Anthony Buxton, 71, called emergency services to confess he had killed his wife, Michelle, 69, before taking his own life. The call was made on September 24 last year from their home in Camelford, Cornwall.
During the call, a female voice could be heard groaning and saying "help", followed by a male voice saying: "I've done it, no one can stop me, I've killed her." Officers forced entry to the property and found the couple unresponsive with fatal injuries. Both were pronounced dead shortly after.
Mental health decline
An inquest at Cornwall Coroner's Court in Truro heard that Mr Buxton's mental health had deteriorated in the months before the incident. His son, Daniel, told the court his father had become unusually quiet and paranoid, believing an organised crime gang was targeting him and had bugged the house.
Daniel, who works for the police, said: "The overarching goal of this crime gang was to exhort mum and dad for police secrets from me because I work for the police." The family had installed CCTV cameras because of his father's fears.
Referral and assessment
Mr Buxton was referred to the Cornwall Partnership Mental Health Trust by his GP on August 29, and an assessment was carried out on September 2. Georgina Clark, from the trust, said there was a discussion about whether his symptoms might have an organic cause, given short-term memory loss mentioned by the GP.
She said: "Because of Mr Buxton's age and the possibility of an organic cause, as there had also been mention from the GP of short-term memory loss over the past couple of years, it was felt it should be discussed with the dementia and older people's service first."
No one had the full picture
Senior coroner Andrew Cox noted that Mr Buxton was not a natural fit for any service, as he did not typically present as a dementia patient and was too old for early intervention for psychosis. He was referred to the community mental health team, who felt talking therapy would be appropriate for his anxiety.
Detective Constable Tom Graham, who investigated both deaths, said there was no evidence of third party involvement. Post-mortem examinations showed Mrs Buxton died from compression of the neck, while Mr Buxton died from a stab wound to his chest.
Mr Cox returned a conclusion of unlawful killing for Mrs Buxton and said her husband had taken his own life. He said: "I think what has become apparent subsequent to these events is that no one had the full picture."
He added: "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. I have accepted as fact that on September 24 Anthony strangled his wife, and I'm also further going to accept the evidence from the police that having done that he's then stabbed himself in the chest."
Addressing the family, the coroner said: "This is a dreadful set of circumstances, completely unexpected, and you have my deepest sympathies for what has occurred."
