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1:15

loved Matt from the

1:17

very beginning and he seemed

1:19

to adore her. There were

1:22

times when it was very

1:24

difficult being the wife of

1:26

a pastor, but Kerry was

1:29

very good at it. I'm

1:31

Kerry's mother, I'm Linda Doolin.

1:33

More than anything, Kerry loved

1:35

her girls, loved them. I

1:38

think she was a very

1:40

loving, caring person. family was

1:42

first for her, but I

1:45

also know now Cassidy consumed

1:47

her. The loss of Cassidy

1:49

consumed her thoughts. After Cassidy

1:52

passed away, she couldn't go to

1:54

sleep, she could not go to

1:56

sleep, and so she started taking

1:58

sleeping pills. I never saw it

2:01

as suicidal. I saw it more

2:03

as she's hurting, she's missing her

2:05

daughter. It was right at 12

2:07

o'clock by the time I made it home.

2:09

I had that eerie feeling when I

2:11

walked in the room that something's

2:14

not right here. I don't think

2:16

my wife is okay. And I go

2:18

to her side and I touch her

2:20

and she doesn't move. She doesn't respond.

2:23

And I call out her name and

2:25

there's no response. And I immediately pick

2:27

up the phone. and call 911. It

2:29

was 911, you have an emergency? My wife is

2:31

laying in the bed and her lips are blue. There was

2:33

no pulse, there was nothing, I'm on the phone. Is she

2:35

conscious? No, she's not. No, no, no, no, she's not breathing

2:37

at all. So I was gone maybe 40 minutes, and during

2:39

that time, I don't know what happened to her. The police

2:41

officer brings me the note. I read the first line, and I

2:43

handed it back, because I can't read it, because I can't read

2:45

it, I can't read it, because I can't read it, I can't

2:47

read it, because I can't read it, I can't read it, because

2:50

I can't read it, I can't read it, because I can't read

2:52

it, because I can't read it, I can't read it, because I

2:54

can't read it, I can't read it, I can't read it, because

2:56

I can't read it, I can't read it, I

2:58

can't read, tells us that Kerry committed

3:00

suicide. I'm thinking how can that be?

3:02

I talked to her and she was

3:04

just in a really good mood. I

3:06

never thought in a million years that

3:08

my wife would do this. I wanted

3:11

to spend the rest of my

3:13

life with her. She was my

3:15

best friend. I found it unbelievable,

3:17

but I accepted it. I mean,

3:19

what was the alternative? My name

3:21

is Matt Baker, and I have

3:23

been accused of murdering my wife.

3:31

I'm Aaron Moriarty, the

3:33

preacher's wife. I

4:00

know if she was sitting here

4:02

she would look at you and say

4:04

he didn't do anything. Leave him

4:06

alone. But she can't. Ever

4:08

since Matt Baker's wife died

4:10

suddenly at the age of

4:13

31, the Baptist preacher has

4:15

lived under a cloud of

4:17

suspicion. Is he an innocent

4:19

man unfairly accused as his

4:21

followers and friends believe? Or

4:23

is he hiding a terrible

4:25

dark secret? And your name

4:27

would pray? Amen. It's so

4:29

improbable. It's not who I

4:31

am. I loved my wife.

4:33

I never heard her a day

4:35

in my life. Kerry was a

4:38

popular third grade teacher. She and

4:40

Matt had been together since meeting

4:42

his counselors at a Baptist day

4:44

camp in Waco in 1994. I

4:46

would have been 23 and she was

4:48

20. I met her and I thought

4:51

this is the person for me. That

4:53

was her senior picture in high school.

4:55

And she's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah,

4:57

she is. Linda and Jim

5:00

Doolin remember their daughter was

5:02

instantly smitten with the Baylor

5:04

University senior. The thing she kept

5:06

talking about was, Mom, this guy's

5:08

a really good Christian. Just three

5:11

months after meeting, Matt and

5:13

Kerry suddenly announced they were getting

5:16

married. Did you like him? My

5:18

daughter loved him and I saw

5:20

him through her eyes. By

5:22

their first anniversary, Kerry was pregnant

5:24

with daughter Kenzi. She was so

5:27

excited. She really was a terrific

5:29

mom. A second daughter Cassidy

5:31

followed a year and a half later.

5:34

She loved her girls, you know, you

5:36

know how you feel. There are no

5:38

words. But right after Cassidy's

5:40

first birthday, doctors discovered

5:42

a brain tumor and

5:45

she was hospitalized. There'd

5:49

be days that it looked really

5:51

good, prognosis was good, and then

5:53

turned around and went right back downhill.

5:55

How to carry deal with that? Oh

5:57

my gosh. She

6:01

was just there with her

6:03

baby. Just did not leave

6:05

her. In late February 1999,

6:07

after a 90-day bedside vigil,

6:09

Cassidy was well enough to

6:11

go home. I always assumed

6:13

that she would pull through

6:16

this and fight through this.

6:18

But just after midnight on

6:20

March 22, Cassidy was rushed

6:22

to the emergency room. This

6:24

time, doctors couldn't save her.

