One of the most horrific stories of the week was easily former Australian pro rugby player Rowan Baxter killing his entire family as well as himself in a fit of rage.
Now, we’re finding out from the parents of Baxter’s estranged wife who are saying the rugby player was in a “downward spiral” prior and had been stalking and tracking his estranged wife’s phone before he burned her and their three kids to death in an “ambush” attack inside their car.
Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4, and Trey, 3, died in the Wednesday blaze in Brisbane, while Hannah Clarke, 31, was transported to a local hospital where she would eventually succumb to her injuries and pass away.
Baxter, who was badly burned, managed to escape the car, but then he proceeded to stab himself to death.
Hannah’s parents, Lloyd and Suzanne Clarke, had this to say to Daily Mail Australia:
“Everything got worse after she left as he couldn’t control the situation anymore,” Suzanne Clarke said.
“She had to get the kids and just go without saying anything, because he was such a control freak and would get into her headspace and she would give in,” Lloyd Clarke told the outlet.
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“He thought he was hard done by and wanted 50 percent of custody and we knew that couldn’t work,” he added. “The guy didn’t work, he couldn’t support his own family. It started getting ugly.”
Baxter was allowed to see the children on weekends, but drop-offs and pick-ups ultimately led to tension and even an assault. Baxter wasn’t allowed to be within 65 feet of Clarke, so it remains unclear how he got in the car.
“We still don’t know how he got so close,” Lloyd Clarke told the outlet. “He’s obviously ambushed her somehow, I’m sure she would not have stopped for him. She would be more likely to try to run over him.”
“He was going through her phone and tracking her whereabouts,” Suzanne Clarke said. “It was really scary.”
“He had to hurt us because we’d beaten him,” the woman’s grieving dad said. “He was spiraling and had run out of people to sponge off. Looks like all of a sudden he decided there was only one way out.”
