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In 2017 in Greeley, Colorado, Randy Baker was murdered in his home. It was later revealed that his family members had plotted for months to kill him in order to get a life insurance payout. The story will be examined on tonight’s episode of Dateline NBC.
Randy Baker was 59 years old when his body was found by his wife Kelly Baker in their home in Greeley, Colorado. Upon first examination, it seemed as though he died from a known heart condition, especially since when she called 911, she stressed that her husband, who had a bad heart, had fallen and hit his head.
“At the time, she [Kelly Baker] was acting as a distraught wife, finding her husband murdered, or finding her husband dead at the time,” said Weld County Assistant District Attorney Robert Miller, according to 9 News. “Randy Baker is found in the entryway to his house. He’s found lying on the ground a few feet inside the house.”
Two days later, the coroner found two bullet holes in his body. One was behind his ear and another was on his shoulder.
Kelly and Carol Baker Planned Randy Baker’s Murder
Something was wrong, very wrong… #Dateline tonight at 10/9c.
When the police began investigating, they interviewed Kelly and found that her marriage with Randy was not as stable as they may have initially thought. She had been seeing someone else, and Randy’s life insurance policies would total around $10,000.
Police did not believe at the time that that was enough motive to kill her husband, though. Further on in the investigation, however, they realized the life insurance payout was closer to $120,000.
That’s where Randy’s older sister, Carol Lyn Baker, began to be interviewed. She told police that she hadn’t seen her brother recently, though she remembered seeing a suspicious man around. Later, tips came in linking Carol to the sale of Randy’s car.
What actually had happened, according to the police and the later trials, was that Kelly wanted her husband out of her life, so she talked to Carol, who got her son, Kelly Raisely, involved. He shot Randy for his aunt and received $10,000 and Randy’s motorcycle in return.
Where are Kelly and Carol Baker Today?
In 2019, Carol was sentenced to 30 years in prison for orchestrating the death of her brother. She originally pled guilty to one count of felony conspiracy to commit first-degree murder but later rescinded that plea until making a deal with the Weld District Attorney’s Office. The 30 years she was sentenced to were the maximum allowed under the deal, which included a guilty plea for second-degree murder.
Kelly Baker refused to take a plea deal, so her case went to trial. There, Carol testified against her sister-in-law as part of the deal. A Weld County jury found Kelly Baker, who was 49 at the time, guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder after a trial that lasted nearly three weeks. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Raisley pled guilty to first-degree murder after confessing to shooting and killing his uncle. He was sentenced to life in prison.
“The Secret Keepers” episode of Dateline NBC airs at 9 p.m. on Friday, June 26. The episode will feature interviews with Randy Baker’s daughter as well as with investigators on the case. The episode is reported by NBC’s Keith Morrison.
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