A court heard that a man caused the death of a married couple by poisoning them with fentanyl, and then altered their will the following day.
On Wednesday, Tracy Ayling KC, the prosecutor, stated that Luke D’Wit, age 34, had a working relationship and friendship with Stephen and Carol Baxter. D’Wit told the police that he felt like he was “adopted” by the couple.
Stephen, aged 61, and his wife, who was 64 years old, owned a business known as Cazsplash. Carol, the wife, had created a bathmat specifically for use in curved, corner showers. According to Ayling, a will was made by Luke D’Wit on his phone at 6:54am on April 10th, the day after the couple’s death.
Ayling stated that the accused was the recipient of a peculiar will, which stated that “our close companion Luke D’Wit is to serve as the director and individual with substantial authority” for Cazsplash.
At the Chelmsford Crown Court, she stated that the prosecution’s argument was that D’Wit had poisoned them. She mentioned that he had altered their will and taken Carol’s jewelry, among other things, in order to gain from their passing.
D’Wit, from Churchfields in West Mersea, Essex, refutes the accusation of murder.
In 2023, Ayling reported that his daughter, Ellie Baxter, and her significant other discovered them deceased in the conservatory on Easter Sunday. No note was left behind, and the entire house, including the kitchen, was orderly and well-maintained.
The prosecutor stated that a toxicology report revealed that fentanyl played a role in both deaths. The contents of their stomachs were examined and it was indicated that the drug may have been consumed orally, but this cannot be confirmed.
According to Ayling, Carol, who had a thyroid condition and a pacemaker, tested positive for the antihistamine promethazine.
She stated that the toxicology report indicated, but did not definitively prove, that the medication, which can be found in items like Night Nurse, was taken by mouth.
During a court hearing, a recording of a 999 emergency call was played. Ellie could be heard screaming and crying as she told the call handler, “I need an ambulance immediately.” D’Wit then spoke on the call, identifying themselves as a friend to the handler.
The prosecutor stated that the accused was the final individual to have seen them before their death.
Ayling reported that D’Wit fabricated fake personas, including that of a lawyer, in order to deceive the couple’s family members into believing that the will he had drafted was legitimate.
She stated that he fabricated a fake persona as a doctor from Florida, along with a group of other fake identities who also claimed to have Hashimoto’s, which is the same thyroid condition that Carol had.
The trial is ongoing and is anticipated to conclude in six weeks.
Source: theguardian.com