6:29

to sit there and struggle that

6:31

far, to come what I thought

6:33

was so far, to watch or

6:36

die. You know, that was, that

6:38

was devastating. It really was

6:40

a very hard, hard thing

6:43

to cope with. Especially for

6:45

Kerry. How hard did she

6:48

take that death? Oh, it

6:50

incredibly hard. She lost her

6:52

child and she grieved hard.

6:58

A grief counselor helped Kerry get through

7:00

the first year, and in 2000,

7:02

a third daughter Grace was born.

7:04

But Matt says, his wife was never

7:06

the same. I don't think it

7:08

was a split second. All of

7:10

a sudden, she was completely different.

7:12

It was a gradual changing of

7:14

the person. She had almost two

7:16

personalities in a way. Not negative,

7:19

but when she went to work, she

7:21

had the ability to put issues behind

7:23

her and focus on work. And the

7:26

other personality? The other personality was a

7:28

little bit more withdrawn at home. The

7:30

way Matt tells it, he became Mr.

7:33

Mom to Kenzi and Grace. So I

7:35

typically gave them their bath, washed their

7:37

hair, get them dressed, put them to

7:39

bed, sing them their songs, and read

7:42

them their books. And from the

7:44

time Cassidy died, Matt says,

7:46

Kerry relied on pills to

7:48

sleep. What kind of sleeping

7:50

pills? What would you say?

7:52

Unisom? An over-the-the-counter sleep medication.

7:54

But Matt says sometimes she

7:56

borrowed something stronger from family

7:58

and friends. I'm sure what the

8:01

names would be, other sleeping pills, just

8:03

to help her sleep, help her get

8:05

a good night's sleep. And the toughest

8:07

time for Kerry was always

8:10

the March anniversary of Cassidy's

8:12

death. It was always two or three

8:14

weeks leading up to it. It's coming, it's

8:16

coming, I can't do this, I can't

8:18

make it another year, I can't do

8:20

this again. In April 2006, seven

8:23

years after Cassidy died, Matt

8:25

says Kerry was still struggling with

8:27

the loss. So he took her

8:30

to the doctor. who diagnosed

8:32

her as depressed and prescribed an

8:34

antidepressant. And about that time,

8:36

my wife started almost hyperventilating

8:39

again in the office. Didn't

8:41

like him saying anything about depression.

8:43

She would never agree that that

8:46

could be a problem. As they

8:48

left the clinic and headed onto

8:50

the highway, Matt says Kerry had

8:53

a meltdown. And I'm at about 45,

8:55

50 miles an hour and she is

8:57

hyperventilating and she attempts to open the

8:59

car door as we're driving down the road.

9:02

Why? She said she needed to get out,

9:04

get some air, to get some air, to

9:06

get some air. He says he grabbed hold

9:08

of her waistband until he could pull off

9:10

the highway. Did you feel that those

9:12

actions indicated that she was trying

9:14

to kill herself? I didn't think

9:16

suicide. I thought she just wanted

9:18

fresh air and wasn't thinking. She lost

9:20

it for a second for a second.

9:23

Later that week on Friday,

9:25

April 7th, Kerry had a crucial

9:27

interview for a new job at

9:29

the junior high. What was her

9:32

mood like? Her mood that day

9:34

was nervous. And after the interview,

9:37

Matt says, Kerry didn't feel well.

9:39

She wasn't laying over like this.

9:41

It was just tired. I'm tired. I

9:44

mean, just kind of... Exhausted. That evening,

9:46

despite a queasy stomach, Matt says Kerry

9:48

drank a wine cooler. She went to

9:51

bed, and often on dozing, often on

9:53

watching TV, I'm in bed with her,

9:55

taking care of the kids. At 1030

9:58

with the kids in bed, Matt... Matt

10:00

says Kerry asked him to gas up

10:02

the car and rent a movie. And

10:04

I thought, it's late, all right, but I'll

10:06

do it, you know, if your wife asks,

10:08

you do with your wife asks. And

10:10

so I got dressed and left the

10:13

house a little after 11 o'clock.

10:15

Oh, it's probably about two miles

10:17

to the first gas station that

10:19

I could fill up at. And got out,

10:21

pumped the gas, went up to the

10:24

movie place, rented the movie, and

10:26

rented the movie, and drove back

10:28

home. And so I go in and get

10:30

the little screwdriver that can

10:32

fit in there and I pop the

10:35

button, open the door, she was naked

10:37

in bed. And I call her name

10:39

and she doesn't respond. At 1201 AM,

10:41

he called for help. And as

10:44

I'm calling 911, I'm deciding I

10:46

don't want them to see her

10:48

naked, so I put her clothes

10:50

on her. Matt says, at the

10:52

same time he was on the

10:54

phone, he was also moving carried

10:56

to the floor, where he began

10:58

CPR. She's not breathing. What had

11:00

happened to her? Paramedics arrived within

11:03

minutes, but it was too late.

11:05

Kerry was dead. Police found

11:07

an empty bottle of unison

11:09

next to a note. I'm so sorry,

11:11

it read. I love you, Matt. I want

11:13

to give Cassidy a hug. I

11:16

need to feel her again. It was

11:18

all the evidence the small town police

11:20

needed. The detective that night

11:22

pulled me into the kitchen.

