All language subtitles for Expert Witness S05E03 720p WEB H264-JFF[EZTVx.to]

In this programme, when a married couple
are found poisoned to death, a

toxicologist is asked to investigate.

There was no reason why fentanyl should
have been present in their bodies.

And a forensic footprint analyst helps
nail a double killer.

Foot remarks is one of the only evidence
types that you can say for certain that

a mark was made by a specific few.

Welcome to Expert Witness, the series
where we reveal how science helps solve

some of the UK's toughest criminal
investigations.

Senior crime and court reporter at the
Colchester Gazette followed the case

closely.

Stephen Baxter was a successful
businessman.

Carol Baxter also then went on to start
her own business, completely separate

from her husband.

And they were really, really enjoying
life.

But Carol was in poor health.

She was living with a condition called
Hashimoto's disease, a chronic

disorder, which she blamed.

for her increasing levels of fatigue and
forgetfulness.

Carol's health was failing.

Stephen was having to start looking
after his wife and would have to keep

an eye on his wife in case she ended up
doing something like leaving the iron on

or forgetting that she had turned the
hob on or something like that, something

that could actually lead to quite a
serious incident.

On 9th April 2023, the couple's
daughter, Eleanor, became concerned when

couldn't make contact with her parents.

All her WhatsApp messages weren't being
replied to.

Understandably, she got really quite
nervous and wanted to know what was

happening. She'd driven past the house
and seen the curtains were drawn.

Eleanor went to their home to check on
them.

She knocked on the door.

Doesn't get an answer.

She knocks on the windows at the front
of the house and

still no one comes to the front door.

But nothing would prepare her for what
she was about to see.

Through the conservatory, slumped in
their armchairs, were her parents'

bodies.

Family friend Luke DeWitt, who lived
nearby, came rushing to the scene.

In this moment of pure panic, he takes
over the call with the police.

The

emergency

services were there in real force. The
police, the ambulance, the fire service

were there as well because they had to
check if there had been any carbon

monoxide.

Luke DeWitt is there to give Elena a
hug, to give her brother a hug.

As one of the first on the scene, DeWitt
was questioned by police.

People just talking about work and the
business. Carol can't work anymore.

He's perfectly, perfectly calm when he
speaks to the officers.

While there was no immediate evidence of
foul play, a major crimes investigation

was launched and the bodies were sent
for post -mortem examination.

It is a cliche, but there wasn't a
smoking gun at the scene. There was no

weapon. There was no evidence of carbon
monoxide.

Detectives looked into the couple's
background and discovered Carol had been

contact with a Dr. Andrea Bowden.

She claims to be an expert on
Hashimoto's disease, the condition Carol

struggling with. A lot of the advice
from this Dr.

Andrea Bowden starts to become very
strange.

She's told not to let certain people
into the house.

She's told to cast contacts with certain
people.

She's told to drink smoothies that have
turmeric in them.

Carol had been doing exactly as Dr
Bowden prescribed.

But when police tried to contact the
doctor, there was no trace of her.

Then... When a simple toxicology test
was administered at the post -mortem

examination, a sinister turn.

The toxicology shows that there are
levels of fentanyl, both in Stephen

system and Carol Baxter's system.

There was no medical explanation for why
fentanyl, an opioid painkiller many

times more potent than morphine, was
present.

So detectives asked lead
toxicologists... An expert witnessed

investigate further.

The main request from the police was to
determine the conclusive presence of a

drug. They were particularly interested
in the presence of fentanyl.

Fiona was provided with blood, urine and
stomach content samples.

She prepared a specimen of each for
analysis by high sensitivity equipment

detects the presence of drugs and
medications.

This is our LC -MS machine and it's
essentially a long specialised tube

with a detector at one end. And drugs
travel down the tube at different speeds

so they reach the detector at different
times.

And then the detector measures the mass
and it breaks the molecule into

fragments.

These fragments are analysed to identify
exactly which drugs were present in the

sample. This will collect all the data
and then the data is processed on a

computer and then that enables us to
produce the results.

And the results were irrefutable.

Fentanyl was detected in both Carol and
Stephen's blood samples.

The presence of fentanyl was a concern
because neither Mr.

or Mrs. Baxter were known to be
prescribed fentanyl, so there was no

fentanyl should have been present in
their bodies.

The levels were within the range that
could be fatal, particularly in a person

that's unaccustomed to taking the drug.

Meanwhile, when the family home was
searched...

A suspicious document was discovered in
Stephen's office.

This was the will that had mysteriously
and very

coincidentally appeared in Stephen
Baxter's office. And it

wasn't in a folder. It was just placed
quite meticulously on his desk.

According to the will... Luke DeWitt was
a benefactor in the event of the

Baxter's death.

And now he was also a suspect in a
murder investigation.

Back at the lab, Fiona Perry's analysis
had revealed something else.

