On April 7, 2006, Kari Baker, an elementary school teacher, was found dead in the family home near Waco, Texas. Her husband Matt, a Baptist minister, said that Kari had been depressed and suicidal since the death of the couple’s young daughter Cassidy some years earlier. However, Kari’s family and friends did not believe she was suicidal, and suspected Matt was responsible for her death.
In January 2010, Matt Baker was tried for the murder of his wife. Critical testimony came from Vanessa Bulls, 27, his former mistress, who told the jury that Matt had drugged his wife, handcuffed her to the bed under the guise of spicing up their marriage, then smothered her with a pillow until she died. Vanessa said Matt had talked about killing his wife and making it look like a suicide. She said she didn’t help Matt plan the murder or participate in it, but she never reported it to authorities because she was afraid of exposing the affair that she said began about two months before Kari’s death. Vanessa also said she was afraid of being arrested for knowing about Baker’s plans but not stopping him.