11:24

He goes, well, she took

11:27

her own life. There's a

11:29

note, there's pills, there's no

11:31

signs of struggle. It's pretty

11:33

obvious what happened. And

11:35

that point my heart sunk.

11:38

I couldn't believe it. That

11:40

was the first time for sure.

11:42

That's what they claimed it to

11:44

be. We were truly in shock.

11:46

It was almost like we were

11:48

in a trance. And... All I

11:50

kept thinking about, all Jim kept thinking

11:53

about was that we didn't have a

11:55

daughter, our daughter was gone. The county

11:57

doesn't have a medical exam.

11:59

So police just described the

12:02

case over the phone

12:04

to a justice of

12:06

the peace, who determined

12:08

that Kerry Baker died

12:10

from an overdose of unison.

12:13

No autopsy needed. Two

12:15

days later, she was buried.

12:18

And that might have been

12:20

the end of this story,

12:22

if not for a group

12:25

of tenacious women. We wanted

12:27

to clear Kerry's name. Matt

12:29

was going around talking about

12:31

what a depressed, suicidal person

12:33

she was. We knew she

12:36

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Today at Green light.com/Spotify Spotify. She

13:22

was just a very

13:24

alive person all the

13:26

time. And those girls,

13:29

she had them going.

13:31

You really miss her,

13:33

don't you, Jim? As out

13:35

of character, as

13:38

suicide seemed, Kerry

13:40

Baker's parents,

13:42

Jim and Linda Doolin,

13:44

say they had no

13:46

choice but to believe

13:48

it. We kept trying

13:51

to convince ourselves what other

13:53

alternative was there. The idea

13:55

that Matt could have taken her

13:58

life was more horrible. But

14:00

that's exactly what

14:02

Linda's family thinks.

14:04

He killed her. Linda's

14:07

sisters, Nancy, Kay,

14:09

and Jennifer, and niece

14:11

Lindsay. I immediately

14:14

thought Matt did it. You

14:16

believe that. Oh yeah, with

14:18

all my heart. Kerry loved

14:20

her life. She loved her

14:23

family. She would never

14:25

have left those girls.

14:27

From the start they try to

14:29

convince Linda that Kerry's death needed

14:31

to be investigated

14:33

She said drop it and we

14:36

all just said okay, okay, and

14:38

then we all walked out together

14:40

to the cars and we said

14:42

that's not happening He could always

14:44

say she called but no Linda's

14:47

younger sister Nancy says Matt's story

14:49

about Kerry's last day simply didn't

14:51

match anyone else's He had said

14:53

that day Kerry was sick You

14:56

don't believe that? No, people

14:58

that saw her said she wasn't.

15:00

And would a sick, tired Carrie asked

15:02

Matt to put gas in the

15:05

car and rent a movie. That

15:07

makes sense? No, at 11

15:09

o'clock. And they certainly don't

15:11

believe that if Carrie did

15:13

commit suicide that she would

15:15

ever be found in the

15:17

nude. Nothing seemed to make

15:19

sense. not even the choice

15:21

of the sleeping aid Unisom.

15:24

She actually took a generic

15:26

brand. She called it a

15:28

sleepy time pill. They also say

15:30

that Kerry's unhappiness in the

15:32

last weeks of her life

15:35

wasn't about Cassidy. According

15:37

to her former grief

15:39

counselor, Kerry was worried

15:41

about herself. And she said,

15:43

I saw Kerry in therapy.

15:46

She was afraid that her

15:48

husband was having an affair

15:50

and afraid that he was

15:52

trying to kill her. That was

15:55

just three days before

15:57

Kerry died. And there's

15:59

more. Linda's sisters began sharing

16:02

secrets they had kept from

16:04

her all these years. I

16:06

didn't realize that no one

16:08

in the family had liked

16:10

to. They began to tell

16:12

Linda about Matt's odd and

16:14

even borish behavior. He had

16:17

come up behind my daughter

16:19

and made some just really

16:21

inappropriate sexual comment to

16:23

her. There were several

16:25

unsettling incidents. Like in

16:28

1996, when Kerry lived

16:30

with Matt in this

16:32

complex, D.N. Avelo says the

16:34

preacher tried to pick up her

16:36

16-year-old daughter. He asked her, have

16:39

you ever been kissed by a

16:41

boy? She said yes, and he

16:43

just suddenly grabbed her and kissed

16:46

her right on the lips. At

16:48

one church youth center, Matt was

16:50

warned about his behavior with young

16:53

women. He never seemed to stay

16:55

long at any job. Every time

16:57

he'd moved from a job, I

17:00

would think he did something

17:02

to someone. And there

17:04

was this woman. Laura

17:06

Wilson met Matt in 1991.

17:08

Top of the first one.

17:10

When they were both student

17:12

athletic trainers at Baylor

17:15

University. One day

17:17

she says they were cleaning an

17:19

empty locker room when he suddenly

17:22

grabbed her. He lifts me up

17:24

off the floor. And he sits

17:26

on one of the benches with

17:29

me on his lap. And that's

17:31

when he begins running his

17:33

hand up my thigh and

17:35

between my legs. Matt denies

17:37

ever touching Laura. Instead, he

17:40

says he inadvertently scared her

17:42

that day by turning out

17:44

the lights. Did you ever assault

17:46

or harass any of these women?

