UK Man Guilty of Killing Former Stepdaughter and Her Husband

Derek Martin, 67, was convicted of double murder following the killings of his former stepdaughter, Chloe Bashford, 30, and her husband, Josh Bashford, 33, at their home in Newhaven, East Sussex, England, on June 9, 2023. Martin, who had been at the home cleaning a window, attacked Chloe after a money-related argument, striking her on the head with a hammer and then stabbing her repeatedly with a kitchen knife. When Josh arrived home approximately five minutes later, Martin chased him upstairs, stabbed him multiple times, and strangled him with a belt or rope. After the murders, Martin changed his clothes, then picked up the couple’s four children from school and took them to a Costa Coffee and then to McDonald’s in Newhaven, as if nothing had happened.

Concealment and Surrender

Before picking up the children, Martin removed the door handles from the Bashford home to prevent the children from discovering the bodies if they returned. He discarded Chloe’s mobile phone in bushes near a Sainsbury’s supermarket. He then drove the children to the home of his former wife - Chloe’s mother - in Brighton. Afterward, he reportedly bought beers from a shop in Whitehawk, drank on the seafront, and then walked into the Brighton police station to surrender. While in custody, he passed a handwritten note to a prison guard revealing the location of Chloe’s discarded mobile phone, which became key evidence at trial. He had also messaged a family member beforehand, indicating his intent to surrender and asking that the children not be taken back to the Newhaven home.

Conviction and Family Grief

Martin was found guilty following a three-week trial at Lewes Crown Court. Chloe’s mother described Martin as having severe mood swings, “like a Jekyll and Hyde,” but said she never believed him capable of violence. “I would never have let him near Chloe and Josh if I thought it was like this,” she told the BBC. Chloe’s father said his grandchildren “lost both their parents over this idiot.” Sussex Police praised the courage of the children and families involved.

References: Man Killed Former Stepdaughter and Her Husband, Then Took Their 4 Kids to McDonald’s | Derek Martin guilty of murdering Chloe and Josh Bashford in Newhaven | Derek Martin guilty of murdering Newhaven couple Chloe and Josh Bashford