The second part of ITV’s The Essex Millionaire Murders will air tonight (April 29), reliving one of Essex Police’s most complex investigations, as they try to solve the tragic case of Stephen and Carol Baxter in April 2023.
The couple were found dead at their home in West Mersea, murdered by their family friend, Luke D’Wit.
Ahead of tonight’s screening, which features interviews with four Essex Police officers, we look into the the case of the Essex Millionaire Murders.
Who were Carol and Stephen Baxter?
Carol and Stephen Baxter were a wealthy couple from Mersea Island, Essex, known for their successful business and charitable contributions.
Stephen, aged 61, and Carol, aged 64, were respected members of their community and had a reputation for being generous and kind-hearted.
They had two children, Harry and Ellie.
Their daughter, Ellie Baxter, said: “My mum was full of life and she always pushed me to be better. We would have girly days out at the spa and plenty of shopping trips. She was my best friend.”
And she said of her father in her tribute: “My dad was a strong man; ‘there are no short cuts in life’, he would always say. He worked every day of his life and provided for mum, my brother and I. There was nothing we ever needed. He loved us all.”
She added: “Dad also loved to play guitar. In the summer we would have bonfires and the guitar would always come out. Watching my dad play and sing so freely is where my love for music began. Dad initially got my brother Harry into guitar lessons where they would go together and learn then serenade mum and I.”
What happened to Stephen and Carol Baxter?
Luke D’Wit, now aged 35, worked for Stephen and Carol Baxter at their shower mat company, Cazsplash. According to the couple’s daughter, D’Wit had been brought in around 2012 to help build the company’s website, before befriending them and visiting the couple at their home daily.
Over the years, he became increasingly involved in the Baxter family’s life, helping Carol to manage her thyroid autoimmune condition, Hashimoto’s disease.
D’Wit created several fake more than 20 online identities to aid his deception and had 80 electronic devices which he used to monitor and record the couple. One of those personas he created was a Florida-based doctor he named ‘Andrea Bowden’.
During the trial, it was revealed that D'Wit would prepare smoothies for Carol, claiming they were packed with health benefits. However, these smoothies were actually laced with drugs that worsened her already fragile condition.
Then, in April 2023, D’Wit poisoned the couple by lacing their drinks with fentanyl.
It was initially thought the couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, on investigation, fentanyl and metal tacks were found in a bag belonging to Luke D’Wit. Similar metal tacks had been found in Carol’s stomach prior to her death.
Cameras had also been installed in the Baxter family home, allowing D’Wit to watch the death of the couple. He later called the emergency services, providing a calm but false account.
On the same day D’Wit had created a fake will to appoint himself as director of the shower mat company.
In a statement following D’Wit’s conviction, the couple’s daughter said: “My mum and dad are dead. But they didn’t just die. They were taken from me and my young children.
“My mother lost her freedom, her will, her ability to function two years prior to her murder due to her illness.
“An illness no one could help with or understand because it was contrived by Luke D’Wit.”
Who was Luke D’Wit and what happened to him?
Luke D'Wit was born and raised in Mersea Island. On the face of it, he seemed an unlikely murderer. A computer science graduate, he worked as an IT consultant. He also volunteered at a local soup kitchen, presenting himself as a helpful and upstanding member of the community. However, beneath this façade, D'Wit harboured manipulative tendencies that would later come to light during the investigation into the murders of Carol and Stephen Baxter.
After helping the couple with their website and befriending them, the Baxters’ daughter, Ellie, said her parents looked after D’Wit after his father died, taking him “under their wing”, and letting him “join in”.
The couple’s death did not initially present as suspicious, but a post-mortem was crucial in uncovering the truth. In court, the prosecution presented phone analysis, toxicology reports, and witness statements to prove Luke D’Wit was behind the carefully planned murders, using his technological expertise to help him commit the crimes.
In his defence, D’Wit claimed Stephen was co-conspirator, using the fictitious personas to assure Carol that she was receiving help for her health conditions.
He was sentenced to 37 years in prison.
“Luke D’Wit was the last person to see Carol and Stephen Baxter alive and, in the beginning of the investigation, was treated as a witness. The evidence that was gathered showed the lengths to which he went to so he could gain the trust of the Baxter family and evade suspicion. The levels of deceitfulness and manipulation he used are extremely disturbing,” said Andrew Young, senior crown prosecutor of the Complex Casework Unit in the CPS East of England area.
Why did D’Wit kill his friends?
Luke D'Wit orchestrated a calculated and sinister scheme to alter the wills of Carol and Stephen Baxter, ultimately planning their murders in their own home to secure a controlling stake in their thriving business.
During the hearing, Lord Justice Lavender labelled D’Wit ‘cruel and senseless’ and praised Essex Police’s Detective Inspector Lydia George for her work in securing this sentence.
Lord Justice Lavender stated the deaths were based on a “significant degree of planning”, but added that D’Wit has never admitted what he did, and as a result provided no explanation.
Did D’Wit kill anyone else?
Following D’Wit’s conviction, a review of the deaths of D’Wit’s father and grandfather was opened. His father was found dead in his armchair after being prescribed fentanyl. Detectives are investigating the death of D'Wit's grandfather as part of their review, though details about his death are not clear.
Det Supt Rob Kirby said D'Wit was “one of the most dangerous men” he had dealt with in his career. He previously told the BBC he had “absolutely no doubt” D'Wit would have carried out further murders had he not been caught.
Officers "will not hesitate to act" if they uncover fresh evidence, an Essex Police spokesman said.
• The two-part documentary The Essex Millionaire Murders airs on ITV1 at 9pm on Monday, April 28, and Tuesday, April 29. Both episodes are also available for streaming on ITVX.
