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In July 2012, the body of Leon Baucham, a 33-year-old married father of two, was found dumped near Wauna, outside Gig Harbor. According to reports, he had been shot in the back and his body was duct-taped. The ensuing investigation led authorities to his wife and mother of his children, Umeko, who became a suspect in the case after authorities learned about their abusive marriage.
The focus eventually shifted to Jacqueline "Jackie" Ray, the victim's mother-in-law, who was very protective of her daughter and concerned for her safety after learning about the couple's violent arguments and Baucham's controlling behavior.
Revelations made during the investigation painted Ray as a conspirator who hired an ex-con named Luis Barker to have her son-in-law murdered after luring him into her house. Baker then shot Baucham once and dumped his body with the help of an unnamed accomplice. Both Jackie and Barker were convicted and sentenced to prison in connection with the murder.
Leon Baucham killing: Three quick facts to know about the murder-for-hire case plotted by the mother-in-law
1) One of Leon Baucham's friends helped authorities narrow down a suspect
Baucham's friend Ron Pratt informed authorities that on the night of the murder, he was headed to his mother-in-law Jackie Ray's house, thinking that Umeko was there, when in reality, she was at the hotel. Before the revelation, Jackie had lied to authorities, claiming that after Umeko's final fight with her husband, she booked her and her grandchildren a hotel room and left town to go camping with friends.
They also discovered incriminating text messages on Ray's phone from an ex-con named Luis Barker.
2) Jacqueline "Jackie" Ray confessed to hiring Luis Barker to murder Baucham
Jackie, who was concerned for her daughter's safety after Leon Baucham repeatedly got into fights with her, confessed to having hired Barker as the hitman for $10,000. She revealed that the first thing she did was meet her daughter and steal her phone, knowing that her husband had been tracking her phone all along. She then used it to lure him to her house, asking him to come over and talk to Umeko.
When Leon Baucham arrived at her house, she had Barker shoot him once as she looked away. She claimed to have heard the gunshot. Following this, the hitman and an accomplice wrapped his dead body in duct tape and a tarp and drove to the location where his body would be found dumped the next day. Moreover, she asserted that her daughter was innocent.
3) Jackie Ray took a plea deal and, in exchange, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder
After her arrest, Ray was charged with first-degree murder, despite her claims of having good intentions. She ultimately accepted a plea agreement and admitted to second-degree murder in return for helping the authorities arrest Barker, the hitman in Leon Baucham's murder-for-hire case.
Barker was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after he confessed his role during a wiretapped conversation with Ray. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given a 34-year jail term. However, Jackie argued that she was a victim of abuse and only had Leon Bauchman murdered to protect her daughter at the sentencing hearing. She was given an 18-year jail term by the judge.
Oxygen's Snapped chronicles the case in its episode, titled Jackie Ray, on Monday.
