Ellena Baxter, daughter of Carol and Stephen Baxter, has revealed that she has been shunned by people who wrongly suspected she was involved in her parents’ deaths
The daughter of Carol and Stephen Baxter has said that people still “look away” from her following her parents’ tragic deaths. In 2023, Ellena Baxter became concerned that her beloved parents hadn’t been picking up her calls. In response, she visited them at their home in Mersea Island where she made a horrifying discovery and found them dead in their armchairs.
Initially Ellena was arrested on suspicion of her parents’ murder, though she was later released without charge. In March 2024 Luke D’Wit, who created more than 20 personas to deceive Carol and Stephen, was sentenced to life in prison for the murders, with a minimum of 37 years, after lacing their medication with fentanyl.
Where is killer Luke D’Wit now after devastating double Essex murder
“Luke D’Wit visited Carol and Stephen on Easter Friday and was messaging them as this fake doctor while he was in the house with them, helping to make a ‘medicinal drink’ using a fatal dose of fentanyl, before leaving at 8pm. A mobile phone had been set up in the kitchen to record and monitor them. He had watched them die,” explained Detective Inspector George, the senior investigative officer of the case.
Despite the pair’s killer now being behind bars, Ellena has revealed that life is still “really difficult” for her as people who wrongly suspected she was involved have shunned her since her parents’ deaths.
“When I am in Mersea, if I go into the shops people look away from me,” she told the BBC. “It’s really horrible but these people who are speculating, they didn’t go to the trial, they don’t know the facts and it has been really difficult.”
In a new two-part ITV documentary, The Essex Millionaire Murders, Ellena has opened up about her experience and said that she “wanted to clear my name” by taking part. “I just wanted to outline that actually I wasn’t involved, this is what happened and I wanted to help tell that story,” she said.
Two years on, Ellena has also revealed that she has chosen to move away from “cliquey” Mersea. “Even now, after Luke is serving a life sentence, there are those who say, ‘Oh, it couldn’t have been nice Luke,’” she told The Sun.
“I know that a lot of people think I had something to do with it. We would go into a shop and people would look away from us. They have made up their own stories that Luke was my mum’s love child or that I had a relationship with him.”
She added that some of her family have assumed she “was in a relationship” with Luke and that she had “something to do” with the murders. As well as losing her mum and dad, Ellena says she has lost “the rest” of her family too.
Speaking about the impact D’Wit has had on her life, Ellena told the publication how her kids are the thing that keep her going day-to-day.
“Some days are better than others. From Mother’s Day to the end of this month is a very hard time because Luke drugged my parents on April 7 and took me for an early birthday meal the following day to Frankie & Benny’s,” she said.
“My birthday is on April 13 and I feel guilty celebrating it now, so I’ve moved it to May. It is a really difficult time, but my kids keep me going.”
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