In Mrs Baxter's blood sample, as well as
fentanyl, we also detected another

medication called promethazine.

This is a common medication found in
sleeping

tablets. But under what circumstances
were these drugs administered?

We don't normally analyse stomach
contents but in this case we were

asked to analyse the stomach contents
for fentanyl and promethazine in order

to determine a whether there was a large
amount of the drug still present in the

stomach.

and B, whether it was possible to say
whether the drug had been taken orally

not.

The concentrations of fentanyl and
promesazine were significant, and they

suggest that the drug had been taken
orally.

The toxicology blows open the case.
There is no way that anyone would have

able to survive the level of fentanyl in
their system.

On top of the toxicology results,

Police arrested Luke DeWitt.

When police

investigate Luke DeWitt, it becomes
clear just how heavily involved

he had become in their lives, how often
he was round at the house, how often he

was helping to care for Carol Baxter,
almost round the clock.

The police... go to Luke DeWitt's house
in Mersey Island.

They go to his room. They find a huge
number of devices.

In total, 80 phones, laptops and hard
drives were seized.

Once the police seize Luke DeWitt's
devices, the details that they can glean

really quite incredible.

They found evidence Luke DeWitt wrote
the will himself.

The day after Carol and Stephen's bodies
were found.

That he created false identities,
including Dr. Andrea Bowden, and a

of fictitious patients, all supposedly
with Hashimoto's disease, just like

Carol. She's found this little community
of other people who have been in

exactly the same position as her, and
that he was behind all of the personas.

She was so desperate.

to essentially be in good health, that
she would listen to anyone

who had any kind of advice.

It's interesting that he was seen as
somebody who was fairly quiet and

unassuming by other people, somebody who
was a bit of a nerd, in fact.

Forensic psychologist Kerry Danes has
researched the case.

Here is the world.

A fantasy where he can operate, where he
can create different personas and

he can cause things to happen in the
real world.

That's very intoxicating for somebody
who is inadequate.

For two years, DeWitt used his fake
personas to communicate with Carol and

Stephen. And by posing as a doctor, he
convinced both of them to drink detox

smoothies. It meant that he could get
her to drink these horrendous

which were absolutely disgusting and she
hated.

But he also can give Stephen Baxter that
drink and he can convince Stephen

Baxter that what he's going to be
drinking is going to be helping.

Detectives now suspected the witch even
prepared these smoothies himself.

This is somebody who wants to constantly
push the envelope so that they can feel

that they are powerful, that they are in
control, they are the puppet master.

The devices were not the only damning
evidence the police discovered while

searching his home.

They also found fentanyl.

His story is that his dad has been
suffering from cancer, his dad had been

prescribed... Fentanyl patches as part
of his treatment.

His dad was sad they died. And it just
so happened, DeWitt claims, that he was

sorting through a load of the fentanyl
patches that his dad had been prescribed

and he was getting ready to drop them
off at the pharmacy. He just hadn't got

round to it just yet.

Detectives also discovered promazazine
in DeWitt's house.

The same drug Fiona Perry detected... in
Carol's blood sample.

Again, DeWitt had a ready explanation.

The story for the promethazine is that
he was using it to help with his eczema

and he would mix it in with skin cream
and he would use that to treat his

eczema.

Detectives were not convinced.

They believed DeWitt slowly poisoned
Carol by lacing her smoothies with

promethazine before murdering both Carol
and Stephen by introducing fentanyl.

He was charged with their murder.

But DeWitt argued that the Baxters had
taken the fentanyl themselves.

He admitted to persuading Carroll to
drink detox smoothies, but claimed to

done it on Stephen's instruction.

His argument is that, yes, OK, maybe,
maybe I did make these accounts, maybe

they are all connected to me, but this
was under Stephen Baxter's instruction

because he was desperate for Carroll to
get better as well.

DeWitt also claimed Carol's long decline
was caused not by promethazine, but by

her Hashimoto's disease.

Detectives needed to prove otherwise, so
they turned to a specialist in the

condition, consultant endocrinologist Dr
Naveed Younis.

I thought it was unusual for me to
comment on Hashimoto. Generally, it's a

condition which is standard treatment,
and the condition is just generally well

managed.

The package that the police provided me
was all the medical records from Carol

Baxter.

Dr Eunice studied Carol's GP and
hospital records.

The treatments she'd been receiving were
standard and her condition should have

stabilised. She'd been having regular
blood tests.

She'd had a blood test done a month
before she'd actually died and

the blood tests were all satisfactory
and normal.

Even if she had stopped taking her
medication, maybe for a number of weeks

before her death, I don't think this
would have been rapid enough to cause

to develop symptoms of confusion and the
behaviour that she had.

So I overall felt, based on all the
medical evidence that I had in my hands,

based on the symptoms, that there was
something else causing the symptoms that

she experienced.

