Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards The Twilight Killers

Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards were two fourteen year old teens living in England when they decided to murder her mother and sister

According to court documents Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards believed that her mother was attempting to end their relationship so the fourteen year olds decided to kill her

The two came up with a plan that ended with Lucas Markham stabbing Kim mother Elizabeth, 49, and her younger sister Katie, 13

Following the murder Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards would have sex and then watched the Twilight movie series until police arrived

Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for seventeen years

Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards Case

The couple believed to be Britain’s youngest double murderers have been named, after a judge lifted a ban on identifying them.

Kim Edwards and her boyfriend Lucas Markham murdered Edwards’ mother Elizabeth, 49, and her younger sister Katie, 13, at their home in Spalding, Lincolnshire, in April 2016.

The killers, who were 14 at the time, were both jailed in November.

A bid to stop their names being made public was rejected in the High Court.

Kim Edwards and Lucas Markham were originally jailed for at least 20 years each, but judges have reduced the sentences to 17 and a half years.

Markham, who admitted the killings, used a kitchen knife to stab both victims in the neck a total of ten times as they slept.

Edwards, who helped to plan the “cold, calculated and callous” killings, denied murder, claiming to be suffering a mental abnormality which impaired her ability to form rational judgments, but was found guilty by a jury.

The teenagers were both jailed for life at Nottingham Crown Court in November and told they must serve at least 20 years before being considered for parole.

The court heard Markham walked for around 30 minutes along Spalding’s Coronation Channel to reach Edwards’ home before knocking three times on a bedroom window as a pre-arranged signal that he had arrived.

Kim Edwards then opened a bathroom window to allow Lucas Markham to climb into the house from the roof of a shed, and gave him advice on moving quietly around the property.

Evidence heard in the trial, but unpublished until now, revealed that the couple remained at the house in Dawson Avenue immediately after the killings where they had sex, shared a bath and watched the vampire-themed teen romance Twilight films.

They were discovered and arrested at the home Edwards shared with her mother and sister 36 hours later, having been reported missing to police.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-37907410

Lucas Markham And Kim Edwards News

A 15-year-old girl believed to be one of Britain’s youngest double murderers concocted a plan to kill her own mother and sister, it can now be revealed.

Judges have lifted restrictions on reporting how Kim Edwards and her boyfriend, Lucas Markham, carried out the “brutal executions” of dinner lady Elizabeth Edwards, 49, and her daughter Katie as they slept at their home in Spalding, Lincolnshire last April.

The couple, likened to Bonnie and Clyde at trial, had sex, shared a bath and watched four Twilight vampire films as they “revelled” after the killings.

The identities of the couple could not be reported throughout their trial at Nottingham crown court in 2016 because of their age, but restrictions on naming the pair were lifted by three judges at the court of appeal in London

Kim and Lucas, who were both originally given 20-year minimum custodial terms, had them reduced by the judges to 17-and-a-half years each.

The ban on naming the pair was lifted by Sir Brian Leveson, Mr Justice Blake and Mr Justice Lewis.

Leveson said: “In the circumstances of this case, notwithstanding that the appellants are only 15 years of age, we have no doubt that the lifting of reporting restrictions is in accordance with law, pursues a legitimate aim and is a reasonable and proportionate measure … properly balancing the welfare of the appellants … against the article 10 rights of the press and the interests of the public.”

He announced that, as a result of the court’s decision, “the names of these two young people are now capable of being reported”, allowing reporting of the “full facts and circumstances” surrounding the case.

Both defendants were given life sentences for the killings, which were planned in a McDonald’s.

Prosecutor Peter Joyce told Edwards’ trial that her sister and mother were stabbed a total of 10 times in a “cold, calculated and callous” onslaught at their home in Dawson Avenue.

Joyce told jurors that Markham walked for around 30 minutes along Spalding’s Coronation Channel to reach Edwards’ home before knocking three times on a bedroom window as a pre-arranged signal that he had arrived.

Edwards opened a bathroom window to allow Markham to climb into the house from the roof of a shed, and gave him advice on moving quietly around the property.

Det Supt Martin Holvey of Lincolnshire police said: “The murders of Elizabeth and Katie Edwards were horrific and brutal and the whole country shared a sense of shock that two juveniles, who were only 14 years old at the time, could have carried out such a horrendous act.

“I’m sure that sense of disbelief and horror will be deepened now it is known that it was Elizabeth’s own daughter who was responsible for plotting with her boyfriend to carry out the murders.

“Evidence heard in court that was previously restricted can now be reported. These include details about the behaviour and actions of Kim Edwards and Lucas Markham afterwards, which was chilling.

“They remained downstairs in the house, watching TV and eating food, whilst the bodies were upstairs. They showed no remorse at all when they were eventually found by officers and during their police interviews.

