Wednesday, August 8, 2012

This just in......

Kathryn Casey will be doing a book signing for Deadly Little Secrets: The Minister, His Mistress and a Heartless Texas Murder on Wednesday, August 22, at 7:30 PM at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Waco.


Meet Kathryn, get your book signed and come visit!

See you there.

Directions and Store Info

Monday, August 6, 2012

Deadly Little Secrets

The book by best-selling, true-crime author Kathryn Casey based on our case has finally hit the shelves.   



I pre-ordered it and had it on my Kindle ready to read when I woke up August 31st.  Dove right in and could not put it down until I was completely finished.  Wow.  Kathryn sure had her work cut out for her and man, did she rise to the occasion.  She was meticulous.  Fully researched. Very thorough. I appreciate very much how she held Hewitt PD accountable for their egregious errors and detailed just how much they wanted this case to simply disappear un-investigated, one might guess in order to cover up those errors forever.  I knew former Hewitt Police Chief Barton was more than non-helpful, but this book gets into the nitty-gritty of how absolutely profane he was in his treatment of the Dulins.  That was a surprise to me.  Truly appalling.   I also did not know the true depth of the private/political issues former DA Segrest had with one of the Dulin’s civil attorneys, Bill Johnston.  Shameful behavior.  I do certainly appreciate Justice of the Peace Billy Martin’s inquest into Kari’s death and for changing the death certificate from “Suicide” to “Undetermined.”  That made a HUGE difference in things moving forward.  But I just don’t know that I’ll ever get past the fact that he ruled a healthy, vibrant 31-year old wife and mother’s shocking death a suicide over the phone without any inkling of a desire to see the scene and circumstances for himself.   You can imagine how differently things could have been had he done so.

Enough of the dregs of this saga, let’s show our appreciation and applaud the heros in this Justice for Kari journey.  Thank you Ret. Texas Ranger, Matt Cawthon!  Thank you for truly listening to the Dulins early on and your discernment of the evidence coming to light and being a champion for truth and for Kari.  Thank you Bill Johnston and Darren Obenoskey for your years of dedication, hard work and genius legal work!  Thank you private investigators John Bennett and Mike McNamara for everything.  Simply everything.  Your dogged determination and relentless investigative pursuits found the evidence and witnesses that showed exactly who Matt Baker really was and the things he had done to cover his crimes.  Thank you to the District Attorney’s Investigator, Abdon Rodriguez, for being a “human lie detector” and for staying strong with Vanessa Bulls and getting her confessions and testimony before the Grand Jury and at Matt’s murder trial.  Thank you Assistant District Attorneys Crawford Long and Susan Shafer for….well….everything.  Thank you for listening.  Thank you for investigating.  Thank you for staying the course.  Thank you for the times it seemed to take so long because you were wanting to be doubly sure of everything and how to time things.  Thank you for the times you moved quickly when things were sure-shot.  Thank you for your heart.  Thank you for presenting the massive amount of evidence is such a way as to secure Matt’s murder conviction from the jurors.  Ultimately, thank you to the citizens of McLennan County that comprised the jury in Matt’s murder trial.  Thank you for your patience, your astute attention and integrity throughout the trial and even afterwards.  I so appreciate that through all above mentioned people, Matt’s deeds were uncovered and he was shown for the evil murderer he is.

Now, moving on the custody investigation and trial.   Many, many more thanks and kudos to the team that secured the girls’ ultimate safety and best interests.  Thank you to attorneys Darren Obenoskey from Waco and Pat Maguire from Kerrville.  You guys were an amazing team….each bringing your specific focus and legal talents to the courtroom.  A world of thanks to Kerrville private investigator, Gina Frenzel, for her dedication to finding the truth behind the scenes in the Baker household….past and present.  The results of her investigations showed in great detail and without a doubt that the girls needed to be with the Dulins and not kept in their current arrangement with Matt’s parents.  Thank you, also, to the citizens of Kerr County that sat on the jury for the custody case in Kerrville and took in all the facts and made the absolute right decision.  Know that the girls are doing amazingly well….beyond all expectations.  Know you did the right thing, no doubt.

