Mersea murderer 'snatched countless years and memories, daughter says

Ellena Baxter, whose parents Stephen and Carol Stephen Baxter were murdered last year, read out a victim impact statement ahead of Luke D’Wit’s sentencing on Friday.

Taking to the witness box, Miss Baxter told Chelmsford Crown Court how her parents had been taken from her and her family by D’Wit, who was then sentenced to a 37-year jail term.

She said: “My mum and dad are dead.

“But they didn’t just die – they were taken from me and my young children.”

Murdered - Stephen and Carol Baxter had taken pity on D'Wit and let him into their family home (Image: Press Association)

In the years leading up to her murder, Mrs Baxter had been taking advice from a fictitious doctor called Andrea Bowden, who was in fact a persona created by Luke D’Wit so he could exert control over the Baxter family.

Miss Baxter continued: “My mum lost her freedom, her will, and 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 than give her my shoulder to cry on and cuddle her

“I tried to push her to go to the doctors, which she did, but she was completely brainwashed by Dr Andrea Bowden.”

Miss Baxter, who also thought Andrea Bowden was real, told the court how the fake personas created by D’Wit were part of his plan to manipulate the family and take pleasure in their suffering.

Scene - Luke D'Wit told police on the day the Baxters were found how they had wanted the Easter weekend to themselevs (Image: Essex Police)

Miss Baxter added how her father seemed lonely and her mother unwell in the run-up to their deaths last year because of the baseless medical advice Mrs Baxter was receiving.

She said: “Luke D’Wit, who was behind the persona Dr Andrea Bowden, thought sending videos of my mum for Andrea to see would be a good idea.

“But in reality, Luke just wanted to see and watch the outcome of his twisted, abominable actions, sometimes even filming my mum himself and laughing.

She continued: “Leading up to their deaths, dad seemed lonely.

“Mum was too unwell – she struggled to eat and could not stay awake.

“Often, my partner and I, with our son, would stay and have dinner with my dad and bring back his joy and spirit too.

“My mum being drugged for so long and needing such constant help was also, slowly but surely, tearing away every last bit of my dad’s soul.

“I felt so helpless.”

Miss Baxter then emotionally recalled the afternoon she found her parents dead, two days after they had been poisoned by D’Wit.

“I found both my mum and dad stiff, stone cold, blue and leaking from their mouths – I have never known an emotional pain to physically hurt so much.

Jailed - Luke D'Wit will serve a 37-year prison sentence (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

"It was like my insides were on fire - I screamed and screamed, but nothing I did was helping.

“The next time I saw mum and dad, they were in body bags.”

Concluding her impact statement, Miss Baxter explained how D’Wit had snatched her parents’ future away from them.

“They had so much life left to live and so much to look forward to, all crushed due to one man’s heinous crimes, a man my family protected and cared for, a man who lied his way into our lives, a man so manipulative he schemed and thoroughly planned my parents' demise.

“Years of pain and trauma were given to us and the chance of countless years and endless memories have been snatched from my family and I.”