A FAMILY has paid tribute to a couple murdered by a man they once considered "an adopted son”.
Luke D’Wit, 34, was found guilty of murdering Stephen and Carol Baxter on Wednesday following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Shortly after the conviction, their family released a statement through the police.
Ellena Baxter, who gave evidence under oath and was in the public gallery for much of the trial, paid tribute to her parents.
She said: “My mum and dad are dead, but they didn’t just die – they were taken from me and my young children.
“My mum 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.
“Mum felt so alone and lost and there was nothing I could do other then give her my shoulder to cry on and cuddle her.”
Paying tribute to her father, Miss Baxter said there was nothing the family ever needed because of Mr Baxter’s work ethic and dedication to his wife and children.
She said: “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.”
Harry Baxter, meanwhile, said his mother had been ‘tortured’ by D’Wit, who created fake personas to manipulate the Baxter family and provide baseless medical advice.
He said: “My mum was the definition of the word ‘love’.
“I do not refer to April of 2023 – I refer to the day Luke began his foul games torturing and drugging her.
“Unbeknownst to me, I had already lost my mother a long time ago.
“I feel great sadness looking back on the videos of her when she was acting strangely and seeing him in the background giggling and smiling knowing he’s the one inflicting this pain.
"We were all dolls in his dollhouse victim to his manipulation.
“Luke D’Wit completely destroyed everything we held close to our hearts and every memory and future dream we could have shared."
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