Shivangi Sinha
In August 2017, Randy Baker’s wife called the police, reporting that she had returned home to find her husband collapsed in the hallway. She mentioned that he had a preexisting heart condition, leading the police to assume his health had deteriorated initially. However, the coroner’s report later revealed two bullet wounds on Randy’s body. This discovery was shocking, as Randy was known to be an honest and hardworking man without apparent reason for anyone to harm him. NBC’s ‘Dateline’ episode ‘The Secret Keepers’ details the extensive police investigation that ultimately solved the murder and led to the arrest of the killers.
Randy Baker Helped People Suffering From Addiction
Randy Baker was just 28 years old when he was a lineman for a power company in Colorado. At the time, he was married to Dori Baker. One day, while on the job, he was electrocuted and suffered permanent heart damage. The pain from his recovery was unbearable, and Dori described it as heartbreaking to witness his struggle. The medications prescribed to alleviate his pain soon became addictive, and before Randy realized it, he had become dependent on them.
The problem lingered in Randy’s life for about three years, during which he also began consuming excessive alcohol and dealing drugs on a small scale. His connections with local drug dealers increased, and the situation deteriorated further. Determined to change, he decided to get sober and turn his life around through sheer willpower. Understanding the nuances of addiction and its prevalence, he did not want others to suffer as he had. To help people like himself, Randy became a drug and alcohol counselor, extending a helping hand to many, including members of his own family.
Randy Baker Was Shot By Two Different Guns
As his life began to take a different shape, Randy met a local hairdresser named Kelly in the late 1990s. They spent time together, and a romantic connection blossomed between them. In 1999, Randy decided to leave his previous marriage and married Kelly Baker. They made an adorable couple, and Kelly warmly welcomed Randy and Dori’s daughter, Betty Winick, into their lives. Despite their happiness, Randy’s health remained a constant concern. Whenever his heart condition flared up, Kelly took over as his primary caregiver, and when he had to undergo surgery in June 2017, she was right by his side.
On August 16, 2017, at around 8:30 am, Kelly called the police, reporting that she had found Randy lying unconscious in the hallway. She informed them about his health issues, and when the police arrived, they did not initially notice anything suspicious. They assumed that the 59-year-old man had suffered a heart attack and collapsed while making his way back from the garage in their Greeley, Colorado, home. The body was taken for an autopsy, which revealed that he had died from two bullet wounds—one behind his ear and one on his upper shoulder, each from a different gun. The death was immediately ruled a homicide, prompting the start of an investigation.
The Police Did Not Believe Randy Was Killed by Drug Dealers
Initially, Kelly Baker suggested to the police that Randy Baker’s death might be linked to his past associations with drug dealers from his youth. However, this seemed unlikely and raised suspicions about Kelly herself. The police questioned her about a possible affair at the time of Randy’s death, and eventually, she admitted to it. Kelly also mentioned that Randy had a life insurance policy worth only $10,000, which she claimed gave her no financial motive for his death.
The first clue the police got their hands on was the discovery that Randy’s wallet, car keys, and Harley Davidson motorcycle were missing from their home. Their primary objective shifted to locating any of these items, which could provide crucial clues in unraveling the circumstances surrounding Randy’s death.
Randy’s Killers Were Caught When They Tried to Sell His Car
The first significant piece of evidence the police obtained was Randy’s car, which was discovered abandoned in an alley and listed for sale on Facebook. The car had been cleaned, and its license plate removed. The sale listing led investigators to Randy’s sister, Carol Baker. A digital investigation into Carol revealed that she and Kelly were closely connected, having exchanged approximately 4,500 messages in the months leading up to Randy’s murder. Among these messages, Carol had instructed Kelly to save a contact number named “Sonia.”
By this point, the police had uncovered that the life insurance policy Kelly mentioned was not just $10,000 but over $130,000, and she had also inherited Randy’s Colorado home. They had been experiencing marital difficulties, especially after Randy’s surgery in June 2017, and some family members alleged that Kelly had expressed frustration about being his caregiver. The investigation intensified as the police sought to locate “Sonia” mentioned in the text messages and soon discovered that the person they were referring to was Kelly Raisley, Carol’s son.
The police’s suspicion that Kelly, Carol, and Raisley had plotted Randy’s murder was confirmed when Carol confessed during questioning. She revealed that Kelly had orchestrated the plan, and Raisley was the one who shot Randy. Carol admitted to facilitating communication between them and took responsibility for her role in the crime. Several months later, in 2018, Raisley confessed to being the triggerman as part of a plea deal after seven months in custody. Subsequently, all three were convicted for Randy’s murder and received significant prison sentences as a consequence of their actions.
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