Former Waco-area pastor indicted on murder charge in wife's death ~ Texas

[Kathy]

Former Waco-area pastor indicted on murder charge in wife's death
Thursday, March 26, 2009

By Tommy Witherspoon


    
 Authorities allege that Kari Baker's
 death in April 2006 was caused by
 an overdose of sleeping pills and
 being smothered with a pillow.

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Linda Dulin cried tears of joy Wednesday, saying she is one day closer to fulfilling a vow she made after the death of her daughter, Kari Baker.

Dulin’s excitement was evident after hearing the news that a McLennan County grand jury indicted her 37-year-old former son-in-law, Matt Baker, on murder charges in Kari Baker’s April 2006 death at their Hewitt home as their two daughters slept down the hall.

“I knew this day was coming,” she said. “I knew it was. Now, I want Matt to pay for murdering my daughter, and I want to rescue my granddaughters. That was my last promise to my daughter, and that is that I would save her daughters.”

Dulin and her husband, James, never believed Baker’s account of how their daughter died, claiming in a wrongful death lawsuit set for trial in September that Baker, a former Baptist minister at several Central Texas churches, slipped his wife an overdose of sleeping pills, smothered her with a pillow and then made her death appear a suicide.

They prodded Hewitt police to reopen the investigation, exhumed their daughter’s body for an autopsy and kept pressing for answers.

    
 Matt Baker was indicted
 Wednesday on murder charges
 in his wife's 2006 death.
 His bond was set at $500,000.

The indictment against Baker alleges that he killed his 31-year-old wife by “administering drugs to her and suffocating her with a pillow.”

Baker, who has since moved to Kerrville with his two daughters, has said in numerous media interviews that he did not kill his wife. He has said that his wife committed suicide because she remained despondent over the death of a daughter in 1998 from cancer.

Baker’s murder case has been assigned to 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother’s court. Strother set a post-indictment bond of $500,000 for Baker on Wednesday.

Baker’s attorney, Richard Ellison, said he isn’t sure if Baker will be able to post a $500,000 bond, saying he will schedule a bond-reduction hearing as quickly as he can. He said he was unsure whether Baker will surrender to McLennan County officials or try to make arrangements to post bond in Kerrville. After Baker’s arrest in December 2007, a family friend from Kerrville posted a $200,000 cash bond to secure his release.

“We are shocked and disappointed,” Ellison said when told of Baker’s indictment. “I think this is politically motivated. It is all caused by family pressure. He is innocent, and we look forward to our day in court so the truth will come out and put an end to all of this.”

Ellison called the bond amount “absurd” and said that Baker is no flight risk and is not going anywhere.

Prosecutors Crawford Long and Susan Shafer presented Baker’s case, including one witness, Vanessa Bulls, to the grand jury. They declined comment after the indictment was issued, citing confidentiality rules that govern grand jury proceedings. District Attorney John Segrest also declined comment.

“The state of Texas does its talking in the courtroom, not in the media,” Segrest said.

It was not clear Wednesday when Baker’s criminal trial will be held. However, Segrest said the criminal case will take precedence over the civil wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the Dulins, which is set for trial Sept. 28 in 19th State District Court.

Kari Baker’s family and friends have denied that she was depressed, saying the young teacher was looking forward to starting a new job at a new school. Officials have said she told at least one friend and her counselor that she thought her husband was having an affair and that she feared he would kill her after she found crushed pills in his briefcase.

Baker, who also was chaplain at the Waco Center for Youth, conducted research on Web sites relating to sleeping pills and overdoses, police officials charged in records filed in the case.


    
 Vanessa Bulls emerges from the
 grand jury chambers after her testimony
 Wednesday about her relationship with
 Matt Baker. Witnesses have told authorities
 that Baker and Bulls were seen looking at
 engagement rings within days of Kari Baker's death.
 (Jerry Larson photo)

Woman called to testify

Authorities say Baker was pursuing a romantic relationship with Bulls, a former member at Crossroads Baptist Church, where he once preached. Baker has denied any romantic intentions toward Bulls, saying they were just friends.

On Wednesday, Long and Shafer escorted Bulls into the grand jury chambers, where she testified for about 30 minutes. That was after 54th State District Judge Matt Johnson granted her immunity from any legal repercussions that might come from her testimony, courthouse sources said.

Bulls was accompanied to the courthouse by Belton attorney Bruce Burleson, who waited outside the grand jury chambers. Burleson also declined comment.

Baker reportedly gave Bulls his wife’s cell phone after her death, officials have said. Baker’s phone records show he called Bulls dozens of times between January and April 2006.

Witnesses have told authorities that Baker and Bulls were seen looking at engagement rings at a jewelry store in Richland Mall in Waco within days of Kari Baker’s death.