Huge thanks going out to all the many, many supporters of Justice for Kari.   Your prayers, your involvement, your presence (both in body and in spirit)  made all the difference for everyone involved!

I did talk to Linda after we both read the book.  She told me she read it….and wept. However, she says that they will not live in that place and time.  While Kari will always be with them, they are focused on raising her daughters; it’s what Kari would want! They do not wish the girls to read this book at this time in their lives….wanting them to focus on growing up in the present and in living their lives to the fullest.  When they are adults and the professionals believe they are ready, Jim and Linda will have copies for them.  She feels that Kathryn did a wonderful job of providing a gripping story that unfolds the truth in an honest but sensitive manner.  She and Jim believe that this may eventually be a book that will help their granddaughters fully understand what happened to their mother, who their father is, and how the darkness of his own growing up years may have helped make him into the man he became (without excusing what he did). In the end, the Dulins want Kensi and Grace to know they don’t have to choose between families.  They want their granddaughters to know they SHOULD love their dad and the Baker family.  However, healthy love is not blind love or filled with lies.  The truth may be exactly what sets these precious girls free….when the time is right.

Tying this all up, there are lessons to be learned:
*   Listen to your gut and your instincts!
*   Hold law enforcement accountable.  Do not be bullied by badges when you know something is wrong!


If after reading the book you have any questions or want to start any discussions, please feel free to comment below.   I’ll see if Kathryn can stop by from time to time, too.  

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Message from Linda

Linda sent me this precious email this morning and asked me to post it on the blog.  I know so many of the prayer warriors they've been blessed with over these many years want to know how she, Jim, Kensi and Grace are doing with their new, busy, blessed lives.  So here you go:

Shannon,

Thank you for being Kari’s voice during this journey (almost 6 years!). I remember so clearly reading your blog for the first time. I didn’t know you---I didn’t understand why someone who wasn’t connected to my family seemed to be so absolutely convinced that the story of Kari’s death was a flat lie---THEN I READ:

"Remind me to tell you about the time........We were both worried about Bro's TAKS test stuff. We both knew he could do it....but were worried about his motivation to get through it as he should. Did I mention that she loved my boy? We worked together and worked together getting him ready. Literally. Worked. Together.

One day after the reading TAKS results had just gotten in and letters had been written to the parents but not mailed yet.....she was sooooooo excited to share with me that she knew Bro had not only passed, but passed WELL.......I was in the lunchroom with other parents that went in to pick up their kidlets and make eye contact with their teachers and try to keep up with the pulse of things. I saw Bro's class come out of the hallway. THEN.....I saw Mrs. Baker see me. She had a piece of paper in her hand. We made eye contact and she "lit up." Then............she skipped across the lunchroom to me. She didn't walk. She didn't glide. She didn't stand there with other teachers and just wave to me. She. Skipped. With that giant "Kari Baker" smile. She loved my boy and she loved and taught him so well he rocked that freakin' TAKS test. She was beaming. I was beaming watching her beam over my son. Now....right now...I'm a cross between beaming at the memory, crying that she's not here, and anger.....and now a bit of relief."

And I knew immediately. You knew my child. You knew who Kari was. You knew her heart….her spirit….her essence….how deeply she loved…..and you knew the truth. You didn’t know the details/the specifics (none of us did at this time). BUT YOU KNEW KARI. I wept….tears of joy. I could see my precious child skipping towards you. And this was the beginning of our friendship and our journey together. I am so grateful.

Thank you for being such an integral part of our quest for justice----no, so much more---Thank you for helping us bring Kensi and Grace home. This was our ultimate goal. We had to bring our granddaughters, Kari’s daughters, back to the place/family/people where they would receive the love and HEALING they needed. We are a family….with all it entails. : )  Jim and I praise and thank God daily. He has shown us such grace and love---He carried us, put so many incredible people in our lives, and allowed events to transpire that I believe were miraculous.



