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Six years after UCLA student Ronald Baker's body was found mangled near an abandoned Los Angeles train tunnel, the next day of summer solstice in 1990, his two roommates were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Duncan Martinez and Nathaniel Blalock intended to kidnap Ronald and ask his parents for ranson. However, their plan went haywire, leading Nathaniel to stab the 21-year-old to death. The murder, however, was initially believed to be a part of an occult sacrifice ritual for two years, until Duncan confessed.
In 2020, Duncan Martinez's ruling was commuted by the governor, making him eligible for parole in December that same year. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Blalock continues to serve his sentence at the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.
On Wednesday, Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will further delve into the gruesome killing of Ronald Baker, in an episode titled Night of the Summer Solstice. The official synopsis reads:
"When hikers find a 21-year-old UCLA student's body in a Los Angeles-area train tunnel, detectives wonder if his interest in an alternative religion is connected to his murder."
The all-new episode is scheduled to air on the channel at 8:00 pm ET on July 12, 2023.
Ronald Baker's roommates intended to kidnap him and even sent ransom notes to his parents
While investigating Ronald Baker's 1990 stabbing death, authorities started to question his roommates, Duncan Martinez and Nathaniel Blalock from UCLA, after failing to get results out of the occult sacrifice theory.
On January 22, 1990, hikers found Ronald's body in an abandoned train tunnel near Chatsworth Park in Los Angeles. He had been stabbed at least 18 times with his throat slashed, making it seem like he was nearly beheaded.
Given that the 21-year-old was discovered dead mere hours after the summer solstice, authorities initially believed that his death was the part of an occult sacrifice. Moreover, he was wearing a necklace with a pentagram pendant and was found in a location where occasional animal sacrifices were carried out.
In addition, Ronald, an astrophysics student student at UCLA, was also a part of Mystic Circle, a registered group also known as the Bruins for Metaphysical Inquiry. Further investigaton revealed that he also studied pagan witchcraft (Wicca) and often visited the same train tunnel.
After failing to produce evidence to back the sacrificial theory, authorities began looking at other angles and suspects, which led them to Ronald Baker's roommates, Duncan Martinez and Nathaniel Blalock.
Shortly after being approached in connection to the murder investigation, Duncan disappeared and only re-appeared about two years later in 1993, with a lawyer by his side. He then confessed to his invovement in the crime and named Nathaniel as the killer.
Duncan admitted to conspiring with Nathaniel to kidnap Ronald and ask his parents for ransom. They even sent ransom notes asking for $100,000 and lured him to the train tunnel when things escalated, leading to the murder.
Nathaniel eventually confessed to the murder, claiming he stabbed Ronald "at least twice," but portrayed Duncan as the mastermind. They were both charged and arrested for murder.
Where are Duncan Martinez and Nathaniel Blalock now?
The Cinemaholic reported that in March 1996, Nathaniel Blalock was found guilty of Ronald Baker's murder by a Los Angeles jury after three days of deliberation. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Nathaniel continues to serve his sentence at the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.
Similarly, Duncan Martinez was also sentenced to life in prison without parole, after a judge convicted him in December of that year. Nearly 25 years later, in 2020, the latter's ruling was commuted by the governor, making him eligible for parole. That same December, he was released from prison.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is set to feature Ronald Baker's murder case this Wednesday at 8 pm ET.