Baker told the Tribune-Herald that he and Bulls were looking for earrings for his daughters at the store.

  More Matt Baker coverage

    * 03-26-09  Former Waco-area pastor indicted on murder charge in wife's death
    * 12-19-08  Wrongful death lawsuit against former Central Texas minister Baker pushed back
    * 12-13-08  Former Central Texas minister Matt Baker seeks dismissal of wrongful death suit because of lack of evidence
    * 07-26-08  Former minister Baker's attorney seeks delay in start of civil suit trial
    * 05-10-08  Matt Baker soliciting funds for civil suit battle over wife's death
    * 03-26-08  DA: Evidence lacking so far in Matt Baker murder case
    * 03-21-08  Ex-minister wants bond back in arrest on murder charges in wife's death
    * 03-21-08  Lawsuit refiled against former Central Texas pastor in his wife's death
    * 12-08-07  Matt Baker says rumor, innuendo fuel murder charge against him
    * 12-08-07  Arrest warrant affidavit for Matt Baker
    * 10-26-07  Former minister Baker out after 3 weeks in jail
    * 10-24-07  Former minister Baker's release expected soon
    * 10-23-07  Bond reduced for man accused of killing schoolteacher wife in 2006
    * 10-19-07  Matt Baker gets high-profile legal help battling murder charge
    * 10-16-07  Couple drops civil suit in daughter's death, bets on criminal case
    * 10-03-07  Bond doubles for former local minister arrested in his wife's killing
    * 10-02-07  Former Baptist minister arrested in his wife's death moved to McLennan County Jail
    * 09-25-07  Former pastor Matt Baker still in jail on $200,000 bond
    * 09-22-07  Former local pastor arrested in wife's 2006 death
    * 09-21-07  Read the complete arrest warrant for Matt Baker
    * 09-19-07  Cause of Hewitt teacher's death ruled 'undetermined'
    * 08-30-07  Suicide or homicide? Rare inquest held into Hewitt teacher's death
    * 08-22-07  Judge sets inquest into Hewitt teacher's 2006 death
    * 03-09-07  Couple who sued in their daughter's death get more visits with their grandchildren
    * 01-11-07  Judge divides up records in wrongful death suit
    * 01-09-07  Judge considers request to quash subpoenas for records in wrongful death lawsuit
    * 09-09-06  Autopsy on Hewitt teacher inconclusive
    * 08-20-06  Teacher's body exhumed as Hewitt police reopen death investigation

Related

    * The 54th District Court's indictment (PDF)

twitherspoon@wacotrib.com

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/03/26/03262009wacmattbakergj.html

[Kathy]

Prosecution takes aim at timeline in Matt Baker murder case

By Erin Quinn Tribune-Herald staff writer

Sunday, January 10, 2010

The timeline given to officials by former pastor Matt Baker about his wife’s death will be debated at Baker’s murder trial, scheduled for this week in Waco’s 19th State District Court.

A key question is exactly how long Hewitt teacher Kari Baker had been dead when her husband called 9-1-1 — a pivotal issue as prosecutors attack his version of events on the night of April 7, 2006.

Their job, however, will likely be hampered by the fact that 31-year-old Kari’s death was originally ruled a suicide. It was only at the insistence of the woman’s family and friends that her body was exhumed and autopsied three months after her funeral.

In a not-before-reported transcript from the August 2007 inquest hearing held in Justice of the Peace Billy Martin’s courtroom, Texas Ranger Matt Cawthon said the investigation was mishandled from the start.

“This investigation was handled poorly in the beginning by the police,” Cawthon testified. “Had we been able to gather forensic evidence in a more timely fashion, this may have been different.

“. . . Now, we have to go back and we have to build this investigation block-by-block with evidence that is largely circumstantial.”

Cawthon, however, then testified that a conviction is not “insurmountable” because Matt Baker had plenty of motive to kill his wife. The state has called 97 witnesses. Testimony is expected to begin Wednesday in Judge Ralph Strother’s courtroom.

Prosecutors say the 38-year-old former youth chaplain poisoned his wife of 12 years with sleeping pills, smothered her with a pillow and typed a suicide note explaining that his wife wanted to be with her middle daughter, who had died seven years earlier.

Baker said his wife was dead in the 45 minutes it took him to rent a movie and gas up the car between 11:15 p.m. and midnight. A crime scene expert hired by Kari Baker’s parents, however, said that crime scene photos show that lividity — the pooling of blood in the body — had set in, which he says, would have been impossible during that time frame.

“There’s medical testimony that . . . would show that there is no way that the timetable he gave for what happened that evening could have taken place,” said Hewitt police detective Benjamin Toombs, who also testified in the inquest hearing.