“These new revelations about the case will undoubtedly focus attention on Spalding once again and I would like to repeat sentiments I have made earlier, thanking the community for their cooperation throughout the case and paying tribute to the courage of Elizabeth and Katie’s family.

“They have endured a terrible ordeal and faced the additional anguish of knowing that this horrific crime was committed by a family member.”

Girl, 15, murdered mother and sister as they slept – then watched vampire films | Crime | The Guardian

Lucas Markham And Kim Edwards Video

Watch Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards Video – Teens Who Kill – Real Cases of Teen Violence

Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards: The ‘Twilight Killers Who Murdered 2 And Got Life In Prison

On April 15, 2016, police in Spalding, Lincolnshire, forced entry into a quiet semi-detached house after a school reported two sisters missing. Upstairs, they found 49-year-old Elizabeth Edwards and her 14-year-old daughter Katie Edwards dead in their beds, both stabbed in the neck and smothered with pillows.

Downstairs in the basement, they found the last person anyone expected: Elizabeth’s younger daughter, 13-year-old Kim Edwards, and her 14-year-old boyfriend Lucas Markham, sitting on a mattress watching the movie Twilight, surrounded by empty crisp packets.

Upon discovering the lifeless bodies of Elizabeth and Katie Edwards in their residence, brutally stabbed in their bed, the police also encountered Elizabeth’s younger daughter, Kim Edwards, and her boyfriend, Lucas Markham, casually watching TV together in the same house’s basement. The revelation that these two young individuals were responsible for the gruesome murders posed a baffling challenge for the police.

Kim Edwards and her boyfriend Lucas Markham were absent from school for several days in April 2016. Despite the school’s attempts to contact their families, they were unsuccessful. Simultaneously, Elizabeth Edwards, Kim’s mother, who worked as a lunch supervisor had not shown up either, and Graham Green, her partner, was unable to reach her.

Kim and Lucas would become known in the British press as the “Twilight Killers” – Britain’s youngest double murderers. Both were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with their sentences reduced to 17.5 years in 2017.

This is the complete, SEO-optimized case file.

Quick Facts: The Spalding Murders

The Victims: Elizabeth and Katie Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards resided in Spalding, Lincolnshire, with her two daughters, 13-year-old Kim and 14-year-old Katie. Having been married twice before, she had another older child who did not reside with her. Her second marriage had concluded on unfavorable terms, and she began a relationship with Graham Green ten months before the discovery of her murder.

Elizabeth, 49, worked as a lunch supervisor at a local school and was described as a devoted mother trying to keep her teenage daughters on track. Katie, 14, was a popular Year 9 student, close to her mum, athletic, and protective of her younger sister Kim.

The family lived in a modest three-bedroom home on a quiet estate. Neighbors said the house was often noisy with teenage music, but never violent.

The Killers: A Troubled Romance

Kim Edwards was 13 when she began dating Lucas. She had a history of self-harm, truancy, and explosive arguments with her mother. In police interviews, she revealed a deep resentment rooted in childhood.

Kim explained that when she was around 6 or 7 years old, her mother, Elizabeth, had become angry about something and had punched Kim. Filled with guilt over her actions, Elizabeth had reported herself to child protection services, leading to Kim and her sister spending six months in foster care. Kim harbored resentment towards her mother for this experience. Additionally, she felt jealous of the close relationship Katie shared with their mother, a connection she believed she could never establish.

Lucas Markham, 14, had an even more fractured background. The police discovered that 14-year-old Lucas had a troubled past, having lost his parents and grown up in an unloving home. He had even attempted suicide.

Elizabeth disapproved of the relationship between Kim and Lucas, viewing them as a negative influence on each other, and she believed they should stay apart. In response, Kim and Lucas ran away together, spending a few days in the woods in October 2015.

Teachers described Lucas as intelligent but isolated, obsessed with violent video games and the Twilight saga. Kim called him her “soulmate” and told friends they would “die together.”

The Murder Plan: Hatched at McDonald’s

Lucas Markham revealed that he and Kim Edwards had been planning to kill Elizabeth and Katie since October, perceiving them as obstacles to their relationship and desiring to be together forever, and had finalized the plan a few days ago at a McDonald’s.

The plan was chillingly simple, detailed in a suicide pact letter police later found.

Lucas devised a plan where he would climb up to Kim’s window and tap on it three times for her to let him in. They decided that Lucas would kill Elizabeth, while Kim would kill Katie while they were sleeping. However, on the first two nights, Kim slept through the knocks, and she didn’t open the window. Finally, on the third night which was April 13, she let him in.