Detectives were now certain Cavill's
declining health was due to her

being slowly poisoned with promethazine.

before she and her husband were killed
with fatal doses of fentanyl.

And there was further extraordinary
evidence. A hidden camera was discovered

the Baxter's home.

It was connected to DeWitt's phone.

He can check up on them. He can check to
see if they have actually succumbed to

this fentanyl poisoning.

He watched the Baxter's die on camera.

It was almost as if the case couldn't
get any weirder, but it just kept on

getting more and more unbelievable.

DeWitt was tried for double murder. He
pleaded not guilty.

But the evidence from Fiona Perry and Dr
Naveed Younis made for a watertight

case. On March 20th, 2024, DeWitt was
found guilty and sentenced to life with

a minimum term of 37 years.

In all my years of policing, Luke DeWitt
is one of the most dangerous men I have

ever come across.

I have absolutely no doubt in my mind,
had he not been caught, he would have

gone on to kill further people.

Forensic toxicology is a very satisfying
job and it is nice to know that you are

providing some results that are useful
as the case goes forward.

Toxicology was absolutely crucial in
this case for establishing a cause of

death. And that's when the toxicology
starts to link to all of the other

separate pieces of evidence.

It's difficult to imagine a case that
has as many layers

as this one when it comes to the
extents.

of the manipulation and the length to
which Luke DeWitt went to ensure that

victims suffered for a long time before
he actually killed them.

The founding premise of forensic science
is that every contact leaves a trace.

In our next case detectives believe that
two separate murders may be linked to

the same man.

Can a forensic expert match footprint
evidence from both scenes and bring the

culprit to justice?

Bewdley, Worcestershire, January 2012.

Police are called to a property on the
banks of the River Severn.

Inside, they discover the body of Betty
Yates.

Liz Beacon, a senior journalist for BBC
Points West, researched the case.

Betty Yates was a 77 -year -old retired
schoolteacher who was widowed. She lived

on her own in an isolated cottage. And
although she lived alone, she was really

well -loved by the community.

West Mercia Police began investigating
what appeared to be the brutal murder of

a vulnerable elderly grandmother.

Investigations revealed that she had
been beaten with her own walking stick

she'd then been stabbed four times.

Police at the crime scene also found
evidence that suggested Betty's killer

hadn't left the scene in a hurry.

After this attack, it was as if the
killer tidied up after themselves.

Betty's walking stick had been put back
in its holder and the killer had pulled

the blinds down and locked up before
they'd left.

Forensic evidence, including swabs taken
from the victim's hands and a yoga mat

lying near her body, was taken from the
scene and sent for examination.

Betty's family appealed for help in
finding her killer.

To lose your mum is always dreadful.

But to lose your mum like this, when you
worry constantly about how frightened

she might have been or what she might
have felt during such a vicious attack,

like a nightmare.

Please. If you know anything about this,
can you come forward?

A £10 ,000 reward was offered for
information.

But as the weeks went by, police were no
closer to catching Betty's killer.

With a murderer on the loose, there was
a very real fear it could happen again.

Five weeks later and 70 miles away in
Thornbury near Bristol, Avon and

Police were called to a suspicious
death.

at the vicarage of St Mary's Church.

Police have launched an investigation
after a vicar was found dead in his home

near Bristol.

The Reverend John Suddards is understood
to have suffered stab wounds.

He was found by workmen yesterday at the
locked vicarage.

Reverend John Suddards was the 59 -year
-old vicar of St Mary the Virgin Church

in Thornbury and he'd only been the
vicar there for six months and he wanted

be the sort of vicar that people could
reach out to. He was always happy to

offer people a cup of tea or a bowl of
soup.

Reverend Suddards had been stabbed
multiple times and the assailant had

apparently staged a scene designed to
humiliate his victim.

There was some pornography, a condom
wrapper, party poppers, underwear, an

of Jesus Christ and a mirror.

Detectives also found clues that the
killer had remained at the scene for a

considerable amount of time.

After the attack, the killer ate some
food, drank some beer and watched DVDs

the vicarage before leaving the
following morning.

Investigators had no idea who could have
committed such a brutal crime, but the

killer had left something behind.

A bloody footprint.

At this point they had no suspect to
compare it with.

Then they got their first break.

There were CCTV cameras outside the
vicarage which provided the police with

really valuable images.

They shared these images with the public
showing a tall man carrying a backpack.

Members of the public recognised the man
and four days after the murder police

released the name of their prime
suspect.

Stephen Farrow is the man police named
yesterday as a murder suspect.

Just hours after releasing this image of
the 47 -year -old, he was arrested at

this house in Folkestone in Kent after a
tip -off from a member of the public.

Police began looking into Farrow's
background.

Stephen Farrow was from Shropshire. He
was one of six children and he grew up

a deeply religious family.

