Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Baker’s unfair breakI am astounded that charges against Matt Baker for the murder of his wife Kari Baker have been dropped. District Attorney John Segrest claims his decision was “an act based solely on the passage of time.”
So, are we to believe that the problem wasn’t lack of evidence — it was that they didn’t investigate? Never mind that the arrest affidavit and other media sources substantiate that Baker’s story is full of incongruencies. Who cares that the forensics evidence, stolen computer and Internet searches all add more suspicions surrounding this death?
The district attorney’s office must respond to crimes in a vigorous and timely manner. I am glad Kari’s kin have a civil option in this case. And it is fortunate there is no statute of limitations on murder.
We need a DA who fights for victims. I hope someone will run against Segrest when it’s time for re-election.
Stephanie Leblanc
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Letter to the Editor
Found this morning in the Letters to the Editor - WacoTrib.com:
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5 comments:
There will be two trials, both a civil and criminal. The civil will likely go first.
There are too many people fighting for the the truth. There will be justice.
They butchered my letter some; here is original:
I am astounded to see that the charges against Matt Baker for the murder of his wife Kari Baker were dropped. District Attorney John Segrest claims his decision to do so was “an act based solely on the passage of time.” So are we to believe that the problem wasn’t lack of evidence…it was that they didn’t investigate? Never mind that the arrest affidavit and other media sources substantiate that Baker’s own story surrounding his wife’s death is full of incongruencies; who cares that the forensics’ evidence, stolen computer, and Internet searches all add more suspicions surrounding this death.
I thought the mission of the District Attorney's Office is to see that justice is done by providing the highest quality legal representation for the public and individual victims of crime. It has been two years since the death (murder?) of Kari Baker and 6 months since Mr. Baker’s arrest. Has the McLennan County DA’s office met its mission in this case? I expected better. The Grand Jury should have heard this case by now.
The District Attorney’s office must respond to crimes in a vigorous and timely manner. I am glad the Dulin’s have a civil option in this case and it is fortunate that there is no statute of limitations on murder. We need a district attorney who fights for victims of crime. This is an elected office and I hope someone will run against Segrest when it is time for re-election.
SL,
I know first-hand how insanely aggravating it is to have your words chopped up to fit a pre-approved mold of what a given person/company/organization wants to project and have unfortunately seen/heard/read how so many others in this case have had the same done to them. I understand some editing for word count limits or length of letter/article or HUGE libelous problems. But when key portions are left out, when intent of the author is butchered, when agendas from the publishing sources show through, that is just wrong.
Feel free to express yourself here. There are comments that I sometimes don't let through for reasons I've gone over in previous posts....but it's pretty rare and I invite people to email me and ask me why or re-send it. But if I let them through, they are in their entirety as the author sent them and NEVER edited.
* I've not only had my intent changed but also cut mid-sentence or combined two sentences into run-on sentences making me look as if I made the errors. I do often use punctuation creatively because I write as I talk and it's an attempt to show inflection and importance of certain words and phrases. But geesh, if someone wants interviews or letters of opinion, they need to be more careful with what they receive.
::::stepping of soapbox now::::
I'm in Kerrville and one of my comments was highlighted in a post a few weeks ago. Well, I just spoke to someone who worked with Matt at Schreiner University and they do agree that the news articles seem to point to his guilt even though they admitted to me that they do not know what to think.
Maybe it is hard to imagine that someone you knew is capable of this sort of thing.
Many men murder their wives. I believe a lot of them get away with it. I believe a lot of them are very blatant about it. I also believe a lot of them think they are being very calculating and if the police and DA will just INVESTIGATE then they will find the truth. After all, the police are fond of saying that "criminals are stupid".
I deal with the police a lot in my job and they seem to have the attitude that all citizens think crime is like it is on TV. Well, that is a very condescending attitude when many of us deal with criminals and crime and the police all the time. I've called the cops many times and had them be totally condescending to me until they INVESTIGATED and then told me they were glad I called because there really was a severe problem. I've had cops ignore me and lie to me and treat me like an idiot. What they do not know is that I studied the law, including the Texas Penal Code, in college. That class was full of future cops and was taught by a former police officer. My dad was a police officer. I understand the law and it's not because I watch "CSI", which is total BS and not even close to real law or real forensics investigation.
I really hope the DA will bring the charges against Matt again once the new Grand Jury is re-instated. Has that happened yet?
Thanks for your encouragement and also helping us understand a little bit more about how law enforcement works, Kelly. I have heard from reliable sources that the DA’s office continues to talk to experts, witnesses, and other “people of interest.” It sounds like you know this much better than I do, but a crime of this magnitude takes months to prepare. The DA’s office has said they don’t want to take the case to the grand jury until it is pretty close to being ready for trial. I don’t know how it is done in other counties, but that is the way our DA’s office works in McLennan County. You are right, the process is nothing like television portrays it. It can get frustrating to wait so long, especially when there are two little girls who may be in various dangers. However, as long as good people will not give up, the truth will eventually be revealed...and justice will be the end result.
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