17:49

I did not. And none. None. So

17:51

if these women say you did.

17:53

They are lying. Correct. I

17:56

wanted Matt to be okay.

17:58

I wanted him. to be

18:00

a good man. But it didn't add

18:02

up. Nothing adds up. Linda

18:04

finally began to see Matt

18:06

through her sister's eyes. But

18:09

persuading the local police to

18:11

reopen the investigation into Kerry's

18:13

death was going to be

18:16

far more difficult. They didn't

18:18

do their job and they

18:20

didn't take us serious. And I

18:23

don't think we were asking them

18:25

to believe. that Kerry was

18:27

murdered, we just wanted

18:29

an investigation. The police had

18:31

concluded that Kerry committed suicide.

18:34

Only a few photographs were

18:36

taken at the scene. The

18:38

only evidence collected was the

18:40

unison bottle, the remaining pills,

18:42

and the type suicide note.

18:44

Why do you think the

18:46

police were so willing to accept

18:48

this as a suicide immediately? He's

18:51

a pastor. He's a preacher. So

18:53

what did you all do? We began

18:55

an investigation. All

18:57

of you. Yes. Calling

18:59

themselves Charlie's angels. Linda was

19:02

Charlie and we were

19:04

the angels. They began making

19:06

phone calls. Did you

19:08

talk to Kay or Jennifer?

19:11

Following every lead. And

19:13

retracing Matt's movements, the night

19:15

Kerry died. We weren't going

19:18

to give up. Somebody

19:20

was going to listen

19:22

to us. Their biggest

19:24

discovery came unexpectedly. When

19:26

Linda took a look at

19:29

Matt and Kerry's cell phone

19:31

records. And before I opened it

19:33

up, I just said a

19:35

little prayer and I just said,

19:37

okay, God, help me out here. I

19:39

said, give me a sign. And I

19:42

opened up the phone bell and oh

19:44

my gosh. The record showed

19:46

10 days after Kerry died.

19:48

Someone began using her cell

19:51

phone. And who was using

19:53

it? Vanessa Bowles. Mad had

19:55

given it to Vanessa. Vanessa

19:58

Bowles, a young... who attended

20:00

Matt's church. Weren't you talking

20:02

a lot to this young woman? We

20:05

often did. We did. We did often

20:07

talk. And weren't you interested in her?

20:09

I never thought of a relationship with

20:12

her at all. That never was anything

20:14

in the back of my mind. But

20:16

phone records show almost 1,700 minutes of

20:19

calls between Matt and Vanessa in just

20:21

10 days. Jim had highlighted on

20:23

there and looked like he got

20:25

on the phone as soon as

20:27

he took the girls to school

20:29

and stayed on the phone with her

20:31

most of the day. It was crazy.

20:34

I needed a friend. I needed

20:36

somebody to look me in the

20:38

face and say, I'm sorry, you lost

20:40

your wife. But the record

20:42

show, Matt began calling Vanessa

20:44

before Carrie died. Did you

20:47

have an affair with Vanessa?

20:49

No, no, I did not.

20:51

There was never any relationship

20:54

at all other than a

20:56

friendship. Vanessa told the police

20:58

they did begin dating, but

21:00

only after Kerry's death. This

21:03

is a man who has

21:05

a very, very dark evil

21:07

side. He was praying on

21:09

other women. And then finally

21:11

he found one who? It looked

21:14

like something might go somewhere

21:16

with. And I believe Kerry

21:18

was in the way. Armed

21:25

with a possible motive, Linda

21:27

hired Bill Johnston, a dogged former

21:29

federal prosecutor, and his team

21:31

of investigators. All of a

21:33

sudden, all the shock I'd been

21:36

feeling, all this numbness, it was

21:38

just like it just washed

21:40

right off of me. And

21:42

I thought, okay, Linda, we're

21:44

going to find out what's going

21:46

on here. And after that, we

21:48

went into battle mode. Three

22:05

months after Kerry Baker was

22:08

laid to rest her parents

22:10

had her body removed from

22:12

the grave and autopsied What

22:15

made you decide to? Exume

22:17

your daughter's body that had

22:19

to be a tough decision,

22:21

wasn't it? Oh Yes, because

22:23

we needed that information

22:26

Linda Doolham was

22:28

determined to find out how

22:30

her daughter died although the

22:32

authorities ruled it a suicide

22:35

She suspected the map Baker

22:37

was responsible. He's indicated he'll talk

22:39

to anyone and it'd be nice if

22:41

he'd talk to us too. Sure.

22:43

Attorney Bill Johnston and his investigators

22:45

found much of the evidence troubling.

22:48

We never heard of a type of

22:50

suicide note, at least that needed a

22:52

signature. And on the table next to

22:54

the note were pens. Rather convenient, you

22:56

know, if someone wanted to sign it.

22:59

They found more disturbing evidence in

23:01

the computer network that serves the

23:03

entire youth center where Matt worked

23:06

as a chaplain. One month before

23:08

Kerry died, he began conducting online

23:10

searches for overdose on sleeping pills

23:12

and on the prescription drug Ambien,

23:14

even though Kerry didn't have a

23:17

prescription for that drug. Matt's explanation?