Officials later investigated Internet searches performed by Baker and statements Kari Baker made to friends and a counselor, in addition to questioning Baker’s motives and behavior. Key dates in the case include:


March 2006 — According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by Hewitt police and Texas Ranger Matt Cawthon, computer records show that Matt Baker began to search Web sites specializing in drug overdoses and prescription drugs. He searched for Ambien, which toxicology reports stated was in his wife’s system when she died, and ran a search for “overdose by sleeping pill.” Matt Baker told the Tribune-Herald in 2007 that was doing online research because he was concerned his wife was taking too many sleeping pills at night.

Monday, April 3, 2006 — Kari Baker reportedly found a bottle of crushed pills in her husband’s briefcase. According to the affidavit, Matt Baker told his wife that children at the Waco Center for Youth sometimes spit out their medicine, and that’s where the pills came from. The center has a strict medication policy, and Baker was not there when the students took their pills, the records state. Baker reportedly told Hewitt police that the pills were his wife’s and that she must have hidden them in his briefcase.

Tuesday, April 4, 2006 — Kari reportedly told her counselor, Joanne Bristol, that she found crushed-up pills in her husband’s briefcase and thought he was going to kill her. Authorities say she also told Bristol that she thought her husband was having an affair.

Friday, April 7, 2006

* Morning — Kari had a job interview for a reading-teacher position at Midway Middle School. Matt Baker told the Tribune-Herald that after the interview, she called him and told him that she was going to Wal-Mart to get something that she told him was personal. At some point she called her mother, Linda Dulin, and told her the job interview went well and that she was hopeful.

* Afternoon — Matt Baker told the Tribune-Herald that Kari drank a fuzzy-navel wine cooler before they went to the Waco Family Y for a swimming lesson for their oldest daughter, Kensi. Matt Baker said his wife threw up at the pool’s restroom and again when they got home. According to the affidavit, witnesses at the pool did not see Kari acting unusual or sick.

* Evening — Matt Baker told the Tribune-Herald that the family picked up McDonald’s for dinner on the way home from the pool. He said that his wife didn’t have much an appetite. He said that after the children were asleep, the couple had a wine cooler.

* Night — Matt Baker told police that his wife asked him at 11:15 p.m. to gas up the car, get some M&Ms and rent their special movie, When a Man Loves a Woman, he told the Tribune-Herald.

April 8, 2006 — Matt Baker told authorities that when he arrived back home at midnight, the bedroom door was locked. He knocked, and after his wife did not respond, he picked the lock open with a screwdriver, he said. Matt Baker said his wife was lying on the bed, naked. Matt Baker told the Tribune-Herald that he called 9-1-1 while dressing her, explaining that he knew his wife would not have wanted paramedics to see her naked. Investigators said a bottle of Unisom, an over-the-counter sleep aid, and an unsigned, typewritten suicide note were on a table next to the bed.

Early April 8, 2006 — Justice of the Peace Billy Martin rules Kari’s death a suicide after consulting with the Hewitt police. No autopsy is ordered.

Middle of April 2006 — An employee of Kay Jewelers in Richland Mall sees Matt Baker in the store with his two children and an infant in a child carrier with a tall, blonde woman, Cawthon testified in court. The employee, who told Cawthon she recognized Baker from church, said the couple was shopping for an engagement ring. Cawthon said he thinks the woman was Vanessa Bulls, with whom Cawthon says Matt Baker had an affair from February to July 2006. Baker told the Tribune-Herald that he was in the store to look at earrings for his two daughters. He said he was not there with Bulls.

July 10, 2006 — At the request of Kari Baker’s parents and Hewitt police, Martin orders Kari’s body exhumed for autopsy.

July 31, 2006 — Kari Baker’s parents, James and Linda Dulin, file a wrongful death lawsuit against Matt Baker, alleging he killed their daughter.

August, 29, 2007 — Martin conducts an inquest hearing into Kari Baker’s death. In the hearing, Texas Ranger Matt Cawthon testifies that Hewitt police initially mishandled the investigation and that any evidence gathered is largely circumstantial. Still, Cawthon said he thinks Matt Baker had plenty of motive.

Sept. 18, 2007 — Martin changes his ruling in the death from “suicide” to “undetermined,” matching the autopsy results.

Sept. 21, 2007 — Matt Baker is arrested in Kerrville in his connection with wife’s death. He was working as a teacher at Kerrville Tivy High School and living with the couple’s two daughters.

