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Thread: Gregory Baker Sentenced to 30-60 Years in 2009 PA Murders

  1. #1
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Gregory Baker Sentenced to 30-60 Years in 2009 PA Murders

    Death penalty sought in East Rochester shooting

    BEAVER - A New Sewickley Township man accused of shooting his estranged wife and killing her companion is now facing the death penalty.

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    Beaver County District Attorney Anthony Berosh announced during Gregory Baker's arraignment Wednesday that his office would seek the capital punishment. Within moments, one of Baker's two daughters, Kari, collapsed into tears, sobbing through the remainder of her father's court proceeding.

    Baker, 55, is accused of shooting his estranged wife, Linda, and Thomas Dougherty in the parking lot of the East Rochester Plaza on Dec. 3.

    Linda Baker testified during her husband's preliminary hearing in February that as she and Dougherty left a restaurant, Greg Baker got out of a car while brandishing a pistol.

    "This is what you get for (having sex) with my wife," Linda Baker said her husband told Dougherty before firing several shots.

    Dougherty, 48, of Chippewa Township, died from four gunshot wounds to the chest. Linda Baker also was wounded but has recovered.

    Linda Baker said she and Dougherty were not romantically involved.

    According to court documents, Linda Baker filed for divorce from her husband just days before the shooting.

    Berosh said he was seeking the death penalty because of two factors. First, Dougherty's death came during the commission of another felony, namely the shooting of Linda Baker.

    Second, in the process of the shooting, Baker placed others in danger, Berosh said.

    Gregory Baker entered a not-guilty plea as he stood before Judge John P. Dohanich. At the end of his arraignment on charges of criminal homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, he looked at family members, mouthed, "I love you guys" and blew them a kiss.

    Linda Baker didn't show any emotion as she left her husband's arraignment; she declined to speak to reporters.

    Gregory Baker's defense attorney, Stephen Colafella, said that even though the case was "a tragic situation," he didn't feel that there were "extraordinary elements to justify something that extreme" in seeking the death penalty.

    Linda Baker's mother, Sue Acre, 72, of Rochester, said that the shooting "breaks my heart. I'm torn. (The shooting has) broken up so many, many families."

    Gregory Baker remained in the Beaver County Jail Wednesday, ineligible for bond.

    Bill Vidonic can be reached online at bvidonic@timesonline.com.

    Others on death row
    There are two men currently awaiting execution for crimes committed in Beaver County. They are:
    - Andre Stevens, 65, of Monaca.
    Crime: In 1992, Stevens walked into a Rochester bar and shot his estranged wife, Brenda Jo Stevens, 28, and Michael Love, 28.
    Sentence: In 1993, Stevens was convicted of first-degree murder for both killings and sentenced to death.
    Status: In 2004, a federal judge ruled that Stevens' constitutional rights were violated during jury selection for his 1993 trial, because a potential juror who said she didn't believe in the death penalty was dismissed.
    The sentence remains on appeal. Stevens is in state prison in Greene County.
    - Richard Baumhammers, 44, of Mount Lebanon.
    Crime: Went on a shooting spree in Allegheny and Beaver counties in April 2000, killing five people and wounding one other, who later died. Among the dead was Garry Lee, 22, of Aliquippa, shot to death in a Center Township karate studio.
    Sentence: In 2001, Baumhammers was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, and sentenced to death.
    Status: Baumhammers' convictions remain on appeal in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He is in state prison in Greene County.


    http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20421655&BRD=2724&PAG=461&dept_id= 563781&rfi=6

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    Victim Of Deadly Public Shooting Remembered In Beaver County

    A candlelight vigil was held for the victims of a shooting in Beaver County that occurred one year ago.

    The shooting claimed the life of Thomas Dougherty and it happened in a public place during the middle of the day.

    Linda Baker was also injured when her ex-husband Greg Baker shot them both outside the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe.

    Friends and family gathered outside and shared their memories.

