Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Hearing set for tomorrow rescheduled
Monday, March 30, 2009
"Judgment Day for the Preacher"
"So what happened that caused new charges to file against Baker almost three years after the death of his wife?
Apparently, a friend of Baker’s, a young woman he was 'seeing' at the time of his wife’s death, convinced the grand jurors that there was more than meets the eye to Kari’s death, a death originally listed as a suicide." (read full story here)
Here is a link to Erin's first blog post about this case, dated 5-21-08.
"The Preacher's Wife"
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Words from Linda....
"Thank you for your honest sentiments, Kerrvillian, and for your feedback, Shannon.
Right now, I am so overwhelmed. I knew this day would come. I always knew. I know the evidence. Still, I am also so very sad. My precious granddaughters are the most tragic victims. I can’t begin to imagine the terror in their little hearts.
I am not going to say much more because I am searching for wisdom and forgiveness here. I regret any comments I made in the media after Matt’s arrest. I didn’t say much but I wish I hadn’t said anything. I don’t want to bring more pain for my granddaughters. I don’t want to bring additional pain to anyone. I do believe that when a person takes another life, that person should be held accountable. The system is working. As Shannon has posted, “justice delayed is still justice.”
I am praying for Matt and his family…for Vanessa and her family. I don’t write this with any pious generosity. This isn’t easy for me. In fact, it is an incredible struggle. I am such a flawed work in progress. I want so badly for my thoughts and actions to show that I seek the Lord in all I do. Mainly I fail. Thank goodness for His grace. I know it will shine on all who seek Him. For those who believe in the power of prayers, please lift up my granddaughters. Let them emerge from this to become whole and healthy adults. To justice. To healing.
Linda"
Please keep those prayers flowing over the coming months! If you would like to leave any words of strength, wisdom, peace, scripture or encouragement for Kari's family, feel free to leave your comments on this post. I'm sure they will be very uplifting and appreciated. Thank you all! ~ Shannon
Local man indicted in death of wife
Local man indicted in death of wife I think Conor Harrison did a much better job than previous Daily Times reporters. Just sayin'.
Again, the almost funny quote from Matt's attorney, Ellison, "He is innocent, and we look forward to our day in court so the truth will come out and put an end to all of this.” None of the long line of court-avoiding-then-quit-attorneys Matt has had wanted to go to court. The only ones that truly want the truth to come out are the ones that know Matt is guilty.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Matt heading to McLennan County...
Tommy Witherspoon - WacoTrib.com
"McLennan County deputies are in route back to Waco from Kerrville with former Baptist minister Matt Baker.
Sheriff Larry Lynch said deputies picked up Baker this afternoon from the Kerr County Jail and should have him back in McLennan County and booked into the county jail on Highway 6 tonight." (read more)
Matt Baker - Eyes for Lies
Matt Baker Indicted on Murder Charges
She has many of her postings in the last year or so about her thoughts on this case. Some very interesting ideas and she points out some great things.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Matt Surrenders to Kerr County Authorities
Matt Baker Surrenders to Authorities <---read full article by Tommy Witherspoon
"Former Central Texas Baptist minister Matt Baker, who was indicted on murder charges Wednesday in the April 2006 death of his wife, surrendered to Kerr County officials at 4 p.m. today.
Baker’s bond is set at $500,000 and officials say he is expected to remain in custody at least until his attorney can ask 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother to reduce his bond at a hearing Wednesday morning."
Vanessa - Powerful Testimony
Tommy Witherspoon - WacoTrib.com
Here is a snippet of today's article by Tommy about yesterday's testimony and indictment. Wow.
"On Wednesday, Long and Shafer escorted Bulls into the grand jury chambers, where she testified for about 30 minutes. That was after 54th State District Judge Matt Johnson granted her immunity from any legal repercussions that might come from her testimony, courthouse sources said."Whatever that woman had to say must have been HUGE......DAMNING, in fact. For both of them. It's all confidential right now. But like all the other evidence, will come out soon. Thank God that Vanessa told what she knew. It's certainly time.
Mommy! Mommy, Look!!!
Yesterday sure was a day for God's tangible and visible signs of His great promises!!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Indictment
THE STATE OF TEXAS
VS.
MATTHEW DEE BAKER
PRIMARY OFFENSE: MURDER
1st DEGREE FELONY
IN THE NAME AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
THE GRAND JURY, for the County of McLennan, State of Texas, duly selected, empaneled, sworn, charged and organized as such at the March Term, A.D., 2009, of the 54th Judicial District Court for said County, upon their oaths present in and to said Court at said term that MATT DEE BAKER, hereinafter styled Defendant, heretofore on or about the 7th day of April, A.D. 2006, and before the presentment of this indictment, in the County and State aforesaid, did then and there intentionally or knowingly case the death of an individual, namely, KARI LYNN BAKER, by administering drugs to her and suffocating her with a pillow and in a manner and means to the grand jury unknown,
.......AGAINST THE PEACE AND DIGNITY OF THE STATE.
