The Spartan Initiative

Why We Started Our Research On Male Domestic Violence With Hannah Clarke’s Story

human fist, baxter family murders, domestic violence

The murder of Hannah Clarke was a story that still haunts Australia.  A young mother was killed by Rowan Baxter, the man who was supposed to protect her and their three children. The Baxter family murders are the perfect example of how deadly domestic violence and coercive control can be. 

Moreover, the murders of the Baxter family by its patriarch show there needs to be more legislation in every country that ensures that every person, female and male, is safe from abusive partners. Many people out there believe they’re superior to the law itself.

As mentioned in the Mamamia podcast, True Crime Conversations episode, “The System That Failed Hannah Clarke,” Rowan Baxter thought the Domestic Violence Order was beneath him. There are a lot of men and women out there who believe the same thing. These people treat their victims like trash and believe it is their god-given right to keep them grovelling at their feet and that the world revolves around them where others must bend to them.

What The True Crimes Conversation Podcast Reveals About Rowan Baxter

The podcast episode also spoke about footage Rowan had posted on Facebook of his son, Trey, in an ice bath. The little boy was terrified, but his father thought it was funny. He would also crash-tackle his eldest daughter, Aaliyah. It would make her cry, but he didn’t care.

Despite her age, Aaliyah wasn’t afraid to stand up to her father for being mean to her mother. Rowan, overall, felt threatened by a six-year-old, which is why Laianah was his favourite if the True Crimes Conversations podcast is to be believed.

The Hannah Clarke case was pivotal for bringing coercive control to the public’s attention despite it being an age-old issue where it is legal in many locations worldwide.

Rowan Baxter was no victim. He believed that he was superior to every person he came into contact with, and he exerted that power, scaring and worrying people around him.

To end this post, let’s review a few questions that have popped up in our keyword searches.

What Happened To Hannah Clarke’s Husband, Rowan Baxter? How Did Rowan Baxter Die?

After killing his family, Rowan Baxter committed suicide by stabbing himself three times, twice in the abdomen and once in the chest. 

The coroner’s report, which was revealed at the Inquest into the Baxter Family Murders/Murder-Suicide, there is no way Rowan would’ve survived, even if they were able to revive him from the stab wounds. He was also burned in the fire and had burns that would’ve killed him. However, his cause of death was self-inflicted stab wounds, not the injuries he sustained in the fire.

Is Rowan Baxter Alive?

No, Rowan Baxter did not survive the murder-suicide.

What Happened To Hannah Clarke?

Hannah Clarke was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband, Rowan Baxter. She left him in late 2019, and he murdered her and her three children in February 2020.

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About Author

C.J. Hawkings has written for the now-defunct Entertainment website, Movie Pilot and the still functioning WhatCulture and ScreenRant. She prides herself as a truth seeker and will do (almost) anything for coffee or Coke No Sugar. Oh! And food!

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