The Essex Millionaire Murders: What did Luke D'Wit do and where is he now?

The first episode of ITV true crime documentary The Essex Millionaire Murders will air on Monday, April 28th at 9pm. The second part will land the following day, Tuesday 29, at the same time.

The two-part series looks at the deaths of Carol and Stephen Baxter, who were found dead at their Mersea Island home on April 9th 2023. The couple's deaths weren't initially thought to be suspicious until a post-mortem revealed they had been poisoned.

A man named Luke D'Wit was found to be involved with Carol and Stephen's deaths - but what did he do and where is he now?

What did Luke D'Wit do?

Luke D'Wit had family ties to Mersea Island dating back many generations, and was well known in the community where he actively volunteered at soup kitchens and helped organise local events.

The computer science graduate met Stephen and Carol Baxter, who were aged 61 and 64, respectively, at the time of their deaths, sometime around 2012-2013, in his role as a freelance web designer.

D'Wit helped the couple create a website for Mrs Baxter's shower mat business, Cazsplash. He went on to become more than an employee, befriending the Baxters to the point that he accompanied them on outings and helped Carol with odd jobs.

According to the BBC, to ingratiate himself into their lives even further, he faked a cancer diagnosis to elicit sympathy. While they thought of him as a good friend, D'Wit began a campaign of targeted manipulation towards Carol, who suffered from Hashimoto's disease.

He created a fake doctor named Andrea Bowden, who he claimed was a good friend of his, to offer Carol 'advice' about her illness. The fake advice included drinking smoothies that actually contained drugs to make her more unwell.

Dr Bowden would have the Baxter family care for Carol using a strict set of rules, all causing her health to deteriorate until she had symptoms consistent with dementia. These symptoms were actually the result of being poisoned by D'Wit, acting as Dr Bowden.

On the morning of their deaths, D'Wit emailed the couple as Dr Bowden, with a liver cleanse recipe to follow. This 'cleanse' was a lethal dose of fentanyl, and D'Wit watched the couple die via a live stream he'd secretly set up in their house as they administered it.

Stephen and Carol were found dead at their West Mersea home on April 9, 2023. Their bodies were found by their daughter, Ellena.

D'Wit had even forged a will to ensure he benefited from the Baxter's money and gained a majority share in their business.

The couple's death didn't initially present as suspicious, and their daughter believed they could've died from carbon monoxide poisoning. However, when a post-mortem revealed they had been poisoned with large doses of fentanyl, it appeared theirs was a case of carefully planned murder.

When it transpired D'Wit had been the last person to see the couple alive, police searched his home and found boxes of fentanyl patches. He claimed these belonged to his late father, Vernon, before and later said they were his grandfather's.

A bag containing metal tacks and pill casings was also discovered during the search, thought to be from ones given to Carol when X-rays revealed the tacks in her stomach.

Where is Luke D'Wit now?

Luke D'Wit is currently serving a life sentence in prison. Following a six-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court last year, a jury unanimously found him guilty of both murders.

He is to serve a life sentence, with a minimum term of 37 years before he can apply for parole. During sentencing, the Honourable Mr Justice Lavender said D'Wit was motivated by control, rather than a desire to benefit financially from the killings.

"Deciding whether another person lives or dies is the ultimate form of control," he said, adding, "Your relationship with the Baxters and Carol Baxter's illness had led the Baxters to trust you to prepare supposed health drinks for her for some time. This is what gave you the opportunity to do what you did."