Dateline NBC episode The Secret Keepers has reportedly explored the mysterious death of a 59-year-old Colorado resident, Randy Baker on August 16, 2017. According to reports, Randy's wife Kelly Baker was the first person to report his death at 8:30 a.m.
Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison has covered the case which initially looked like a death from a natural cause as he was recovering from a heart condition. However, Randy's autopsy reports revealed that there were two bullets inside his body.
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Furthermore, his keys, wallet, and car (a Pontiac) were all missing from the crime scene. Kelly's initial statements suggested that his husband's past involvement in drug dealing could have given someone the motive to kill him as he later reformed into a substance abuse counselor. But as the investigation unraveled, it was revealed that the killers were among his close ones.
Randy's wife Kelly was the mastermind behind the murder and she took help from his elder sister, who had also developed a strained relationship with him over the years. The official synopsis of Dateline NBC episode The Secret Keepers reads:
"When the death of a 59-year-old father Randy Baker is found to be unrelated to his ongoing health issues, police begin an investigation and question some of his family members."
The Secret Keepers on Dateline: What was the cause of Randy Baker's death?
As seen on Dateline NBC, Randy Baker's autopsy report revealed that he had died from two gunshot wounds, though initially it was suspected that a chronic heart problem was the cause of his death. He was found by his wife, lying unresponsive in the hallway of his Colorado home on August 16, 2017.
What happened to Randy Baker at the age of 28?
At the time of his death, he was recovering from a heart condition. It all started with an incident at the mere age of 28, when he got electrocuted while working in a power company. As a result, Randy sustained permanent heart damage and resorted to drugs to get over the pain.
His ex-wife Dori Baker had reportedly told Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison:
"There was just so much pain there and he didn’t know what to do with it."
After that, Randy kept using drugs for three years and even became a dealer. But he eventually got sober and took a vow to help people suffering from substance abuse. Randy became a dedicated drug and alcohol counselor over the years. He even helped his nephew fight drug addiction.
Was a troubled marriage related to Randy's death?
Kelly and Randy were reportedly happy during the initial years of marriage. But with Randy's deteriorating health, things got bitter between the two. Kelly said in a statement that she was playing the role of a caretaker.
After being married for 18 years, Kelly decided to move out of their Colorado home. She also told Greeley Police that she had reached her breaking point as Randy "was just kind of mean."
Kelly further informed the investigators that Randy's life insurance money amounted to $10,000. It was eventually revealed that Kelly Baker was having an affair outside of her marriage.
The man in question had also agreed to the same and said in a statement that he was with Kelly on the night of Randy's death. Though the police could not initially find a link between a troubled marriage and Randy's death, further investigation revealed some harrowing details.
How did a crucial clue make a breakthrough in the investigation?
Five days after Randy's murder, investigators retrieved his car from a south Greeley alley. The car had been wiped down and its license plate had also been removed.
It was eventually learned that the car had been listed for sale and Randy's sister, Carol Baker was the one to pass it off. Furthermore, Carol was not on very good terms with his brother, which was confirmed by his daughter Betty Winnick:
"It was kind of Kelly and Carol versus my dad a lot, and it became that way big time once all of us kids were out of the house."
As per reports, the last person to visit Randy's house before his murder was Carol. Moreover, the close relationship between Kelly and Carol raised further suspicion. Det. Mike Prill learned that the two women had exchanged about 4500 messages that year, as explored on Dateline.
He said:
"The phone records were confirming that there was a seething hatred between the two towards Randy."
But both of their alibis at the time of Randy's murder were tight enough and thus, they could be listed as suspects. After looking closely into the text messages, Prill discovered that Carol had instructed Kelly to save a number on her phone under the name Sonia.
On tracing it back, the police learned that it belonged to a person called Raisley, Carol Baker's son. Raisley had ties with a supremacist gang and had already served some time in prison.
What happened to the murderers of Randy Baker?
When the investigators put the pieces together, they came up with a theory that Kelly, Carol Baker, and Raisley were jointly involved in Randy's murder. Kelly was the mastermind who also stood to inherit more than $130,000 of insurance money from her deceased husband. Moreover, she wanted Randy dead as according to her "he would never leave her alone."
Raisley carried out the killing. He was eventually arrested and sent to prison. There he spent 7 months behind bars, with a deal in place that his testimony against Kelly could take the death penalty off the table. He further claimed that Kelly and Carol had manipulated him to carry out the crime, in exchange for cash and Randy's favorite Harley motorbike, as explored on Dateline.
But as reported on Dateline, Raisley refused to recall the same story he had told the investigators in court. Kelly was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Raisley also got the same sentence and Carol got 30 years in prison.
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