Who killed Judy Orr Baldwin and where are they now? Details explored ahead of Accident, Suicide, or Murder on Oxygen

Judy Orr Baldwin's tragic death in December 2016 left her family and community in shock. What seemed to be a tragic accident was something much more sinister. Judy's second husband, James "Jamie" Harold Baldwin Jr., was convicted for her murder though he never claimed to be involved in it. This article will discuss details that surround Judy's life and early death as well as her murderer's conviction fate.

Jamie Baldwin is serving a life sentence in a South Carolina prison. In multiple attempts to have his verdict overturned, including claims that a photo on Facebook had tainted his trial, he has been unsuccessful. Still, Jamie says Judy did not suffer a murder at his own hands. Her death was an accident.

In Oxygen's Accident, Suicide, or Murder season 5, learn how the suspicion led to her investigation. The episode will air on January 4, 2025, Saturday at 8/7c, really probing into a case that raises such questions about trust, betrayal, and justice.

Who was Judy Orr Baldwin?

Judy Orr Baldwin was born on January 12, 1963, and had a life filled with love and community involvement. A mother, wife, and entrepreneur, Judy ran her business, Judy's Personal Touch, and was very active in the Woodward Baptist Church. She was also a member of the Carolina Thunder Christian Motorcycle Club, where she shared her passion for motorcycles with her first husband, Wallace Todd Orr.

After Wallace's tragic death in 2004, Judy eventually found love again. In 2012, she married James "Jamie" Harold Baldwin Jr., just eight months after meeting him. Friends and family described her as "giddy" during the early days of her second marriage. Judy Orr Baldwin's family included her two children, Chris and Josh Orr, as well as stepchildren and grandchildren.

The suspicious circumstances of Judy Orr Baldwin's death

On December 14, 2016, Jamie Baldwin called 911, indicating that Judy fell while hanging Christmas decorations in the garage. According to him, he found Judy bleeding and was trying to drive her to the hospital. In his version of events, Judy was thrown from the car due to a crash on the way.

However, inconsistencies in Jamie's version caught the eye of investigators. SLED discovered inconsistencies. Judy had suffered a skull fracture, but it did not seem to align with what Jamie described about the event. Blood evidence found in the couple's home didn't add up to Jamie's assertion that Judy had fallen in the garage.

Jamie had taken out a $25,000 accidental death policy before the murder, in Judy Orr Baldwin’s name, naming himself as the sole beneficiary. The authorities decided that Jamie had faked the car accident to hide the murder. The evidence indicated that Jamie had killed Judy at their house and then fabricated the accident.

What was the verdict in the trial?

Jamie Baldwin was arrested in August 2018 and charged with the murder of Judy Orr Baldwin, nearly two years after her death. His trial began in the middle of October 2019, running more than a week.

At the trial, Josh Orr testified against his father, saying Jamie had answered evasively and did not give any answers about what happened to his mother. Prosecutors added Jamie murdered Judy to acquire insurance money.

The jury convicted Jamie of murder in the first degree. He was sentenced to life in jail, to serve without any parole. To date, he protested his innocence, but the South Carolina appeals court dismissed his appeal in December 2022.

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Judy Orr Baldwin's family and friends are still grieving over her death. Her children, Chris and Josh Orr, remember her as a loving mother whose life was cut tragically short. Her death remains a painful reminder of the need for justice and the devastating consequences of betrayal.

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