23:19

It scared me that she was

23:21

taking that much sleeping medicine to

23:23

get to sleep at night. It

23:25

took a lot to wake her

23:28

up in the morning sometimes. But

23:30

if you were concerned, when you mentioned

23:32

it to her doctor? At that point,

23:34

I didn't think it was necessary to

23:36

tell the doctor because I thought she

23:38

was getting it under control. When

23:40

investigators asked to examine

23:43

Matt's actual computer that was

23:45

on his desk, they discovered...

23:47

It wasn't his. Sometime in

23:50

mid-June, when the search for

23:52

evidence got underway, someone had

23:54

replaced Matt's desktop computer with

23:57

his secretaries. And Matt's had

23:59

vanished. And why would anyone want

24:01

to take that computer? I have no

24:03

clue. I don't know why. Was there

24:05

something on that computer you didn't want

24:07

anyone to see? Oh, no. There's, I

24:09

mean, absolutely not. Investigators also have

24:12

no idea whether there was anything

24:14

incriminating on Matt's home computer. Matt

24:16

says the hard drive crashed and

24:19

is no longer working. It's just

24:21

a coincidence that the hard drive

24:23

on your home computer is fried,

24:26

and the computer from work disappeared

24:28

disappeared. Just a coincidence? Computers

24:30

crash all the time. The more

24:33

Bill Johnston heard, the more he

24:35

was convinced that Linda Doolin's

24:37

doubts about her son-in-law might

24:39

be right. There's more to

24:41

this guy than just some guy

24:43

that's preaching on Sunday. There's so

24:46

dark side here. Do you believe

24:48

Matt Baker is a dangerous man?

24:50

Oh, sure. You bet. He's dangerous.

24:52

Johnson believes that because when

24:54

Kerry told her grief counselor

24:56

that she thought Matt was

24:58

trying to kill her, Kerry

25:00

confided that she found a

25:02

mysterious bottle of crushed pills

25:04

in Matt's briefcase. He gave

25:07

her a story. Oh, that's from the

25:09

kids at the center. The kids

25:11

don't take their meds and they

25:13

spit them out. That must be what

25:15

that is. Matt told 48 hours, a

25:17

very different story. He said there were

25:19

pills. But they were carries and had

25:21

never been in his briefcase. She comes

25:23

out with a bottle of pills and

25:25

she looks at me and she says,

25:27

I found these in there. Was that

25:29

bottle of crushed pills in your briefcase?

25:31

I don't know where she found it.

25:33

I never had it. I never saw

25:35

it before. She had it in her

25:37

hands. And the pills are now gone.

25:39

You know what Matt says. Matt says

25:41

she threw out the crushed pills. That

25:43

Matt offered to have them tested and

25:46

she put them down the sink down

25:48

the sink down the sink. There

25:50

you go. The only person that

25:52

could refute it is not here.

25:55

I take it you don't believe it.

25:57

Not for a second. No. As

25:59

John... and suspicions mounted.

26:01

He convinced his friend, Texas

26:04

Ranger Matt Cawthon, to look

26:06

at the case. Cawthon too

26:08

suspected foul play and became

26:11

frustrated by the faulty police

26:13

investigation. What kind of evidence

26:15

should have been taken in that

26:17

night? There was a computer

26:20

printer there. There were

26:22

bottles of alcohol there.

26:24

And of course, an

26:26

autopsy would have been

26:28

a tremendous assistance to

26:30

the investigation, but it

26:32

wasn't ordered. How much

26:34

pressure did you have to put

26:36

on the Hua Police Department to

26:39

take a new look at

26:41

this case? It was considerable

26:43

pressure. done three months after

26:46

her body was embommed and

26:48

buried, finally came in, and

26:50

still no proof of how

26:52

Kerry died. No remnants of

26:54

pills were found in Kerry's

26:57

stomach, but there was evidence

26:59

of Ambien in her muscle

27:01

tissue, the same sleeping drug

27:03

Matt research on the internet.

27:06

Bill Johnston points to the

27:08

photos, taking the night Kerry

27:10

died, which showed discoloration around

27:12

Kerry's nose and lips. An

27:14

indication, he says, she

27:16

may have been suffocated.

27:18

There is a slight abrasion to

27:21

her nose, consistent

27:23

with a rough pillow or

27:25

some object that maybe has

27:27

fibers that scrape across. The

27:29

court is of the opinion.

27:31

There are enough questions that

27:34

18 months after Kerry Baker

27:36

died. The justice of the

27:38

peace declared her death was

27:41

no longer classified as

27:43

suicide. shall be recorded

27:45

as undetermined. The police

27:47

now had a possible

27:49

homicide on their hands.

27:51

On September 21st, 2007,

27:53

the former pastor was

27:56

arrested and charged with

27:58

murder. I guess the

28:00

foolishness in my part was,

28:02

if you never do anything wrong,

28:04

you won't get arrested. Matt

28:06

posted bond and returned home

28:09

to his daughters. And I'm just

28:11

waiting for the day that I

28:13

can grieve with my children, the

28:15

loss of my wife and their

28:18

mother. He says he is the

28:20

victim of insidious innuendo and

28:22

wild speculation. No. No.

