Joint inquests have heard how three pensioners—Anthony Payne, 80, and identical twins Dick and Roger Carter, 84—were killed by Alexander Lewis-Ranwell on 10 February 2019 in Exeter, Devon. The attacks, using a hammer and shovel, occurred within three hours at properties 1.5 miles apart. The case raises significant questions about police procedures, as Lewis-Ranwell had been released from custody just hours before committing the killings, despite displaying disturbed and aggressive behaviour whilst detained.

Lewis-Ranwell had been arrested twice in the preceding 24 hours—first for attempted burglary and then for attacking an elderly farmer with a saw—before being released from Barnstaple police station at 2.49am on 10 February. During his custody, he attempted to grab an officer's taser, damaged three separate cells, and was noted as spitting and punching the cell hatch. He was scheduled to be assessed by a mental health nurse but was released before this appointment could occur. Following the killings, Lewis-Ranwell was arrested again and later assessed as acutely psychotic. He was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and detained indefinitely in a psychiatric unit.