Derek Martin, a 67-year-old grandfather, committed a heinous act by fatally attacking his stepdaughter, Chloe Bashford, 30, in her own home. The violent incident involved Martin striking Chloe multiple times on the head with a hammer and subsequently stabbing her eight times with a kitchen knife. Tragically, he also assaulted Chloe’s husband, Josh, 33, upon his return home, stabbing him four times and strangling him with a belt.
Following a heated dispute over money, Martin, who later confessed to “flipping,” carried out the savage attack. Despite attempting to conceal the crime scene, Martin proceeded to pick up Chloe and Josh’s four children from school, treating them to a meal at McDonald’s before dropping them off at their grandmother’s residence and surrendering to the authorities.
Martin, residing in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, initially denied the charges of murder, citing a psychiatric condition during the incident. However, he was eventually convicted of both murders more than two years after the tragic events occurred in Newhaven, East Sussex. He has now been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 29 years.
Before the gruesome incident, Martin, who had previously been married to Chloe’s mother, assisted the family with household tasks and financial support. The fatal confrontation arose on the morning of June 9 during an argument over money owed by Chloe to Martin. The altercation escalated, leading to the brutal attack that claimed the lives of Chloe and Josh.
In the aftermath of the killings, Martin made strategic attempts to conceal his actions from the children, orchestrating a series of events to divert attention from the tragedy. He eventually confessed to the double homicide upon turning himself in at Brighton police station.
The court proceedings revealed that Martin, who had struggled with mental health issues and had ceased taking his medication, was in a vulnerable state leading up to the murders. The profound impact of the tragedy was emphasized by statements from family members, including Elaine Sturges, Chloe’s mother, who expressed the irreparable loss and challenges of raising the couple’s children in the absence of their parents.
Additionally, the couple’s eldest son, Brooklynn Bashford, mourned the loss of his “loving” parents, recounting the ongoing emotional turmoil he experiences after the tragic events. Brooklynn expressed his enduring grief and inability to forgive Martin for the devastating loss of his parents.