Lucas arrived with knives, and when it was time to attack Elizabeth, Kim couldn’t bear to witness the murder. She asked Lucas to do it alone while she hid in the bathroom. Lucas stabbed Elizabeth multiple times in the neck, causing severe injuries, and then smothered her with a pillow while straddling her. Kim had entered the room briefly before her mother died and had seen the struggle. Moving to Katie’s room, Kim used the same excuse, requesting Lucas to kill her. He stabbed Katie twice in the neck while she slept and suffocated her with a pillow.

Both victims were stabbed in the neck to silence them quickly, then smothered to ensure death. The pillows were left over their faces, a detail that haunted first responders.

After the Murders: Twilight, Crisps, and Lies

After the killings, the teenage couple did not flee. They cleaned up, changed clothes, and moved into the basement.

Upon entering the house, the police were met with silence. As they proceeded upstairs to inspect the bedrooms, they discovered Elizabeth stabbed in her bed with a pillow covering her face, and Katie was found in her respective bed in a similar situation. Both of them had passed away. While searching the premises, the police heard activity in the basement and discovered Kim and Lucas seated on a mattress in front of a television, engrossed in watching ‘Twilight.’

For two days, they lived in the house with the bodies upstairs. They ordered takeaways, watched all five Twilight films back-to-back, and told concerned neighbors that Mum and Katie had gone to visit family.

The police discovered a letter in Katie’s room, which she shared with Kim, written by Kim and Lucas. In the letter, the couple pledged to commit suicide as a bizarre expression of love, requesting that their ashes be scattered together in a special location. Further investigation led to the finding of Lucas’ bag containing a blood-covered knife, along with another knife and bloodstained clothing within the house.

The Arrest and Interrogation

Subsequently, both Kim Edwards and Lucas Markham were apprehended, and the interrogation process commenced.

During the interrogation, Kim maintained a calm and composed demeanor as she recounted the events matter-of-factly.

Lucas, under pressure, eventually provided details about the events that unfolded on the night of the murders, confessing to both stabbings while claiming Kim had been too scared to do it herself.

Their calmness shocked detectives. Bodycam footage later shown in documentaries shows Kim asking for a hairbrush and complaining about being cold, hours after watching her mother die.

The Trial: Britain’s Youngest Double Murderers

On April 17, 2016, Lucas Markham and Kim Edwards were charged with two counts of murder, and their trial commenced in October 2016. However, Lucas pled guilty before the trial, leading to a sense of betrayal for Kim. The two avoided looking at each other during subsequent court dates. Kim also pled guilty, but not to murder; instead, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, asserting that she was suffering from a mental illness and was not herself when she committed the crimes.

On October 11, 2016, both of them were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. However, in May 2017, after appeals from both Kim and Lucas, their minimum sentence was reduced to 17 and a half years from 20, making them potentially eligible for parole when they are 32 years old.

In June 2017, the order that banned their identification was lifted, and their names were revealed to the public. The judge lifted anonymity because of the exceptional public interest and because both would be adults when eligible for release.

Currently, both of them are serving their sentence at His Majesty’s prison. Initially held in secure children’s homes, they were transferred to young offender institutions at 18, and will move to adult prisons at 21.

Why “Twilight Killers”? The Media Frenzy

The British tabloids dubbed them the “Twilight Killers” because police found them watching Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 when arrested. The irony was not lost on the public: a vampire love story about eternal devotion, watched by two teens who had just killed to be together forever.

The case sparked national debate about whether child murderers should remain anonymous. In 2016, 15-year-old Kim Edwards and her boyfriend Lucas Markham murdered their mother and sister, leading to their life imprisonment. The case sparked debate over whether child murderers should remain anonymous, with courts ultimately allowing their names due to public interest and human rights concerns.

Psychologists who assessed them noted “cold calculation and toxic relationship” dynamics, with Kim displaying narcissistic traits and Lucas showing severe attachment disorder.

Where Are Kim Edwards and Lucas Markham Now in 2026?

As of 2026, both are 23-24 years old and incarcerated in separate Category C prisons in England. Under UK law, they cannot be named to a specific prison for security reasons.

Their minimum tariff of 17.5 years means their first parole hearings will be in late 2033. The Parole Board will consider their remorse, risk, and behavior in custody. Both have reportedly completed GCSEs and A-levels in prison and engaged in therapy.

Kim Edwards’s legal team has indicated she accepts full responsibility, while Lucas has maintained a lower profile. Neither has spoken publicly since sentencing.

Motive Analysis: More Than Just a Strict Mum

While the initial trigger was Elizabeth banning the relationship, the deeper motive was Kim’s long-held resentment and jealousy. She felt her mother loved Katie more, and she blamed Elizabeth for the foster care trauma at age 6. Lucas, desperate for belonging after losing his parents, found identity in Kim’s obsession.

They did not kill for money (nothing was stolen) or in a rage. They planned for six months, bought knives, wrote a suicide pact, and executed the plan over three nights. This premeditation is why the judge gave life sentences despite their age.