Man charged with murder of husband and wife found dead at home

Luke D’Wit, 33, has been charged with two counts of murder after Stephen Baxter, 61, and Carol Baxter, 64, were found dead at a home in Victory Road, on Mersea Island, near Colchester, at about 1.30pm on April 9, Essex Police said.

READ NOW: Travellers pitch up

Officers were called by the ambulance service to concerns for the welfare of two people and found the married couple had died.

At that stage, their deaths were being treated as unexpected and not suspicious and officers were working to establish the circumstances around their deaths, the force said.

But as a result of an investigation and toxicology analysis, two men and a woman were arrested on Thursday.

A woman and a man have been released on bail.

D’Wit, of Churchfields, West Mersea, Colchester, was charged with two counts of murder, one count of possession of a Class A drug, and one count of theft.

He is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.

The couple were directors of Cazsplash, a firm which produces shower mats and bathroom accessories.

Detective Inspector Lydia George, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘This is a significant development in our investigation as we piece together the circumstances around the deaths of Carol and Stephen.

‘I would like to thank everyone who has come forward to speak to us throughout this complex investigation.’