28:24

Have you been able to get

28:26

work? Not after the arrest. Not

28:28

after the arrest. And Matt has

28:30

found a powerful ally. I think

28:33

Matt Baker is being railroaded.

28:35

Like Bill Johnston, Guy

28:37

James Gray was once

28:39

a high-profile prosecutor. The more

28:42

that I know about Matt, the less

28:44

I believe that he is the

28:46

type to take somebody's life. Gray

28:48

says Kerry's despair is spelled

28:51

out in her own heartbreaking entries

28:53

she wrote in her Bible after

28:55

her daughter died or died or

28:58

died. This paragraph is about how

29:00

good heaven is. And then she

29:02

writes out beside it, I want

29:04

to go with Cassidy. Gray also

29:06

says he can explain some of

29:08

the seemingly incriminating circumstances. What

29:11

about the brazen on the

29:13

nose and possibly on our

29:15

lip? Well, the first thing

29:17

the emergency people did when

29:19

they got there was put one

29:22

of these artificial CPR deals over

29:24

her mouth. But Bill Johnson says

29:26

that the abrasion had to

29:29

have been left there before

29:31

Kerry died and that Matt

29:33

is the one who caused

29:35

it. According to Johnson, the

29:38

most damaging evidence comes from

29:40

Matt Baker himself. People did

29:42

say she was very upset with

29:45

you. Imagine

29:49

if you could ask someone anything

29:51

you wanted about their finances. How

29:53

much do you make? Who paid

29:55

for that fancy dinner? What did

29:58

your house actually cost? on

30:00

every episode of what we spend,

30:02

a different guest opens up their

30:04

wallets, opens up their lives, really,

30:06

and tells us all about their

30:08

finances. For one week, they tell

30:10

us everything they spend their money

30:12

on. My son slammed like six

30:14

dollars for the blueberries and five

30:16

minutes. This is a podcast about

30:19

all the ways money comes into

30:21

our lives and then leaves again,

30:24

which of course we all have

30:26

a lot of feelings about. I

30:28

want to have a child, but

30:31

this morning I really wanted a

30:33

coffee. Because whatever you are buying

30:35

or not buying or saving or

30:38

spending, at the end of the

30:40

day, money is always about more

30:42

than your balance. I'm Courtney Harrell,

30:45

and this is what we

30:47

spend. Listen to and follow

30:49

what we spend, an Odyssey

30:52

original podcast, available

30:55

now wherever you

30:57

get your podcasts. and I

31:00

have to be the fall guy for

31:02

it. facing murder charges in Waco,

31:04

Matt Baker retreated to his

31:07

childhood home in Kerrville, Texas,

31:09

where his old friends were

31:11

outraged at the accusations. I

31:13

thought that he was the least likely

31:16

to be charged with murder. Matt

31:18

is a sweet, loving, caring,

31:20

tender-hearted person. It just is

31:22

inconsistent with his character. That's

31:25

also how Jill Hott's Kerry

31:27

Baker's close friend once felt

31:29

about Matt. He was a

31:32

good friend. I mean he taught

31:34

my son to tie his shoes. But

31:36

today she no longer believes in

31:38

Matt nor the story he tells

31:40

about Kerry. And I know she

31:42

didn't take her own life. Someone

31:44

with that kind of a zest

31:46

for life, that kind of fight

31:48

for life, she's not going to

31:50

take her own life and she

31:53

didn't do that. Why does Jill

31:55

suspect Matt? Because of a conversation

31:57

she had with Kerry just days

31:59

before. her death. She was very

32:01

very upset. And when you

32:03

say upset, crying? Crying extremely

32:05

hard on the phone. And

32:07

I said, Carrie, what's wrong?

32:09

And she said, I think

32:11

Matt is seeing someone else.

32:13

And you know how you

32:15

have those moments in your

32:17

life that you wish that

32:20

she could just redo the

32:22

whole thing? And I tried

32:24

to reassure that Matt loved

32:26

her and he wouldn't do

32:28

that. And

32:30

Kerry told Jill that her

32:33

preacher husband did something far

32:35

worse. He blamed her for

32:38

their child's death. She said

32:40

that Matt accused her of

32:42

praying for Cassidy not to

32:45

have to suffer anymore. And

32:47

he said that God answered

32:50

Kerry's prayer instead of his

32:52

prayer, which was for

32:54

Cassidy to live to be

32:56

an old lady and to have

32:58

a full life. And how did

33:01

she take that? Extremely hard. No,

33:03

I never blamed her for the

33:05

death. She misunderstood what I had

33:07

said. I said that it hurt me that

33:10

she felt her prayer was answered

33:12

and mine wasn't. Judge for

33:14

yourself. Matt Sent carried this

33:16

email just days before she

33:18

spoke with Jill. I know deep

33:21

down I hold a grudge against God

33:23

and you for him answering your prayer

33:25

and not mine, he wrote. In some

33:28

ways I do hold you. to blame

33:30

for her death. She said that that

33:32

was the worst thing that she's ever

33:35

heard and she didn't think that they

33:37

could ever recover from that. The day

33:39

after Kerry confided in Jill was when

33:42

Kerry told her counselor she thought Matt

33:44

was trying to kill her. The counselor

33:46

confronted Matt at Kerry's funeral. What was

33:49

your reaction? And I said, what?