We still have so much to do. Jim and I are raising our two precious granddaughters. We steeled ourselves for a rough transition…. but it didn’t happen. Yep, another blessing. The girls have been getting the help they need. They have made wonderful friends, are involved in school, church, service/volunteering, and much more. We are future oriented. Jim and I promised God and each other that we would be vessels for love and healing. We do not make negative comments about Matt or any of the Bakers. No matter who they are or what they have done, the girls love them. We hope that someday they can love their father and accept the truth about what he did to their mother …but they will need to get the facts in the right environment and in the right time. Ultimately, that is all out of our hands. We focus on loving and sharing our lives. Wow! I still can’t get over this incredible blessing~

Shannon, you have become my sister/friend for life. “Thank you” sounds so inadequate. You are such an incredible gift. The next leg of our journey is going to be so exciting. Through your blog, I made new friends who have become dear to me….so many others reached out and supported us. It is overwhelming to think about all of the kindness people showed. I hope they know how much they meant to us, especially in those uncertain times. They held us up!

I love you, Shannon!

Linda (most often called “grammy” in these times )

Love you, too, Sister Friend.  What an incredibly strong, Christian example you have been to me.....and so many others.  Kensi and Grace are so very blessed to have you and Jim to continue to raise them in such Christian love and faithfulness.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

The time is near.....

Alright, everyone. The next two weeks will bring the culmination of what we all have been praying for this last year and a half........giant steps towards healing for Kensi and Grace. For the Dulins, this has never been about winning or "getting the girls." It has always been about having their granddaughters live in a healthy environment where they are safe to love all of their family, including their father. It is about truth, love and healing.

Tuesday, July 5th will start off with jury selection. I'm guessing that will take most of that day, maybe even run into Wednesday morning some. Not sure. So the actual trial should start July 6th, Wednesday, sometime and run through the beginning to middle of next week. I will be there the entire time but I will not be able to put anything on the blog during the trial. I will share what I can after the trial is over and I am back home. However, I do believe that the WacoTrib.com will have some coverage. If any of you see/read/hear news reports and want to share them here, just leave a link in the comments on this post for others to check out.

Most of all.........please continue (and increase) your prayers for the Dulin family and Kensi and Grace. Pray for the Judge and jury. Pray for the attorneys and witnesses. Pray God's will be done. Amen.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Appeal: DENIED!!

10th Court of Appeals rejects Matt Baker appeal
WacoTrib.com

"Waco's 10th Court of Appeals Thursday rejected former minister Matt Baker's appeal of his murder conviction for killing his wife, Kari, at their Hewitt home in 2006 and staging the scene to look like suicide."  (read more)

Appeals Court Affirms Murder Conviction Of Ex-Waco Pastor Matt Baker
KWTX.com - Channel 10

"WACO (June 9, 2011)—Waco’s 10th Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction of former Waco pastor Matt Baker, who was sentenced to 65 years in prison in 2010 for the 2006 murder of his wife Kari Lynn, whom prosecutors said he drugged, handcuffed to a bed under the guise of amorous play, and then suffocated with a pillow."  (read more)

Convicted killer loses appeal in 2006 murder
KXXV.com - Channel 25
"WACO - Convicted killer Matt Baker has lost an appeal in the murder of his wife in 2006. Wednesday, the 10th Court of Appeals in Waco confirmed the former minister's conviction." (read more)

You can read the entire 10th Court of Appeals' Memorandum Opinion here.  Good reading.

NOW are his 10 minutes up?

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Go forth and BID!!!!!

Help the Dulins bring their granddaughters back home.

Let love and healing be the final act in this terrible tragedy.

Love Trumps Evil!

Alrighty, the time has come..........  The Dulin Fans Online Auction is open and ready for YOU to go forth and find the goodies and services that are waiting on YOU!!  There is a wide range of items/services to choose from.  Got $5.00 to spend?  We got stuff for $5.00.  Got $100.00 to spend?  We got things for $100.00.   Got money burning a hole in your pocket?  We can help with that, too!   And remember, every penny raised in this online auction will go to help Jim and Linda Dulin bring their granddaughters home and work on healing for everyone.

THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!

The home page for the online auction:  Dulin Fans Online Auction
If you want to see all the items in one list:  Auction List

You've got 48 hours!   Well, 47 1/2 hours.  Better get to bidding..........




Wednesday, May 18, 2011

KCENTV- Channel 6 News Story

Thank you KCEN (Channel 6) and Ashley Goudeau for taking such an interest in the DulinFans Online Auction!  You've helped reached thousands of potential bidders!

Friends of Jim and Linda Dulin raising money for custody battle
Ashley Goudeau
KCENTV.com

Linda Reichenbach and Shannon Gamble are staying busy. Businesses and people around the world have donated a hodge podge of items to them for an online auction they're organizing. 

"We have small items, $5 in value, $3 in value all the way up to a Rolex watch which was donated for $1,500," Linda says.

One of Shannon's favorites is a red, white and blue baseball cap. "This was from West Lake Monogram in Hewitt. And they created these hats custom made, we have six that will be auctioned off separately that say 'I helped Kari's kids.'"
I haven't seen the 6:00 PM news yet and am waiting for the 10:00 PM news story.  I tried to brag on all the wonderful local businesses that donated things and I hope that those comments make the 10:00 story.

Thank you all, businesses and private donors.  It's continuously so amazing, yet not unfathomable in "God terms," how many people are working, praying, giving and helping more of "Love Trumps Evil."

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

6 Monogrammed hats from West Lake Monogram

Are these awesome or what!?!
West Lake Monogram in Woodway, TX is donating 6 of these hats specially made for the Dulin Fans Online Auction coming up THIS weekend.  These are fantastic!  Get your bidding fingers ready!!  He is also donating a new Game Guard BCB-240 cooler bag and will embroider a name on it.  Very cool!

Thanks, Dennis!!!

Check out all the fabulous donations at www.dulinfans.com!!  Click on the DulinFans Auction link at the top of the Home page to see pictures and descriptions of the donations so far. 

It's not too late to donate!  Email dulinfans@gmail.com with your donations.  THANKS!

Friday, May 6, 2011

New Donations!!


CHECK OUT THE NEW DONATIONS!!! 

Thanks everyone!  Keep 'em coming!  Time is getting close.  Website should be live SOON!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Today's Waco Tribune Herald article.....

Tommy Witherspoon
Tribune-Herald staff writer

Wish I could place the whole article here because it's very good.  And I must add (for those of you that don't get the physical paper) that this story is placed as the top headline story on the Local & Texas section.  Excellent positioning!  This is going to bring much more attention to our online auction and help get the word out to all of Central Texas (and beyond) in a BIG WAY!  Here's a couple of snippets:
Since Kari Baker’s death, family and friends have united behind the Dulins and are doing so again with an online auction to raise funds for legal expenses and, they hope, to fund the girls’ therapy if the Dulins prevail in the custody trial.

Linda Reichenbach and Shannon Gamble, friends of the Dulins, are organizing the online auction and are soliciting donations through Twitter, Facebook, emails, going door-to-door and on Gamble’s Internet blog, “Don’t Even Get Me Started,” a tribute to Kari Baker’s memory that she has kept for several years.

Reichenbach, a computer instructor at McLennan Community College, and her students will create a website on which the auction will be conducted and the auction items displayed. (read more)

And when Tommy asked why I keep doing what I can for continued justice in this case:
‘Just not done yet’

Gamble met Kari Baker when her son, Brody, was in Baker’s third-grade class.


“We are putting this together because it is just not done yet,” Gamble said. “We have part one done, which is justice with Matt being convicted and bringing back Kari’s memory in a better way. Part two is saving her girls. I don’t feel like they are in a safe place. She would have kept fighting until her girls were safe and if I can help do that, I am going to do that, too.”  (read more)

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Waco Tribune Herald

Be sure and check out the Waco Tribune Herald tomorrow (Sunday, May 1) for Tommy Witherspoon's article about the Dulin Fans Online Auction!  I know most of you can't view it online, though.  But I'll let you know all about it.  ;)