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FAITHFUL IMAGE SHATTERED

This is the voice of Matt Baker — he has just found his wife, Kari, lifeless in their bed with a typed letter beside her. But there’s one problem: Kari didn’t write the letter.
Everybody is shocked. Matt and Kari are pillars of their community — a loving couple with two young daughters. But Matt isn’t just a husband. He is a respected Baptist pastor, a rising star in the church.
After Kari’s death, Matt becomes the face of faith through tragedy — speaking at pulpits, appearing on television, even landing magazine covers. He tells the world how he lost the love of his life… and how God carried him through it.
But Kari’s mother, Linda Dulin, isn't convinced. Something about Matt’s story doesn't sit right — especially after she learns he’d been having an affair.The death of Kari Baker might have remained a mystery — if not for a mother who refused to give up, driven by the fear that her grandchildren were living with a murderer. Eventually, a clue is uncovered — A secret message written by Kari herself, hidden in the pages of her bible. A message that will expose the truth… and help Linda avenge her daughter, before it’s too late.

A SHOCKING DISCOVERY

It’s April 7th, 2006. Matt Baker is driving home in the small Texas suburb of Hewitt. It’s past 11:00 p.m. on a Friday night. His wife, Kari, might still be awake, waiting for him—while their two young daughters, Kensi and Grace, are likely already fast asleep. But, as the 38-year-old father pulls in the driveway, he has no idea that things are about to take a disturbing turn. That night, Matt had only stepped out for a quick errand—renting a movie and filling up the car with gas. Now, just before midnight, he walks in and heads to the bedroom, only to find the door locked. When he finally gets it open, he’s met with a chilling sight: Kari, his wife, is lying motionless and unresponsive.

In Hewitt, everyone knows the young couple: Matt and Kari’s love story has all the magic of a fairy tale. Both college students, they met at camp in the summer of 1994. Working side by side, they quickly fell in love, and within just three months, the pair got married. They later settled on the outskirts of Waco to raise their family, welcoming three daughters: Kensi, Kassidy, and Grace. Matt, the local Baptist minister, is a respected and familiar figure in the deeply religious community, while Kari—after completing her master’s in education—is a devoted mom and beloved third grade teacher. Faith has always been the foundation of their family, and their life appeared picture-perfect… until now.

CASE CLOSED?

The 911 dispatcher coaches Matt through the CPR process, hoping to revive Kari while the ambulance is on its way. Remarkably, he keeps his composure, clearly giving their address so first responders can race to the scene. As they stay on the line, Matt makes another request—his two young daughters are in the house. He can’t risk them walking in and seeing their mother like this. He asks if they can call Kari’s parents, the Dulins, to come care for the girls.

When the ambulance finally pulls up to the Bakers’ home, the paramedics find Kari, still lying motionless on the floor. They check her pulse, and start compressions, but her body isn’t responding. After a few minutes of work, the paramedics know it’s too late. That’s when Kari’s mother, Linda, also arrives at the scene. The family is in shock. Kari— a loving mother, a daughter, a loyal wife and beloved teacher—is gone.

As everyone tries to make sense of the situation, the medical staff briefly consider if she had a potential hidden medical issue no one knew about, or maybe this was all a tragic accident. But as police search the room, they find something unusual. A letter, typed and left on the nightstand. It appears to be from Kari.

In Texas, when someone dies suddenly or unexpectedly, it’s up to a justice of the peace to decide what happens next–there isn’t necessarily a doctor or autopsy involved. So for Kari, instead of a thorough medical examination, police describe the scene over the phone to Justice Billy Martin. They tell him about what was found in the bedroom and the overall circumstances, and Judge Martin makes his ruling: it’s an overdose, therefore, there’s no need for an autopsy.

GRIEF & SUSPICION

It’s April 9th, 2006—the day after Kari’s sudden death. The family is in shock, overwhelmed and barely able to process what’s happened. But despite the grief, Matt insists the memorial and burial must happen immediately. He begins making arrangements at their family’s Baptist church, planning the service for the very next day.