33:51

Well, wait, wait. And I'm like, what's going

33:53

on here? That was just

33:55

completely rattled everything that was going

33:57

on at that time. Matt did not

34:00

he had any reason to kill

34:02

Kerry. He denies cheating on her.

34:04

And remember earlier, he had insisted

34:07

that the woman he spent so

34:09

much time with, Vanessa Bowles, was

34:11

only a friend. I never thought

34:14

of a relationship with her at

34:16

all. That never was anything in

34:18

the back of my mind. You

34:20

asked her parents whether you

34:22

could date her. Yes, later in the

34:24

summer. Yes, later in the summer. Yes,

34:26

later in the summer. According to

34:29

Matt, Kerry's severe anxiety was apparent to

34:31

everyone who saw her in those days

34:33

leading up to her death, but we

34:36

couldn't find anyone to confirm that.

34:38

On the contrary, even her close

34:40

friend Jill says that when she

34:42

last spoke to Kerry, Kerry seemed

34:44

happier and said things had improved

34:46

with Matt. The day before she died,

34:48

she was completely elated and she

34:50

said that, you know, we're trying

34:52

to get everything patched back

34:54

together. She was very hopeful,

34:56

very future-oriented. Those who saw Kerry

34:59

on her last day say her spirits

35:01

were much higher than earlier in the

35:03

week. Her friend Todd Munzi says

35:05

she looked forward to the prospect

35:07

of a new job. She told

35:09

me she had a great interview. Was

35:12

so excited about it. And yeah, we

35:14

had a good high-five right there

35:16

in the hallway. But that very

35:19

night, Kerry died. And

35:21

her parents' attorney, Bill

35:23

Johnston, says there are

35:25

serious inconsistencies in Matt's story.

35:27

Matt Baker, he didn't buy enough

35:29

time for himself. He should have

35:31

painted a couple hours of alibi.

35:33

Matt is very specific about what time

35:36

he left Kerry to put gas in

35:38

the car and get movies. I remember

35:40

when I was getting dressed and ready

35:43

to leave, the clock said 11-11. Yet

35:45

he seems unclear about Kerry State

35:47

when he left. We talked about everything

35:49

that I was supposed to get and I

35:51

left. She was awake. She was awake when

35:53

you... Correct. Oh yeah, we had a conversation.

35:56

I went, you know, leaned down and kissed

35:58

her on the forward before I left. Listen

36:00

to what he said to us two

36:02

months later. And she was talking, she

36:04

said goodbye to you? She had rolled

36:07

back over and gone back to sleep.

36:09

So when I left, she was asleep.

36:11

And remember how Matt says he first

36:13

found out that Kerry killed herself? The

36:15

police officer brings me the note, and

36:18

that was the first thought at that

36:20

point in time. She took her own

36:22

life. Yet he had clearly read the

36:24

note when he called the 911

36:27

operator. The police told Matt the

36:29

cause of death was obvious. There's

36:31

a note, it says I'm sorry.

36:33

But I did not read the full

36:36

note. I saw the note, but as I

36:38

picked up the phone, I saw it

36:40

there, but I did not take

36:42

the time to read the note.

36:45

The police told Matt the cause

36:47

of death was obvious. There's a

36:49

note, there's pills. It was all

36:51

too obvious, says Attorney Bill

36:54

Johnston. Here's some wine coolers to

36:56

match the story. They were drinking

36:58

a wine cooler. And the note

37:01

then is, I'll just have to

37:03

say self-serving. Matt, I'm sorry. Oh,

37:05

Matt, take care of the kids. You

37:07

know, not critical of him in any

37:09

way. Johnston also points out signs

37:12

of levity on Kerry's body, the

37:14

pooling of blood that happens after

37:16

death. An indication, he says, that

37:19

Kerry had been dead far longer

37:21

than the 40 or so minutes.

37:23

that Matt claims he was away.

37:26

She had to ingest something

37:28

that made her sleepy, then

37:30

unconscious, then killed her. And

37:32

she had to quit breathing, the

37:35

heart had to stop. And then

37:37

the elephant, he had to begin.

37:39

And he is not the only

37:41

one who questions Matt's story.

37:44

What parts of Matt Baker's

37:46

story bother you? Just a time

37:48

frame. That's really what bothers

37:50

me the most. Stephen Carsonologist

37:52

48 hours consulted says that

37:54

if Kerry were alive when

37:56

Matt said he left the

37:58

house her body would not be cold

38:00

to the touch, as both Matt and

38:02

a paramedic reported. Being cold in an

38:05

hour is non-existent unless you're killed in

38:07

the Arctic or in an ice box.

38:09

But karsh cautions, there simply isn't enough

38:11

evidence to say how and why Kerry died.

38:13

Do you believe that this is a suicide?