    "It's a sad time, but it made me strong, and this is making me even stronger, having the support," said Linda Baker.

    "I don't know anyone who didn't like Tom. He was just really well liked and we miss him. We love him," said his sister, Cindy Burger.

    Greg Baker is currently in jail awaiting trial. The state is seeking the death penalty.

    http://www.wpxi.com/news/26022000/detail.html

  3. #3
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
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    BEAVER - After hearing statements from numerous people Friday, Beaver County Judge John P. Dohanich sentenced convicted murderer Gregory Baker to serve 30 to 60 years in a state prison.
    On Feb. 15, a jury found Baker, 57, of New Sewickley Township, guilty of third-degree murder, reckless endangerment and two counts of aggravated assault. He was found not guilty of first-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and attempted homicide.
    Baker shot and wounded his estranged wife, Linda Baker, and shot and killed her friend, Thomas Dougherty, in the parking lot of the East Rochester Shopping Plaza on Dec. 3, 2009, after the pair met for coffee at the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe.

    Dohanich said he took into consideration various factors, including information presented during the trial, victim impact statements, the fact that Baker had no prior record and had served in the military, and the nature and circumstances of the crime itself.
    "You took the life of someone you didn't know, and you seriously injured your wife," Dohanich said. He said what Baker did was "callous ... despicable and uncalled for."
    Dohanich told Baker he basically destroyed two families through his actions. "It's never going to be the same," he said.
    Before the sentencing, Dougherty's two daughters, Katie Schmeltzer, 25, and Tina Dougherty, 27, both of Georgia, and Dougherty's sister, Cindy Burger of Chippewa Township, all made statements.
    "He was the best father ever, the best grandpa ever," Schmeltzer said. "He would have done anything for anybody ... I know he would forgive Greg Baker because that's the kind of person he was."
    Schmeltzer said her young children miss their grandpa. She said during preschool, her daughter's class was learning about Martin Luther King Jr., and when they learned about how he was shot, her daughter stood up in front of the class and said, "When you get shot you get to go live with Jesus in Heaven."
    Burger said the whole situation surrounding her brother's killing has been "surreal and devastating. We miss Tom terribly."
    She said prior to the trial the family had hoped that her brother never knew what hit him, and it was particularly difficult to hear testimony that after he was shot once and on the ground, Baker shot him several more times.
    "That's a very hard thing to accept," she said.
    Seven of Baker's family members also spoke and asked the judge to be lenient in his sentence. They each spoke of how Baker was a hard worker who was dedicated to his children and grandchildren. They each said the Greg Baker who committed the crime was not the Greg Baker they have all known over the years.
    Baker's sister, Becky Salada, said her brother has expressed remorse for what he's done. She said for her brother to spend the rest of his life in prison would benefit no one, especially his children and grandchildren.
    Baker's daughter, Carrie Baker, called her father, "the greatest dad ever." She said he was a very giving person who made sacrifices for his family. She said her three children miss their "pappy" and asked the judge to take into consideration how much Baker's grandchildren need him.
    Baker himself made a statement in which he apologized to Dougherty's family. "I can't even imagine the pain and emptiness they feel," he said. "There's nothing I can say or do to make up for it ... They don't have to forgive me because I don't know if I could if the tables were turned."
    He also said he still loves his wife and that he's happy she's still alive.
    Linda Baker left the courtroom and the courthouse before the sentence was actually handed down.
    Baker had faced the possibility of the death penalty had he been convicted of first-degree murder.
    Following the sentencing, Carrie Baker shouted at Beaver County District Attorney Anthony Berosh, saying "the man that wanted to kill my father, [expletive] you."
    Dougherty's family said they are pro-life and did not want Baker sentenced to death. Burger said they were thankful for the sentence the judge handed down. She said the family can now live in peace knowing Baker won't be able to hurt another person.
    Berosh said the sentence was just under the circumstance

    http://www.timesonline.com/news/poli...9bb30f31a.html

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