An inquest has heard that a 71-year-old man confessed to strangling his wife before fatally stabbing himself. Anthony Buxton was found dead alongside his 69-year-old wife, Michelle Buxton, at their home in Camelford, Cornwall, on the evening of September 24 last year.
Cornwall Coroner's Court was told that Mr. Buxton made a 999 call confessing to his wife's murder. During the call, a female voice was heard groaning and asking for help, while Mr. Buxton stated, "I've done it, no one can stop me, I've killed her."
Police forced entry into the property and discovered Mrs. Buxton on the kitchen floor. Mr. Buxton was found nearby with a steak knife in his chest, having lost a significant amount of blood. Ambulance crews provided CPR, but neither could be saved.
Post-mortem examinations revealed that Mrs. Buxton died from "prolonged forceful compression of the neck." Mr. Buxton's cause of death was a "complex stab wound" to the chest, which pierced his heart, and was determined to be self-inflicted.
The couple's son, Daniel, told the inquest that his father had become increasingly quiet and paranoid in the months leading up to the incident. Mr. Buxton, who worked as a civilian police employee, had expressed beliefs that an organized crime gang was targeting him, had bugged their home, and endangered his family. He believed the gang's motive was to obtain police secrets through him.
Concerns about Mr. Buxton's mental state led to him being referred to the Cornwall Partnership Mental Health Trust on August 29. An assessment on September 2 noted he was presenting with severe anxiety, which could affect memory retention. Due to his age and possible organic causes, his case was also discussed with a dementia and older people's service.
He was subsequently referred to a community mental health team, who suggested talking therapies to address his anxiety. Detective Constable Tom Graham's investigation found no evidence of third-party involvement in the deaths.
Senior coroner for Cornwall, Andrew Cox, recorded an unlawful killing conclusion for Michelle Buxton and determined that her husband had taken his own life. "What is abundantly clear from the papers is that no one, family members or mental health practitioners, seriously felt that Michelle was at risk of harm from her husband Anthony," Mr. Cox stated. He added that if Mr. Buxton had survived, he would have faced homicide charges.