He was said to have hated his father,
but he did really love his mother. But

had a deep -rooted hatred of
Christianity.

It was soon discovered he had a history
of violence and had served eight years

for aggravated burglary.

Police began to explore any links to the
murder of Betty Yates.

Could Farrow be a double killer?

and could the bloody footprint found at
the vicarage provide the evidence they

needed?

They called in Pordrig O'Shea, an expert
witness specialising in marks and

traces.

I was given brief circumstances of the
incident, what had happened, and the

exhibits that were present at the scene.

Now in custody, police were able to
seize Farrow's boots, enabling Pordrig

compare them with the footprints from
the crime scene.

We're looking at this for overall size,
pattern, any degree of wear and also any

damage features that may be present.

Pordrig instantly noticed damage to the
sole of one of the boots and hoped the

flawed feature might make his job
easier.

The chance of that damage feature being
present on this shoe and on another shoe

in the same position, with the same
size, shape, is actually very, very

To get the print of the boot, Known as a
test mark, Pordrick first coats the

sole in aluminium powder.

So I've placed the boot now onto the
sticky acetate, which will transfer the

aluminium -powdered sole pattern onto
the acetate and then peel it off.

And it's left a one -to -one impression
of the shoe print.

The test mark and the prints left at the
crime scene appear to match.

But Pordrig must also look for
corresponding damage marks.

We need to confirm that any features we
find on a test mark are actually present

on the shoe itself to be able to confirm
that they are damage features.

Pordrig's footprint analysis had given
him a clear result.

The marks recovered from Reverend John
Sodor's scene were similar in pattern to

the submitted boots from Stephen Farrow.

And detectives recovered more vital
evidence linking Farrow to the murder at

Vicarage. After the arrest, police found
a knife on Stephen Farrow. They also

found traces of Reverend Sadar's blood
on Farrow's jacket and trousers.

Detectives were now convinced Farrow was
also guilty of Betty Yates' murder.

Both victims had lived alone and were
deeply involved in Christianity,

Farrow despised.

And evidence at both crime scenes
suggested the killer had lingered for

time afterwards.

But Farrow denied murdering either
victim.

Could Padraig prove that the suspect had
been in Betty Yates' home?

He thought the yoga mat found close to
her body might hold the answers.

I was asked in relation to the Betty
Yates case to examine a yoga mat that

footwear marks on it and compare those
with the boots from Stephen Farrow.

But there was a problem. The yoga mat
had already been cut into pieces by the

original forensic team.

in a bid to find biological material.

Having a full -length mark enables us to
make size comparisons.

If we don't have the entire footwear
mark we can't be certain that it's

that right size as the shoe that's been
submitted.

Pordrig was supplied with the remainder
of the yoga mat.

There was a partial mark present on the
piece of cut -out fabric and then a

remaining partial mark already on the
yoga mat.

and when that is placed in together, it
looks like a full -length footwear mark

is now visible.

The footprints on the yoga mat match
Stephen Farrow's boots, and Portrigue's

evidence now links him to both murders.

Conclusive evidence is the highest
evidence we can have, and we don't see

very often generally in forensic
science.

Footwear marks is one of the only
evidence types that you can say for

that a mark was made by a specific shoe.

A full DNA profile of Farrow was also
found on a swab taken from Bessie's left

hand which strengthened the case against
him.

He was charged with two counts of murder
and a burglary he was suspected of

committing at a separate address in
Thornbury.

At first, Farrow admitted to the
burglary but denied the murders until he

confronted with the forensic evidence.

He admitted to the manslaughter of John
Suddards on the grounds of diminished

responsibility due to his mental state
at the time. But he continued to deny

murder of Betty Yates.

The case went to trial in October 2012.

The jury found him guilty of both
murders and of the burglary after

for eight and a half hours.

A homeless man with a hatred of
Christians who murdered a retired

vicar has been jailed for life.

Stephen Farrow, diagnosed as a
psychopath, killed Reverend John Suddard

vicarage in South Gloucestershire and 77
-year -old pensioner Betty Yates at her

home in Worcestershire.

Both murder cases were solved by
forensics.

through DNA and footprint analysis.

The forensic work of Podrick O'Shea was
absolutely crucial in getting a

conviction. Although Farrow had admitted
to the manslaughter of John Suddard, he

was still denying that he'd killed Betty
Yates, so linking the two crime scenes

was absolutely key.

The work I carried out was very
important in relation to the Betty Yates

It was a conclusive link between the
suspect and the scene.

and it was a very strong link between
the defendant and the scene at Reverend

Suddhurst.

Several of my colleagues have worked on
this case as well, and it was all vital

to getting the result that we got.

Two cases there that show how science
and expertise cut through lies and

uncertainty to reveal the truth about
what really happened, ensuring justice

could finally be served for those who no
longer have a voice.