.
One identity was Dr Andrea Bowden, created to liaise with Mrs Baxter about her illness.
‘Steve had the idea that she needed someone to talk to and air all her grievances to and it might get some of her anxiety away,’ D’Wit said. ‘We created someone for Carol to talk to.’ The court has heard Dr Bowden made suggestions to Mrs Baxter including limiting time with her family.
D’Wit said: ‘The mechanics was me but it was instructions from Stephen.’ A persona of a theatre producer was another idea of Mr Baxter’s to help Ellie, an aspiring singer, the defendant said.
Other inventions requested by Mr Baxter, added D’Wit, included a woman who encouraged his wife to go on trips with him and another doctor who advised Mrs Baxter about ‘gut problems’.
D’Wit, who lived near the couple, denied there had been a ‘sinister’ motive, saying the characters were about helping Mr Baxter improve his wife’s health and their relationship.
Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC also accused D’Wit of inventing a bone cancer diagnosis to ‘engender sympathy’ from the Baxters, which he denied. Asked if he had any ill-feeling towards the couple or involvement in their deaths, he replied calmly: ‘No.’
Tests showed they were killed by fentanyl, a drug which D’Wit had at his home as it had been used by his father Vernon, who died of cancer in 2021.
The court heard he used a home security app to spy on the couple and allegedly entered their house to remove evidence.
D’Wit said he did not see or take any fentanyl patches. He denies murder and the case continues at Chelmsford Crown Court.
‘Needed to air grievances’