  Recent coverage

    * 01-10-10  Prosecution takes aim at timeline in Matt Baker murder case
    * 01-09-10  Matt Baker's attorneys request change of venue in murder trial
    * 01-06-10  Prosecutors allege former Central Texas pastor killed wife, made multiple advances toward other women
    * 12-31-09  Judge denies request by Matt Baker's attorneys to let them withdraw from case
    * 12-27-09  Baker trial approaches: 97 witnesses subpoenaed; defense lawyer wants information about alleged girlfriend's deal to testify
    * 09-04-09  Murder trial for former Baptist minister Matt Baker pushed back to January
    * 08-29-09  Picking Central Texas jurors for trials of pastors can be 2-edged sword
    * 05-20-09  Prosecutors subpoena Matt Baker's school records, preparing for murder trial
    * 05-15-09  Former Waco-area pastor changes attorney defending him in his wife's death
    * 04-25-09  Judge orders Matt Baker to submit DNA; rejects request for grand jury records

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2010/01/10/01102010wacbakeradvance.html



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[Kathy]

Texas murder suspect searched 'overdose' online


    
  Former Baptist minister Matt Baker,
  accused the 2006 death of his wife Kari,
  waits in 19th District Courtroom during
  his trial in Waco, Texas, Wednesday,
  Jan. 13, 2010.
  (AP Photo/Waco Tribune-Herald, Duane A. Laverty)

By ANGELA K. BROWN
The Associated Press
Thursday, January 14, 2010; 8:24 PM

WACO, Texas -- In the month before his wife died, a minister in Texas tried to buy a prescription sleeping aid online and conducted an Internet search for "overdose on sleeping pills," computer experts testified Thursday in his murder trial.

Neal Kersh, a computer forensics examiner, testified that he examined data from Matt Baker's church-owned laptop and was able to retrieve information from a computer server at a youth center where Baker worked. Baker's computer went missing two months after Kari's death.

Kersh said Baker sent e-mails just before and after those 2006 Internet searches and site visits, indicating he - not anyone else - was at the computer looking at the pharmaceutical sites and online pharmacies.

Baker is accused of killing his wife Kari, whose death initially was ruled a suicide. A near-empty bottle of over-the-counter sleeping pills and typed suicide note were found by her body, and Baker said she had been depressed.

A month before his wife's death in April 2006, Baker looked at six Web sites on the same day and did a Google search using the words "overdose on sleeping pills," Kersh testified. Baker looked at a dozen more sites on three other days in March, and looked at 11 more just three days before her death, Kersh said.

Mark E. Henry, the CEO of an online pharmacy, testified that Baker started to buy a 50-count bottle of the prescription sleep aid Ambien but stopped the order.

Henry, who said he examined records from his database to determine the activity from Baker's computer, said numerous customers in 2006 stopped their orders because at the time, the company's delivery could take 10 days and there was no way to track an order.
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Ambien was one of three drugs found in Kari Baker's body, but the amount in her system or when it was ingested could not be determined because the autopsy was performed three months after her death and her body had been embalmed, two doctors involved in her autopsy testified earlier.

The autopsy listed her death as undetermined.

Kersh and Henry said Baker did not buy Ambien that day in March. But Kersh testified that he did not have Baker's youth center computer, where the hard drive would have stored deleted e-mails and Internet searches, so it was impossible to say whether Baker ever bought anything from an online pharmacy.

Defense attorney Guy James Gray told Kersh that Baker's credit cards showed no such purchases and that Baker looked at the sites because he was worried about his depressed wife.

Kersh said he also retrieved an e-mail to Baker in June 2006 from a resort employee "regarding your honeymoon in Fiji" and congratulating him on his engagement. Kersh said he retrieved a photo taken two weeks after Kari's death, showing five children, Baker and another woman - apparently taken at his daughter's birthday party.

Earlier Thursday, two people who had known the Bakers from church testified that they attended the party and saw that all of Kari's pictures were gone from the home - and that they had been replaced with ones of another woman.

Todd Monsey, who worked in some churches where Baker had been a pastor, said he noticed that Kari's closet was almost empty. He said that when he asked about it, Baker told him that it was best for his grieving daughters "not to be reminded so much" of their mother.

His sister Jennifer Monsey testified that she left the party after seeing the woman's head in Matt Baker's lap as his daughters and other girls watched a movie.

"It just didn't seem right," Jennifer Monsey testified. "There were pictures of (the woman) and her kids where there had been pictures of Kari."

Earlier, prosecutors played part of a videotaped deposition and some clips from news programs where Matt Baker discussed his wife's death. He told "48 Hours" that "I never thought in a million years my wife would do this."

In one interview, he said his wife was awake before he left about 11:10 p.m. to get gas and rent a movie. In another interview, he said she was asleep.

He called 911 about midnight to report finding his wife dead with a suicide note nearby.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/14/AR2010011402962.html