67-Year-Old Man Confesses to Killing Ex-Stepdaughter, Husband After Taking Victims’ Kids to McDonald’s

Derek Martin, 67, was found guilty of murdering Chloe Bashford, 30, and her husband Josh Bashford, 33, at their home in Newhaven, East Sussex, in June 2023, according to a statement from Sussex Police. The verdict followed a three-week trial where prosecutors laid out a shocking sequence of events.

According to Sussex Police, Martin had remained close with the couple and their children even after splitting from Chloe’s mother. The murders occurred on the morning of June 9, 2023, after Martin “just flipped” during an argument with Chloe over money while cleaning a window at their home.

Prosecutor Julian Evans detailed the violence to jurors, explaining that Martin first attacked Chloe at 12:15 p.m.

“He attacked Chloe with a hammer. He hit her with the hammer on the top of her head,” Evans said, as reported by The Times. “Then he went to the kitchen to retrieve a large knife. Having done so, he repeatedly stabbed Chloe with that knife, causing severe injuries from which she died.”

Just five minutes later, when Josh returned home, Martin met him at the door armed with the knife, chased him upstairs, stabbed him four times, and ultimately strangled him with a belt or rope, according to a report from BBC.

What followed was perhaps the most disturbing detail of the entire case. Immediately after the violent attack, Martin changed his clothes and proceeded with a mundane, pre-planned outing. He drove to the local school, picked up the couple’s four young children, took them for a drink at Costa Coffee, and then drove them to McDonald’s in Newhaven for food.

Video footage released by authorities showed Martin, appearing calm and carrying on as usual, interacting with one of the children at the fast-food restaurant. During this time, he discarded Chloe’s mobile phone in the bushes of the nearby Sainsbury’s.

After the meal, Martin drove the children to the home of his ex-wife Elaine Sturges (Chloe’s mother) in Brighton. According to The Times, he texted her the following message:

“Elaine I’m so sorry, I can’t believe what I’ve done, I know everyone hates me anyway especially the boys, I hate myself anyway and please, please look after the children really well. I’m just about to walk into the police station then that’s my days over and good job too, I know it’s going to mean nothing but I’m so sorry, don’t take the children home x.”

According to the Sussex police statement, he then “bought some beers from a shop in Whitehawk which he drank on the seafront.” Shortly thereafter, he walked into the Brighton police station and delivered his chilling, self-recorded confession to the front desk.

He told officers, “I’ve killed two people.”

During the trial, Martin admitted causing the deaths but attempted to deny murder, claiming diminished responsibility due to a depressive disorder. However, the jury rejected this defense, convicting him of two counts of murder.

Following the conviction, Sturges, who had been Martin’s ex-wife, expressed her disbelief. She described Martin as being “like Jekyll and Hyde.”

“He had a temper, but I never thought he’d be capable of doing anything like this,” she said, per a report from the BBC, but insisted, “I would never have let him near Chloe and Josh if I thought it was like this.” Chloe’s father, Jason Godden, said he was “absolutely devastated” for his grandchildren, who have “lost both their parents over this idiot that’s called himself grandad.”

Martin remains in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6.