Former Baptist pastor Matt Baker was sentenced Jan. 21 to 65 years in prison for murdering his wife by drugging her and smothering her with a pillow while their two daughters slept in a nearby bedroom.
A jury in Waco, Texas, found Baker, a graduate of Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary who worked as a pastor at several Baptist churches in central Texas, guilty of murder in the death of his wife, Kari, in April 2006.
Authorities originally ruled the death a suicide by sleeping pills. But, after being convinced by Kari Baker’s parents to reopen the investigation, her body was exhumed for an autopsy and authorities changed the cause of death to “undetermined.”
During the trial, prosecutors said they had evidence of at least 13 women who claimed Baker made improper sexual advances toward them between 1991 and 2006. Vanessa Bulls, who allegedly was Baker’s mistress, testified against him at a grand jury in exchange for immunity. Bulls, who was going through a divorce at the time, said Baker seduced her under the guise of counseling her.
According to a March 2008 Texas Monthly cover story, Baker was accused of sexual misconduct several times early in his career, but supervisors believed his story that he was innocent and allowed him to move on without warning future employers about the allegations.
Lora Mueller, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, testified during the penalty phase of the trial that Baker tried to sexually assault her while both worked as assistant athletic trainers for Baylor University in 1991. Mueller said she reported the attack to Baylor officials, but nobody would believe her. After that Baker received an internship at First Baptist Church, Waco, where he was accused of grabbing a female custodian in a bathroom and telling her he wanted to have sex. Because church leaders did not have any concrete evidence, they did not fire him or report him to the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
Baker was fired in January 1996 from a job at the Waco Family YMCA after allegedly groping a female counselor. That fall he was admitted to seminary, where he began the first of five pastorates that ended when Crossroads Baptist Church, Lorena, fired him after learning about his reputation in 2006.
Baker, 38, is not eligible for parole until 2042. He plans to appeal his conviction. (ABP)
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