A polo-playing former public schoolboy has been identified as the man arrested by police in connection with the murders of three pensioners in Exeter.
According to The Sun, Alexander Lewis-Ranwell is the 27-year-old police have been questioning over the murders of twins Dick and Roger Carter, 84, and Anthony Payne, 80.
One of Lewis-Ranwell's neigbours and family friends said that he was a keen polo player who attended the £30,000-a-year West Buckland boarding school.
The source said: 'He was one of the nicest children you could ever meet. He is so polite and kind and was good at school.
'He was brilliant at polo. He wanted to play so his dad bought him horses.'
Alexander Lewis Ranwell was named as the man arrested by police over the murders of three pensioners in Exeter
A source said police had been granted extra time to question Lewis-Ranwell who was 'not talking'
One of his neighbours told the Sun that Lewis-Ranwell was an avid polo player and ex public schoolboy
Earlier this week, chilling footage emerged showing the final moments of an 84-year-old Dick Carter buying his daily paper before he was found brutally slaughtered alongside his twin brother.
CCTV shows Dick Carter popping into his local newsagents in St Thomas, Exeter just 48 hours before his body was found in his home just 10 yards away.
Mr Carter would stop by Broadway Stores around 9am every morning to pick up the paper, before stopping to chat with staff.
Cops were yesterday granted an extra 36 hours to question the 27-year Lewis-Ranwell who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murder in connection with the deaths of Mr Carter, his brother Roger and Anthony Payne.
All three sustained serious head injuries, detectives confirmed this afternoon.
Mr Payne, 80, was found dead on Monday afternoon – less than 24 hours before the bodies of the elderly twin brothers were discovered at their house a mile away.
Officers believe the killings in Exeter are linked due to the 'level of violence' and in a further twist, revealed they had 'specifically' visited nine address in the area to ensure the occupants were safe.
CCTV shows Dick Carter popping into his local newsagents in St Thomas, Exeter just 48 hours before his badly injured body was found in his home
Mr Carter would stop by the shop around 9am every morning to pick up the paper, before stopping to chat with staff
Lewis-Ranwell was being questioned last night after three pensioners were found brutally slaughtered in their homes. Pictured: Officers scour the Carter twins' house and garden
Members of Fire and Rescue erect a gazebo outside an address in Exeter today, where the body of a 80-year-old man was found
Mr Payne and twin victims Dick and Roger Carter, 84, were all reclusive bachelors.
Lewis-Ranwell remains in custody at Heavitree police station in Exeter.
During a hearing at Exeter Magistrates' Court on Thursday morning, officers were granted a further 36 hours of detention.
He can be held for a total of 96 hours before he is released or charged.
Sources close to the investigation said the suspect was 'volatile', 'not talking and refusing to leave his cell.'
Detectives said they were not 'actively' looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths, but locals were urged to check on elderly neighbours or relatives.
The ambulance service alerted police to Mr Payne's body at his terrace house in Bonhay Road at about 3pm on Monday.
And at 1pm the following day, officers went to the Carter brothers' detached home in Cowick Lane after their bodies had been found.
Police arrested the suspect hours later. It remains unclear when the men died.
Lianne Hill, who lives near the Carters, said her mother had seen a 'scruffy looking man carrying a tool bag' outside the elderly twins' home just hours before their bodies were discovered.