Signed by the Grand Jury Foreman
Matt Baker INDICTED FOR MURDER!!
Grand jury hears testimony in case of pastor accused of killing wife - Tommy Witherspoon w/ WacoTrib.com
Pay special attention to the note at the top of the online article:
UPDATE: Matt Baker has been indicted by a McLennan County grand jury. We’ll have more this afternoon on WacoTrib.com and in Thursday’s Waco Tribune-Herald.
KXXV.com just updated their online article about the indictment:
Ex-pastor indicted for wife's murder
KWTX.com:
Former Waco Area Pastor Indicted for Murder
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Out of the mouths of babes...
"Kari’s dear friend, Jill, shared a sweet story with me yesterday. I thought I would share it with you. Jill took her son, Samuel, to Chik-fil-a last week. While they were there, Samuel was given a balloon. He told his mom, 'I know I am too old for balloons but I just love them.' Jill assured him that he wasn’t too old to love balloons. And then…..the balloon slipped out of Samuel’s hand and escaped into the air. As it floated high into the sky, Samuel said, 'That balloon is for Kari.'
Samuel loved Kari. And he still loves Kensi and Grace. He always called them 'his girls.' ”
So many people miss Kari's vibrant spirit and playful ways. So many.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Civil Trial Date - SET!
I called the 19th District Court office and spoke with Joy. She told me that the civil trial was set to begin on September 29th. She also indicated that this case had a "PRIORITY RATING." When I asked her what that meant she said that this case was taking priority over other ones and the date was set in stone....not to be wiggled out of once again by one of Matt's long line of court-avoiding lawyers.
So at least one form of justice will commence this September. I wonder if the criminal justice will come even before September? It's possible.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Cool....
Sharing an email I received last week from one of Kari's aunts.
Dear Shannon,
Justice for Kari is everywhere! We had a major media event at our church this weekend, the pilot of the plane that crashed in Buffalo, New York went to our church. A friend told me that while the media was covering this story my car with the "Justice for Kari bumper sticker" made national news. The reporter was standing right in front of my car and the bumper sticker was there for everyone to see.
You can't stop justice!
We are ready for it in 2009!Jennifer
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sharing a memory....
I have so many memories of growing up with Kari. Sunday afternoons, riding horses, watching dirty dancing, fighting for the same boys, sleepovers and staying up all night giggling. I’ll never forget making up a silly dance with Kari to “Ghostbusters” and putting on a show for Linda.
We lost contact in adulthood, but the deep core of who a person is never changes. She was beautiful, smart, loyal, optimistic and vibrant! She was a good friend.
The day my mother told me the news about Kari, I knew instantly there was no way Kari would ever take herself away from her family and children. No matter what, no matter how hard or difficult things may have been, I know Kari always found the bright side of life.
She was a bright shining star. I am so proud of the Dulin's for persevering and not giving up. Anyone who knew Kari knows better than to believe Mr. Baker's lies and deceit. I will pray for the family and count the days until justice is served.
Bless you, Shannon, for this blog and a giving people who love Kari a place to share our precious memories. I'm so grateful to have shared my childhood with Kari.
Carrie
Thursday, January 22, 2009
And in other news.....
Nothing gets past real-life human lie detector
Click here to read the Eyes for Lies Blog post on her blog about this case. There were a few, but this is the only one I quickly found a link for. She is so dead-on.
Eyes recent comment here, left under the post below this one:
I can tell you that I personally don't trust Matt. His emotions don't seem to match his words, and he wants everyone to believe he is the honest one while the rest of the world is lying, which is absolutely ridiculous. He wants everyone to believe the "world" is out to get him, the preacher. How ironic is that?
More than that, when someone wants you to believe they had strange things happen to them that are one-in-a-million odds, and these unrealistic odds continue to keep happening over and over again, it's a huge red flag that something isn't right. It likely means there is more to the story than what is evident, and Matt's situation is definitely one of these!
I worry about the children in his care right now. May the truth prevail and justice come swiftly!
Yes, Eyes.....there are so many red flags. Soon the Judge and jury will hear all about them.
God bless.
Shannon
Friday, December 26, 2008
A Recent Comment...
To friend in Dallas:
Matt has been losing jobs for many years. If mr. Baker (sorry. can't call him pastor) had such a great relationship at the church where he was a pastor in Dallas, why did his first (in a long line) attorneys threaten to sue that church (and I am betting this letter went to other churches too) if they gave out any information about him? Now you know why I won't leave my name here. This information isn't known by many but it can be confirmed. I was a member at that church.
He was fired at our church. First we reduced his salary to try and push him out. It was a painful experience with him. In fact, the only bright light in his time at our church WAS Kari. We loved her.It makes me so very sad for kensi and Grace. I knew them well and loved them through the children's programs. Kari loved matt and stood by him through the many problems he had at our church. Look how he repayed her. Pure evil resides in some people.Kari was a teacher at an elementary school in Richardson ISD, and she was loved. In fact, there is a brick in her memory there from Dallas friends. People were drawn to Kari. Matt never had that impact on people, In fact it was just the opposite.
