(Editor's Note: This story was revised Sunday, April 5, to correct and clarify an earlier version published April 3.)
Matt Baker was booked under arrest March 26.
|
WACO, Texas (ABP) — A former pastor of Baptist churches in Texas was indicted March 25 on a charge that he murdered his wife three years ago.
A McLennan County grand jury alleged that Matt Dee Baker, 37, "intentionally or knowingly" caused the death of 31-year-old Kari Lynn Baker in April 2006. He allegedly administered drugs to her and suffocated her with a pillow at their home in Waco, Texas, while their two daughters slept down the hall.
Kari Baker's death was originally ruled a suicide by sleeping pill overdose, attributed to depression brought on by never coming to terms with the death of her infant daughter from a brain tumor seven years earlier. The cause of death was later changed to "undetermined" after her family convinced police to doubt the suicide story.
Matt Baker was arrested in September 2007 and served two months in jail before being bonded out after a judge reduced his bond from $400,000 to $200,000.
He moved to Kerrville, Texas, his hometown, where he lived with his daughters before turning himself in to police March 26.
Kari Baker's parents, James and Linda Dulin, who filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Matt Baker, don't believe their daughter was depressed. They suspect Matt was seeing a 24-year-old single mother at his church and intended to marry her.
Matt Baker talked openly about the case, spawning a media circus featuring sensational headlines like "Did this Baptist preacher kill his wife?" on network news programs including ABC's "20/20" and "48 Hours" on CBS.
Baker denies killing his wife. He claims he and the alleged mistress were just friends, and that reports that he gave her his wife's cell phone and that they were seen shopping for jewelry together were misconstrued.
Baker is now being held in lieu of $500,000 bond in Waco, after being transferred from Kerrville to the McLennan County Jail March 27.
Baker's lawyer told the Waco Tribune-Herald the bond amount was "absurd" and said his client is not a flight risk. He said he was "shocked and disappointed" by the indictment and believed it was politically motivated by family pressure.
Blog author laid flowers on Kari Baker's grave before snapping this photo of her headstone. (Photo courtesty of 'Don't Even Get Me Started' blog)
|
At the time of his wife's death, Baker was bivocational pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church, a 75-member congregation in Lorena, Texas, while working as a chaplain at a psychiatric treatment center for youth. By the time of his arrest he had left the church and was working as Baptist Student Ministries director at Schreiner University in a part-time position funded by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and as a substitute teacher in Kerrville.
He grew up as the son of house parents at a group foster home for Buckner Baptist Benevolences. He was baptized at age 6 into membership of Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville, felt the call to preach his sophomore year in high school and headed off to study for the ministry at Baylor University. He graduated from Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary in 2000.
A Texas Monthly cover story in March 2008 also portrayed a darker side of Baker, revealing serial accusations of sexual assault and sexual harassment dating back to his Baylor years. Each time employers believed his side of the story, however, and he continued to move up the ladder.
Police never explained why it took so long after reopening the investigation to make an arrest, but a hearing in the civil trial produced evidence of a botched investigation, leading to speculation that Baker might never stand trial.
Grand juries are secret proceedings, so only those in the courtroom know what convinced members to hand down the indictment, but prosecutors did produce a star witness, a woman named Vanessa Bulls, Baker's rumored mistress. Local media said she was in the grand jury chamber for about 30 minutes, reportedly with immunity from prosecution for anything that might come out in her testimony.
Prosecutors declined to comment on what she had to say, citing confidentiality rules that govern grand jury proceedings.
Linda Dulin said she was "overwhelmed" by the indictment. "I knew this day would come. I always knew. I know the evidence," Dulin said on a blog.
'Justice for Kari' bumper stickers are showing up on car bumpers as far away as France. (Photo courtesy of 'Don't Even Get Me Started' blog)
|
The blog was begun by Shannon Gamble, a mother who used to pick up her children at the school where Kari Baker taught. It chronicles the case from the beginning and also displays several photos of cars displaying "Justice for Kari" bumper stickers submitted from around the country. Gamble told Associated Baptist Press she and other supporters have sent out more than 500 stickers to cities around Texas and other states, and even received one photo of a sticker on a car in France.
Support also runs strong for Matt Baker, however. Friends and neighbors held bake sales and took out second mortgages to raise his bail the first time he was placed under arrest. His attorney, Richard Ellison, told the Waco Tribune-Herald he didn't know if his client could raise $500,000 bond and he planned to schedule a bond-reduction hearing as soon as possible.
After numerous delays, the wrongful-death lawsuit had finally been scheduled for trial Sept. 29 with a rating for high priority. Authorities said the criminal case would take precedent over the civil trial, however, signaling further delay.
-30-
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.