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.