By Monday, April 10th—only 48 hours since Kari’s body was found—she is already laid to rest at Oakwood Cemetery. Her memorial, originally planned at the family’s church, is moved to one of the city’s largest funeral homes to accommodate the overwhelming response from the community. To Linda, it’s all moving too quickly—no time to breathe, let alone grieve. But Matt, the Baptist preacher, tells the family it’s best not to delay the healing process.

Waco, Texas, OakCrest Funeral Home. 3:00PM. Hundreds gather in sorrow. Kari’s family, her children, and the entire community have come together to mourn. Even at the largest funeral home in the city, the space is overflowing—folding chairs fill the aisles, friends and neighbors stand shoulder to shoulder along the back walls, spilling into the foyer and leaning through the open doors.

During the service, Matt sits motionless in the front row, head in his hands, silent through every eulogy and remembrance. And then, at the end, the grieving husband stands at the pulpit with his daughters beside him, promising to everyone he’ll return to Crossroads Baptist in only one week, Easter Sunday. “God has not abandoned me,” he says. “He will give me the strength to carry on.”

It’s Sunday April 16th, less than a week after the funeral, and only 8 days since Kari’s death, Pastor Matt keeps his promise and delivers the Easter sermon at Crossroads Baptist church. He tells the congregants that just as Jesus has risen, so too has Kari— into heaven. Ministers from across the county send emails and letters to the family, and to Matt specifically, praising his unwavering faith and courage in the face of tragedy. One woman even offers to teach him how to do his daughters’ hair: a beautiful gesture for a father, now parenting girls alone. From the outside, it looks like a community supporting a grieving man, as he tries to put his life back together.

A MOTHER’S INSTINCT

In the month following Kari’s death, her family is overwhelmed, trying to come to terms with the tragedy, but Linda, along with her sisters, can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more to Kari’s death, something police have missed. They knew Kari better than anyone: she was vibrant, loving, and full of life; a hands-on mother who adored her daughters. The idea that she would have willingly left them behind is completely out of character.

Linda and her family start examining the evidence themselves: and realize that beneath the surface, there are several small inconsistencies – each one minor on its own, but together, suggesting that something more sinister may have happened.

The first red flag: only 10 pictures were taken of the crime scene by the investigators. For any sudden, unexplained death, this is an unusually low amount of photos – there’s barely any evidence in the records. Next, everything in the room looked a little too perfectly arranged. Alone, it’s possible that the family had simply kept a tidy house – but, upon a closer look, it could seem like the scene might’ve been staged, as if someone carefully planted evidence to have it appear like a tragic death. The letter left beside the bed should have raised immediate suspicion on its own. It was typed – not handwritten – and unsigned. In theory, anyone could have written it. Another unusual detail about the letter is the amount of spelling mistakes; Kari was a third-grade teacher and an educated woman with her Master’s, known for her attention to detail. The typed letter misspelled words, like “too” spelled with a single “o” in the wrong context. It seemed like it didn't quite match her character, or her background.

In spite of the many inconsistencies obvious to anyone looking closely at the crime scene, it seems police are in no rush to question the only person actually at the scene of Kari’s death. Matt is interviewed nearly two months after his wife’s passing – and even then, it’s only a casual discussion, seemingly only to tick a box, not to further any actual investigation into Kari’s death.

Matt is calm, cooperative, and consistent in his account. He’s able to remain rational, eager to help detectives with any questions they have. Matt even willingly takes a polygraph test, and passes – to the police, there’s no reason to think he had anything to do with Kari’s death. According to detectives, there’s simply nothing pointing to him, or to anyone else for that matter, in the death of Kari, and the case is open and shut. After talking to Matt, the police are able to walk away, confident with their initial assessment of Kari’s death. But in spite of the police’s conclusions, Linda Dulin, and her whole family, continue to search for anything, anything at all, that could uncover the truth, and explain what really happened with Kari.

CLUES FROM BEYOND

Then around the beginning of May 2006—a clue appears in an unlikely place. As Linda looks through their family phone plan bill, which includes herself, Matt, and Kari, she stops cold. In the days following her death, Kari’s phone has been used hundreds of times—even calling Matt’s number several times. If her daughter is dead, who could possibly have been using her phone?
Matt’s explanation is that he gave it to a church member who was in need of a phone after a difficult divorce. Being a generous pastor is one thing, but giving away your dead wife’s phone so recently after her passing seems very strange. And something about his tone feels rehearsed. To Linda, there is a shift—not just in his story, but in him.