38:15

No. But I cannot determine the cause

38:18

of death, and wouldn't certify it as

38:20

anything but undetermined but undetermined

38:22

undetermined but undetermined but

38:25

undetermined but undetermined but

38:27

undetermined but undetermined Matt, did

38:29

you kill your wife? Did you have

38:31

anything to do with her death that

38:33

night? No, I did not. Was I

38:36

the perfect person? Did I do everything

38:38

correct? No. But I didn't hurt my

38:40

wife. I loved my wife. I wanted

38:42

to spend the rest of my

38:44

life with her. Matt had been

38:46

arrested and charged with murder. But

38:48

the DA had not yet brought

38:50

the case to a grand jury.

38:52

That's a requirement under Texas law

38:54

for a murder case to go

38:56

to trial. How easy is it

38:59

to actually take someone to trial

39:01

for murder when even the

39:03

coroner can't determine that a murder

39:05

occurred? Extremely difficult. Matt's attorney,

39:08

Guy James Gray, was determined to

39:10

get the charges dropped and he

39:12

had plenty of support from Matt's

39:14

friends. I think it should be

39:16

thrown out. I just don't feel

39:18

that having the spirit of God

39:20

in you that you can do

39:22

something like this, I just don't

39:24

think you could do it. I

39:29

have the

39:31

people that

39:33

support me. I

39:35

have the people

39:39

that support

39:41

me. I have

39:44

the people that

39:47

support me. I

39:49

have the people

39:52

that support

39:55

me. I

39:58

have my daughters. As the second

40:01

anniversary of Kerry's death

40:03

approached, Matt Baker and

40:06

his daughters were still

40:08

living with his parents

40:10

in Kerrville. His relationship

40:13

with Vanessa Bowles was

40:15

over. His life in limbo.

40:17

Wait, no, no, no. Open it all

40:20

the way. Do you think

40:22

you'll be indicted? I don't

40:24

know. I don't know. Do

40:26

you think you'll be indicted?

40:28

I don't know. It's falling

40:30

apart. And that's why there's

40:32

teeth marks in it. There

40:35

is such an unknown of

40:37

what tomorrow holds. While murder

40:39

charges against Matt are pending.

40:41

In Texas, in order to

40:43

go to trial, the DA

40:45

also has to get a

40:48

grand jury indictment within 180

40:50

days. Are you worried that

40:52

there just isn't enough evidence

40:54

to actually take him to

40:56

trial? No. No, we're not. Time

40:59

runs out. On March 25th

41:01

2008, all criminal charges are

41:03

dropped against Matt Baker. Was

41:05

it a murder? Was it

41:07

a suicide? That was the major

41:09

question in the case. Assistant

41:12

D.A. Crawford Long. We felt

41:14

we didn't have the evidence

41:16

to go forward with a

41:18

criminal indictment at that time.

41:21

They went through these facts

41:23

just like I did. And

41:26

there's simply not sufficient facts

41:28

to establish a murder. It

41:31

is a tremendous relief. The

41:33

criminal part is in the

41:35

past. And that's a tremendous

41:38

blessing. Justice was not

41:40

served. Texas Ranger Matt

41:43

Cawthon is disappointed, but

41:45

not surprised. It is

41:48

frustrating, but the evidence

41:50

was there. Every turn,

41:52

we were, we were turned away. This

41:54

is a man you

41:57

believed killed his

41:59

wife. and he's walking

42:01

free. Well, you know, Aaron, it

42:03

happens every day. And in this

42:05

case, something went awry. This

42:07

bill? But Bill Johnston knows

42:10

there's no statute of

42:12

limitations on murder, so he's

42:14

not giving up. Because sooner

42:16

or later, I think that

42:18

the criminal justice system will

42:21

deal with Matt Baker. I

42:23

just believe it's going to

42:25

happen. The battle is

42:27

far from over. Linda and

42:29

her team are pursuing Matt

42:31

in civil court, suing him

42:33

for wrongful death. They allow

42:36

different evidence in civil

42:38

cases and that one's more of

42:40

a problem for him now. I'm

42:43

going to meet with Bill, especially

42:45

with Kerry's mother and her

42:47

angels on the case. We

42:49

are going to continue to do

42:51

what we have been doing, and

42:54

that is, we are going to

42:56

seek justice. And I believe

42:58

with every fiber in my

43:00

being that we will have it.

43:02

But in the year that

43:04

follows, tremendous changes take

43:07

place. For Linda, there's

43:09

a physical transformation

43:11

and an emotional one.

43:13

As Kerry's case takes

43:16

a dramatic turn. What

43:20

changed things? The thing

43:22

that changed things was

43:25

Vanessa Bull's testimony. You

43:28

solemnly swear the testimony

43:30

you're giving us matter

43:32

to be the truth.

43:34

Matt Baker will never get

43:36

away with murder. He will pay.

43:39

Grand jury indicted Baker.

43:41

They are indicted Matt Baker

43:43

for murder. I remember just

43:45

falling to my knees. How

43:47

important is Vanessa Bowles? She's

43:49

key. He counted on her

43:51

keeping her mouth shut. That

43:53

was his life, full of

43:55

dirty little secrets. You really

43:58

need to turn yourself in.

44:00

or I'm going to tell what you did. And he

44:02

said, you better not do

44:04

that. what you

44:06

did." And he

44:08

said, you better

44:11

Stay

44:13

tuned for

44:15

part that.