Man denies murders of married couple found to have fentanyl in their system

25 September 2023 , 11:53

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Stephen and Carol Baxter (Image: East Anglia News Service)

A man will stand trial for murder next year after a husband and wife were found dead in their own home with the powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl in their system.

The bodies of Stephen Baxter, 61, and Carol Baxter, 64, who were directors of Cazsplash, a firm that produces shower mats and bathroom accessories, were discovered at their home in Mersea Island in Essex on April 9. The deaths were initially treated as unexpected and not suspicious until blood tests revealed the presence of the drug.

Luke D’Wit, 34, pleaded not guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court to the murders of the married couple, sometime between April 6 and April 10 this year. The bearded defendant, of Churchfields, West Mersea, denied the theft of jewellery belonging to Mrs Baxter on or before July 6. He appeared via video-link from Chelmsford Prison on Monday, also denied a count of possessing a class A drug, fentanyl, on July 16.

The defendant, who wore a short-sleeved shirt and remained seated throughout the hearing, spoke to confirm his identity, to confirm he could hear proceedings and to enter his not guilty pleas. He also confirmed he understood the directions of Judge Christopher Morgan, who remanded him in custody until his trial, which is due to start on February 12, 2024 and to last around four weeks.

The home of Stephen and Carol Baxter in West Mersea, Essex (East Anglia News Service)

Essex Police said officers were called to the address in Victory Road in Mersea Island by the ambulance service, with the Baxters’ deaths initially treated as unexpected and not suspicious. However, as a result of an investigation and toxicology analysis, two men and a woman were arrested on July 6, the force said.

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At an inquest, which was opened and adjourned in Chelmsford earlier this year, Carol Baxter’s provisional medical cause of death was given as “combined fentanyl and promethazine toxicity with terminal bronchopneumonia”. Stephen Baxter’s provisional medical cause of death was stated as “cardiomegaly and alcoholic liver disease with fentanyl intoxication”.

A woman and a man have been released on bail.

Kelly-Ann Mills