Matt’s daughters, 5-year-old Grace and 9-year-old Kensi, who have been living with their father ever since their mom’s passing, also notice something strange. All the pictures of Kari have been removed from the family’s house. As weeks go by, Linda and her husband find themselves increasingly pushed out of their granddaughters’ lives as well. There were fewer visits, shorter phone calls, and many excuses from Matt about their busy schedules and hectic routines. It’s starting to feel as though Matt is removing Kari from their lives, in small but significant ways.

Linda and her husband Jim take their growing suspicions to the police, pleading for the case to be reopened. But the response is indifferent. The department refuses to budge and the original ruling stands. Meanwhile, the evidence is sealed away, and out of reach. They know they can’t wait for the system to act. If they want justice for Kari, and make sure her daughters are safe, they’ll need to build the case themselves.

NEW TEAM, NEW FIGHT

That’s when a new ally joins Linda’s team: Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Johnston. After listening to their story, Johnston sees what they see—too many red flags to ignore. He assembles his own team of investigators, including Matt Cawthon, a respected former Texas Ranger.

On July 30th, almost 4 months after Kari’s death, Linda and Attorney Johnston file a wrongful death lawsuit against Matt, giving them the legal authority to gather records, conduct depositions, and reexamine everything piece by piece. Their next move is hiring a digital forensics expert, whose first priority is to go through Matt’s computer—and what he finds, shocks Johnston’s team of investigators. Matt, a respected pastor, had been watching adult content during work hours — literally inside the church. Adult sites are interspersed right next to Matt’s searches for Internet sermons. On top of that: the expert uncovers that on March 9th, exactly one month before Kari’s death, Matt searched “overdose on sleeping pills.”

But when they discover a message, handwritten by Kari just 5 days before her death, it puts the final nail in the coffin. Hidden in the margins of her Bible, Kari’s voice speaks from beyond the grave, pointing the finger at her own husband:
“Lord, I have so much worry and I cannot get a hold on it. I'm asking for you to protect me from harm; I'm not sure what is going on with Matt, but Lord, help me find peace with him.”
Kari had written down her suspicions about Matt, only days before she was found dead. It seems her intuition was telling her that she was in danger. But, frustratingly, despite all the circumstantial evidence, there’s still no clear-cut link tying Matt directly to Kari’s death that Linda can bring to prosecutors to have him convicted of murder.

PASTOR OF THE PEOPLE?

It’s now October 2007. More than a year and a half has gone by since Kari’s death. In spite of growing suspicion, Matt continues to deny any wrongdoing and begins to take even more drastic measures—moving himself and Linda’s grandkids 200 miles away to a different city. He takes a new job preaching at a local church, far from Kari’s family. From the outside, he has completely moved on. In fact, as Linda and her family keep fighting to gather evidence that proves that Kari was murdered by her husband, Matt now seems eager to tell his side of the story. In an unbelievably arrogant move, the case even goes national, as Matt sits down with ABC News for a televised interview.

Kari’s parents are stunned when they see their former son-in-law on national television. To them, not only does he have the nerve to keep denying what happened, but he also doesn’t hesitate to include his young daughters, Linda’s granddaughters, in his publicity tour, using them—and his pastor image—to garner sympathy. To many viewers, Matt's media presence is persuasive. He appears to be a grieving husband—a pastor leaning on his faith in the face of unimaginable loss. But for Kari’s family, every public interview feels like another setback. While they are fighting just to be heard, Matt is controlling the narrative, using another unspeakable family tragedy to garner sympathy: the death of their second daughter, Kassidy, at only fourteen months old. In 1999, seven years before Kari’s passing, Kassidy, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, lost her fight. Kari was destroyed by this awful loss, but decided to honor her little girl by taking care of her surviving family, including Matt. She had to stay strong and went to see a grief counselor to navigate this devastating time. But according to him, this overwhelming loss is the exact reason why Kari was so depressed.

Public opinion, however, remains divided. Some believe his story, convinced of his innocence. But Kari’s family never wavers. They are certain Matt is involved in Kari’s death. And their fears run deeper: Linda is concerned that her two young granddaughters might be living with a murderer.

