A FATAL overdose of fentanyl was strong enough to kill a woman alongside her husband in Mersea, a murder trial has heard. 

Luke D’Wit, 34, of Churchfields, West Mersea, denies murdering Stephen and Carol Baxter who were found dead at their home in Victory Road last Easter Sunday. 

On day 18 of the trial at Chelmsford Crown Court the final witnesses gave evidence, including Dr Anthony Fox.

The specialist in pharmaceutical medicine was called to the stand to give his opinion on the drug fentanyl, a potent opioid, which was found in the Baxters bodies. 

Gazette:

An analysis of Carol Baxter’s blood and stomach contents also revealed the presence of promethazine, an antihistamine. 

He said: “Even without getting into the complexities of the two drugs working together, in the case of Mrs Baxter, if she had only been exposed to the fentanyl, that is still an adequate possible cause of her death.” 

In terms of when the fatal dose of fentanyl entered the Baxters’ bodies, Dr Fox said the time frame would be limited to about three to six hours rather than a long-term concentration spanning between 12 to 15 hours. 

“To me, it is more likely that it is an acute term than a long term," he added.

Following Dr Fox’s statement, toxicology expert Dr Nigel Langford told the jury toxicity from the drug fentanyl can last a “long time”. 

The Baxter’s test results indicated “that they were intoxicated with fentanyl for a long period of time”. 

Gazette:

Dr Langford explained to the court there was no certainty to say at what point in time the fentanyl was ingested, saying it could have been up to 15 hours before death. 

He said: “I accept the minimum time is two to three hours, but I’m afraid the upper limit is unknown.” 

The jury is expected to retire next week and deliberate on whether D’Wit had intended to kill the Baxters with the lethal doses. 

The trial continues.