‘Nightmare on Holme Street’: Boulton sent disturbing text message before Louth double murder
A violent ex-partner who fatally stabbed a mother and her young autistic son in front of a distressed baby before leading police on a manhunt for several hours has been convicted of their murders.
Daniel Boulton travelled 28 miles on foot from Skegness to Louth in order to kill his former girlfriend Bethany Vincent and her nine-year-old son Darren Henson at around 8pm on May 31 last year.
Boulton carried out the brutal killings just a day after sending his former girlfriend a text which read “nightmare on Holme street.”
A jury heard Boulton calmly smoked a cigarette in the garden after carrying out the murders and walked away leaving an unharmed but “distressed” nine-month-old child crawling around the house.
Lincoln Crown Court was told Boulton, who was the subject of a restraining order following a complaint by Ms Vincent, developed a “hatred” for Darren and “loitered for hours” outside their home in High Holme
Road before the killings.
Boulton tried to claim he was on “autopilot” at the time of the murders, but jurors dismissed his defence of loss of control and took just two hours to convict him of both murders.
Ms Vincent’s mother, Caroline Vincent, and DJ’s father, Kieran Henson, were among those watching from the public gallery.
As the guilty verdicts were returned there were shouts of “yes” from the public gallery.
Boulton, of Alexandra Road, Skegness, is expected to be sentenced at the same court at 11am tomorrow (Wednesday).
The 30-year-old killer, a former amusement arcade worker, admitted manslaughter on the second day of his trial, as well as assault with intent to resist arrest, and burglary, but had denied the two murders.
The trial judge, Mr Justice Pepperall, told Boulton on Tuesday afternoon: “You have been convicted of the brutal murders of Bethany Vincent and her nine-year-old son, Darren Henson.
“The only sentences I can pass by law are ones of life imprisonment.”