A WITNESS STEPS FORWARD

At this point in the investigation, Linda and her team need something solid—something, or someone, who can tie the whole case together. Someone who knows the full story of what really happened to Kari. And that someone is the very person Matt had given Kari’s old phone to just days after her death: a young woman named Vanessa Bulls.

Newly single, 23-year-old churchgoer Vanessa had recently started attending Crossroads Baptist—where Matt was the pastor. Just weeks after Kari’s death, Vanessa was seen attending Matt’s daughter’s 10th birthday party. Friends also reported seeing the two together often, looking unusually affectionate. And when Linda had looked at the family’s phone records back in May of 2006, the call logs were damning: Matt and Vanessa had been in close contact both before and after Kari’s death, with Vanessa using Kari’s old phone.

Matt and Vanessa had continually insisted that their relationship was only a friendship—Matt as a pastor counselling Vanessa through her divorce. But with so much contact—and such a quick emotional connection—it raises serious questions. What had really gone on between them before Kari died? Could Vanessa hold the key to the entire case? And will she come forward to help bring Matt to justice?

THE COURTROOM RECKONING

It’s January of 2010, four years after Kari’s murder, and Vanessa is subpoenaed; she's legally forced to show up and testify at trial, on what she knows about Matt Baker. And because prosecutors believe she knows something critical, they offer her a deal: tell the truth, and you won’t be charged with anything yourself.

The courtroom is packed. Linda and her family are sitting on the wooden bench, ready to fight for justice. When Vanessa enters the courtroom, all eyes are on her as she takes the stand in front of Kari’s whole family and Matt himself. When she starts to speak, the courtroom is silent, everyone hangs onto her every word, as she describes exactly what happened, and Matt Baker's true face is finally revealed.

Matt, who was at first, counseling Vanessa about her recent divorce, quickly changed his behavior from attentive, caring pastor to a predator. In front of the entire courtroom, Vanessa finally reveals what Matt had always denied. In March of 2006, just one month before Kari’s death, she and Matt were having an affair. Then, Vanessa drops another bombshell: she says she knows what really happened to Kari Baker. Under oath, she testifies that Matt had been openly planning her death.

TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES

The courtroom is stunned. The truth is finally coming out—and it’s devastating. Kari was betrayed by the man she trusted and loved the most. But despite the heartbreak, Vanessa’s testimony aligns with the evidence that Linda and her family have spent years tirelessly collecting. And Vanessa isn’t the only one to break the silence and expose the man Matt truly is. Dozens of other women step forward too, women from Matt’s past, who, one by one, bravely share their stories of Matt’s behavior over the years.

In total, 12 different women come forward. Their testimonies, back to back, corroborate Vanessa’s version of Matt Baker. The pastor has always been a dangerous predator who thought he was untouchable, and would walk away unscathed, never being held accountable. But today, he is forced to face the consequences for his actions.

JUSTICE DELIVERED

At the sentencing, Linda can finally confront the man who took her daughter almost 4 years ago, during her impact statement. Matt was her son-in-law. She used to see him through Kari’s loving eyes and now he can’t even look at hers. Kensi and Grace were thrust into a chaotic situation after their mom’s death, but thankfully, Linda and Jim gained full custody and now provide a loving supportive home for the two girls to grow up in. Kari’s legacy is living through her daughters, and Linda can still see Kari in them, her light shining through, and despite being gone, she will never be forgotten.

On January 21, 2010, Matt Baker is sentenced to 65 years in prison with the possibility of parole in Anderson County, Texas. He won’t be able to hurt any other women or destroy Kari’s reputation. Without her family’s persistence, Matt would have more than likely gotten away with the murder but Kari, through her loved ones, got justice after all. In the end, it was their perseverance —and the real strength of a family—that brought the truth forward.

Related Content:

After this mom was found murdered, her young son helped find the killer—based on the clues she left behind: The Case of the Tokars Family

Credits

Written, directed & edited by Matthew Rice

Researched by Manon Lafosse

Voiceover by William Akana

Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader

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Susan Shafer & Crawford Long, “The Murdering Minister.” The Texas Prosecutor Journal, March-April 2010.