What's happened
A man who killed an elderly man and two elderly twins in Exeter in 2019 has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. He had just days earlier been released from custody after a series of troubled incidents, including assaults and theft. Jurors have heard a timeline of his mental health history as inquests continue.
What's behind the headline?
Insight
- The inquests reveal a troubling pattern of repeated detentions and releases that preceded the killings, raising questions about risk assessment protocols.
- Jurors are weighing whether the state’s handling of Lewis-Ranwell underestimated danger despite prior mental health flags.
- The case highlights the tension between mental health care and public safety, and how rapid custody turnover can affect risk appraisal.
What this could mean next
- If risk assessments are found wanting, police and health services may tighten criteria for release and supervision.
- Families of victims may push for reform in how authorities monitor individuals with a history of violence and mental illness.
Context
- The 2019 killings occurred in Exeter, two separate homes, three hours apart. The suspect had a history of arrests and hospital interventions that year.
How we got here
In February 2019, Alexander Lewis-Ranwell killed Anthony Payne and the Carter twins within hours of multiple arrests for earlier alleged offences. Authorities had detained him under the Mental Health Act in 2016 and 2017. The inquest examines his encounters with police, his hospitalisations, and the decision to release him shortly before the killings.
Our analysis
BBC Business reports on the inquest timeline and police interactions; Sky News covers the coroner’s statements and the timeline of prior arrests; Devon Live provides local context on inquest proceedings.
Go deeper
- What steps are authorities taking to reform mental health decision-making after this case?
- Will there be changes to how suspects are monitored after release from custody in similar cases?
- What happened in the immediate timeline between the last release and the killings?
More on these topics
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Devon - Shire county
Devon, also known as Devonshire, is a county of England, reaching from the Bristol Channel in the north to the English Channel in the south.
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Anthony Payne - English composer
Anthony Edward Payne was an English composer, music critic and musicologist. He is best known for his acclaimed completion of Edward Elgar's third symphony, which subsequently gained wide acceptance into Elgar's oeuvre.
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Exeter - City in Devon, England
Exeter ( EK-sit-ər) is a cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately 36 mi (58 km) northeast of Plymouth and 65 mi (105 km) southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal command of Vespasian. Exeter became a religious centre in the Middle Ages. Exeter Cathedral, founded in the mid 11th century, became Anglican in the 16th-century English Reformation. Exeter became an affluent centre for the wool trade, although by the First World War the city was in decline. After the Second World War, much of the city centre was rebuilt and is now a centre for education, business and tourism in South West England. It is home to two of the constituent campuses of the University of Exeter: Streatham and St Luke's. The administrative area of Exeter has the status of a non-metropolitan district under the administration of the County Council. It is the county town of Devon and home to the headquarters of Devon County Council. A plan to grant the city unitary authority status was scrapped by the 2010 coalition government, but it is currently making another bid for unitary...