To the people in Kerrville: be careful. he is not who he pretends to be. I know.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Yesterday's hearing for "Motion to Dismiss"
I found it completely fascinating to be in the courtroom yesterday to see and hear for myself the words, intentions and dynamics among the Judge, the Dulins' 2 attorneys and Matt's attorney.
Okay. Here is my layman's accounting of the 1.5 hour hearing yesterday: The purpose and intent of today's hearing was for the Judge to either grant or deny Baker's motion to dismiss the case. Well, apparently just yesterday Matt's attorney came up with something to throw a monkey wrench in the works and try to buy more time......and more time.......and more time. (Seriously, why doesn't Matt want to get all this truth out there and justify himself and prove his innocence? Why live in limbo year after year after year after year? Doesn't the "truth set you free"?) Ellison (Matt's attorney) e-filed his paperwork way too late and it wasn't in the Judge's possession yet. Not a good move. Everyone was irritated.
Long story short(ish) - Ellison decided that he wanted to challenge all of the Dulin's expert witnesses and testimony. Well, all but the computer expert witness. They challenge their qualifications. The paperwork and Ellison's own words today say something about that the experts aren't doctors. Since when are PhD's not doctors? These experts are well known, top-notch and extremely qualified. If Baker's attorney doesn't recognize these guys' names and extent of their qualifications, well, doesn't say much for his experience in these matters. But I'm thinking that he knows they are qualified and admissible and is just doing anything to delay this case from going to court.
Where the monkey wrench comes in is this: The purpose of this hearing was to either grant or deny Baker's motion to dismiss. That's what the Court was prepared to do. That's what the room of people were there to witness. Ellison brings up this expert witness crud at the last minute. But then he goes on to tell the Judge that he wants to discuss the expert witnesses now. But that's not the purpose of this hearing and you can't just change gears last second with no room for preparation like that. The Judge was brilliant enough to know what was going on. The Judge was prepared to give his finding. BUT if he did so BEFORE the expert witness wrench was cleared up, it would give Baker a HUGE reason to appeal after he's found guilty and the trial is over. Judge went into his chambers for about 30 minutes to research case law and whatnot on this. He HAD to come back without being able to grant/deny Baker's dismissal so things wouldn't get messy later and give Matt reason for appeal. It was a slimy, back-door, desperate act by Baker and Ellison, in my opinion, to delay this even longer.
If you remember one thing about this post, remember this: I would bet every Christmas present under my tree that Judge Strother was ready to deny the motion to dismiss.
Other than the talk of expert witnesses, 90% of the talk was about a continuance and trial dates. He was adamant before he signed the continuance that Ellison get with the Dulins' attorneys POST HASTE and work their schedules for a trial date. It was obvious he thinks this should and will go to trial. Ellison got his continuance granted because he's rather new to the case and needs more time to prepare. AND since he wants to depose and go through the expert witnesses ad nauseum, that will take a few more months. Convenient, eh? I guess if Baker has to pay for all these experts to fly in and take depositions, he'll be starting up new rounds of fundraising. The good people of Kerrville should know where their fundraising money is being spent. Wasted.....in order to delay. For some reason, the available trial dates are 3 months apart. It was set for April 6. The Judge asked Ellison if he could be ready by July 6. Guess what he said? Uh, no, I don't think I can. How about next Fall? Everyone's eyeballs just about popped out. They are going to push for July 6 but it very well could be October 6. Depends on future delay tactics.
Wrap-up: Very good long-term outcome feeling. I like Judge Strother. I think he's honest and on point. The only real bad thing about yesterday was more delays. Personally, I think it just gives more time for lies and contradictions from the defense....and more time for people to come forward with more information to help.
Justice delayed.....is still justice.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tardy Justice Indeed!
Letter to the editor in today's WacoTrib.com
DA failing in duties
This letter is in response to the article in the Trib on Dec. 13 regarding Matt Baker’s motion to have the wrongful death suit against him dismissed. Hogwash!
And on the criminal end, why has our esteemed district attorney, John Segrest, failed to move forward on the Kari Baker case? Has he bothered to examine the facts? Is the “good ol’ boy” club at work?
Since Kari’s death in April 2006, her family and their top-notch, highly reputable attorney and investigators have amassed reams of evidence. It points directly to Matt Baker. Clearly the police believe this. They, too, gathered enough evidence to have him arrested more than a year ago. Still I question why a family would have to resort to a wrongful death case in McLennan County. The DA’s office has had more than enough time to investigate this crime and bring it to a grand jury. It is time to stop making excuses.
Mr. Segrest, you were elected to seek justice in McLennan County by holding criminals accountable. Get to it.
Helen Nash Weathers
Waco
