Twilight Killers - Story of “ Deadly True Love”
/“I was OK with it, erm, just the fact that is happened so quickly gave me peace of mind ”
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We all know the iconic Twilight Saga movie franchise about Edward Cullen and Bella Swan’s obsessively unhealthy relationship. Fans know how the other vampires, AKA James, Laurent, and Victoria, were killed because of getting in the way of the two being together and how Bella and Edward were both suicidal when they couldn’t be together.
We have Kim Edwards and Lucus Markham, known as the Twilight Killers. Though reading on, you will encounter the story of England’s version of the Twilight Saga of the unhealthy, suicidal, troubled young couple who killed the people who got in their way of being together.
The Crime
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On the night of April 14th, 2016, Kim Edwards and Lucus Markham from Spalding, Lincolnshire. Brutally murdered Elizabeth Edwards, 49 and Katie Edwards, 13, with a 20cm kitchen knife. Stabbing Elizabeth “eight times, including three times in her throat, injuring her jugular vein and almost completely cutting through her windpipe” and stabbing Katie twice in the neck before smothering her in the face with a pillow to death.
Early life of the Edwards Family
Growing up, Kim, Katie, and Mary were surrounded by abuse from her biological father, Peter Edwards, with him using physical violence for disincline that it became “normal.” Eventually, in 2004, Elizabeth and her three daughters left to start a new life away from the abuse. They had difficulties finding a permanent place to settle down, staying at multiple women’s shelters until they found a place in Spalding, Lincolnshire.
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The family thought things were finally turning around for them for a brighter future until, In 2008, when Kim was only six years old, her mom punched Kim in the jaw due to self-consciously using violence to fix the situation after there was an argument over the TV after losing her temper. Elizabeth knew she had done wrong and called social services on herself, knowing that she needed to work on herself and her emotions so another argument would not happen again or become a habit. Kim and her younger sister, Katie, were both put in the foster care system short term after an argument occurred, but Mary, the older sister, was old enough to go out on her own. After Kim and Katie came back to her mother. Nothing was the same again.
The “New” Beginning
Kim would express to her counsellors that her mom didn’t care for her and that it was obvious she liked at Katie more. She then stated to grow up struggling with depression and felt abandoned and that she was the “black sheep of the family”. In Kim’s teen years people started to notice her struggling, including her teachers making Kim sent for a mental health evaluation but was told she was only a 2 out of 10 concerns.
Lucus Comes into the Picture
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Kim met Lucus in the special unit at school for students with behavioural issues in 2013 at Spalding Academy and bonded over the trauma they both had growing up. Lucus was known as a bully at school. Kim grew interested in Lucus because of his anger. The two started dating in 2015, at the ages of 13 and 14 years old. Kim seemed happy because of Lucus, making friends and enjoying life, but her grades and family life were going downhill. Distancing herself from them and acting out more.
Elizabeth didn’t approve of Lucus because of the bad influence he gave her and had worried thoughts about him as Elizabeth knew about toxic relationships. Katie, her sister, and her friends would notice bruises on her body and, every so often, a black eye. The couple argued a lot. When the relationship was good, it was good, but if it was bad, it was really bad.
After about one year of dating Elizabeth banned Lucas from coming into their home due to bad behaviour making the couple run away from home. Police and the community got involved in a search for the two who were found in the woods with a packed tent and food for around five days. Elizabeth wanted Lucus out of Kim’s life. Kim was grounded and prohibited her from seeing Lucus open-endedly. From this, the couple grew stronger feelings for each other quickly. Lucus was sent away to a dispensary school for troubled kids. In March of 2016, Kim’s depression came back and she got bullied in school for other kids finding out about her running away with Lucus.
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At this time, Peter, Kim's father, wanted to come back into their daughter’s life. Kim wanted him in her life, resulting in a heated argument with her mom, making Kim run out of the house right to Lucus. The two locked themselves in Lucus’s room and refused to leave, making both guardians of each child agree to end the relationship. Everything from their relationship was removed from each of their bedrooms like love notes.
Lucus jokingly said while talking to Kim, “Hey, we should kill your mom.” With Kim not being startled by his statement, she answered with, “Okay.” A bigger goal had been put in place. To kill her mom. Every day, Kim and Lucas would meet up at the local McDonald's and plan out the murder. To kill Elizabeth, Katie and themselves. The plan for this murder would be April 11th.
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Kim secretly let Lucus into the house multiple times, but each time, she fell asleep, and Lucus would leave. On the 13th, they tried again. Two days later, people started to worry because no one had seen Kim, Lucus, or Katie, and Elizabeth hadn't gone to work. The police were called on the 15th after unanswered calls from Kim's coworker and her boyfriend, Graham Green, a trucker who was often away. When the police arrived, they knocked on the door but got no response until they heard a dog barking. They forced open the door and found Kim and Lucus watching the movie Twilight on a mattress on the floor. The police asked Kim where her mom was, and she said she was "upstairs," and Lucus said, "Why don't you go up and look?"
Charges
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Lucus was to be found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 20 years at the Nottingham Crown Court. Kim admitted to manslaughter with deniing she had todo with murder. Once Kim was questioned by police she blamed the who murder on Lucus and that she had no idea that anything was happening. owever a jury found her guilty of two counts of murder.
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Megan Parsons, 25, from Osgoode, Ontario, is a published author of two self-published works, Luna’s Way Home and Just Blame Me. She is currently in her third year of the Professional Writing Program at Algonquin College. Specializing in short fiction, Megan has a passion for writing children’s stories, while also exploring themes of psychological horror in her work.
Interested in more of my writing? you can read more here!
