Man found guilty of the murder of a mum and her young son in Louth
26 year old Bethany Vincent and her 9 year old son were found dead in May
Last updated 1st Feb 2022
A man’s been found guilty of the murder of his ex-partner and her young son who were found stabbed to death at their home in Louth, Lincolnshire.
26 year old Bethany Vincent and her son 9 year old Darren Henson - known to his family as DJ - were stabbed to death at a property in High Holme Road in Louth shortly after 8pm on May 31 last year.
30 year old Daniel Boulton admitted the manslaughter of his former girlfriend and her son but denied their murder.
He also entered a guilty plea to assault with intent to resist arrest and burglary.
It was alleged that Boulton carried out the murders after walking 28 miles from his hostel in Alexandra Road, Skegness.
During the trial the Jury heard that the relationship between Boulton and Ms Vincent - which began on the Tinder dating app - had ‘deteriorated’ by the end of March 2019 and he was eventually prevented from seeing her by a restraining order.
However, the prosecution said "persistent" Boulton had sent Ms Vincent nearly 900 messages the weekend before the stabbings.
After the bodies of Ms Vincent and DJ were discovered, Boulton then led Lincolnshire Police on a manhunt.
He broke into a cottage where he stole alcohol and food and then allegedly stabbed an off-duty police officer in the leg in the Hubbard’s Hills area of Louth.
Boulton was then tasered and arrested at a nearby farm in Hallington.
The 30 year old did not give evidence during his trial and his defence to murder relied on the evidence of a forensic psychiatrist who conducted two interviews with him.
The deaths of Bethan Vincent and DJ shocked the community with people coming together to leave dozens of floral tributes and teddy bears.
A fundraiser was also set up to help pay for funeral costs which raised over £11,000.
After the verdict Lincolnshire Police said:
"While a murder investigation was launched, officers began an extensive manhunt for Boulton."
"He was located the following morning by an off-duty officer, Pc Steve Denniss, was who walking his dog near Hubbard’s Hills in Louth. Pc Denniss saw Boulton sat on a bench and pursued him on foot until officers arrived and Boulton was detained."
"During the pursuit, Boulton had confronted Pc Denniss, stabbing him in the leg before running off. Thankfully our officer did not receive life-threatening injuries, and he contacted colleagues who were already in the area. Boulton was soon located with the assistance of a drone and helicopter."
"Boulton was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, assaulting police and the burglary of a cottage at Hubbard’s Hill, where he stayed following the murder."
"He pleaded guilty to an assault on PC Dennis and the burglary but pleaded not guilty to both murders, entering alternate pleas of manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control."
"Following a trial held at Lincoln Crown Court, the jury rejected this defence and found him guilty of both murders."
Detective Inspector Andy McWatt, from East Midlands Special Operation Unit, who led the investigation, said:
"It's certainly been one of the most emotive cases I've worked on. Following the initial investigation there was some in house welfare put into place for people involved. A really really tough case"
Daniel Boulton will be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court tomorrow at 11am (2nd February).