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Judy Baldwin’s 2016 murder will be the subject of season 5 episode 16 of Accident, Suicide, or Murder on Oxygen.
James Baldwin killed his wife Judy Baldwin on the night of December 14, 2016, by hitting her on the head and attempted to convince the detectives that his wife had perished in an accident after being in a car crash.
Investigators gradually discovered several motives behind the murder. Furthermore, other forensic studies and shredded pieces of evidence did not support James's version of Judy's unintentional death. In 2019, James Baldwin was found guilty of the murder of his wife and sentenced to life without parole.
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The upcoming Accident, Suicide, or Murder episode that will focus on this case is titled Lost Control. It airs on Oxygen on January 5 at 10 pm ET. The logline for the same reads:
"A dodged coroner and newly appointed prosecutor join forces to uncover the truth."
5 important details surrounding Judy Baldwin's murder
1) Judy Baldwin had a large crack in her skull
As per Oxygen True Crime, when Judy Baldwin’s autopsy report surfaced, it was revealed that she had a large crack in her skull. The detectives were puzzled as to how the victim, who, according to her husband James Baldwin, fell from a ladder and struck her head while decorating the Christmas tree, sustained such severe injury that ultimately claimed her life.
Chester County Coroner Terry Tinker also revealed the same to Oxygen, opining:
"Probably measuring nine inches to the back and sides. We knew that was something that was just not clicking in this story. A lick from a fall from a ladder to the mantle is not going to cause the damage to the skull that we had.”
2) Judy Baldwin was killed with a Santa stocking holder
As per OTC, a Santa stocking holder was recovered from the crime scene, which forensics confirmed was used to attack Judy and split her skull, eventually killing her. She was beaten to death, which was corroborated by the blood splatters all over the place, including on top of the Christmas tree.
Stating the same, Candice Lively (Deputy solicitor of Chester County) revealed to OTC:
“We were able to determine that because of the way the spatter was so high over the Christmas tree that she could not have just fallen, and then the blood drip…there was her blood that had actually been cast off from someone who was likely hitting her.”
About the murder weapon, Lively added:
"Our forensic pathologist felt very confident…seeing the object, she said, ‘This fits. It matched the injury to her head.’”
3) James Baldwin had an alleged affair with Teri King
As per THE U.S. SUN, James Baldwin moved into a home with a woman named Teri King a few months after Judy’s death. Text messages between Baldwin and King also surfaced which suggested that the two had a romantic affair, which could have been a driving force for him to kill his wife.
Allegedly, it was also revealed that James had anger issues and the couple (James and Judy) had a strained relationship.
4) James took out an insurance policy in Judy’s name in case of an accident
After Judy’s death, it was soon discovered that her husband James Baldwin “had taken out an accidental death policy” in Judy’s name as per THE U.S. SUN. James was the sole beneficiary and upon Judy’s accidental death, he would have a financial gain, which could have also been a driving force behind the murder.
5) James Baldwin was previously arrested in 2017
As per The Herald, Baldwin was arrested in York County in 2017 “on charges of arson and insurance fraud .” The charges were later dismissed. However, in 2019, he was found guilty of the murder of his wife and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Baldwin tried to overturn the verdict in 2019 but the court upheld the charges. To date, he has not pleaded guilty to Judy's murder.
To learn more about this case, watch season 5 episode 16 of Accident, Suicide, or Murder on Oxygen, airing on January 5 at 10 pm ET.
