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The question of what happened to Kari Baker lingered on for a long time, and without a confession from the man convicted of killing her, perhaps we will never know the real answer. Through an investigation that stretched for years, family members who had immense resilience, and some sudden twists, there is some explanation as to how Kari Baker was brutally murdered by her husband, Matt Baker, a renowned Church minister from Hewitt, Texas.
The case, which shook the close-knit Baptist town just south of Waco, is set to be the subject of the upcoming episode of 20/20. This episode, titled Dirty Little Secrets, is set to air at 9 pm EST on Friday, March 21, 2025. The episode is also set to feature never-before-seen footage and interviews, giving a more detailed insight into the case.
Ahead of the episode, let us go over what happened to Kari Baker, or what we know about what happened to Kari Baker.
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How did Kari Baker die?
Kari and Matt Baker met at Baylor University in Waco and decided to get married within three months of meeting each other. The couple soon built a life together and settled in Hewitt, Texas.
They also had three daughters together. However, tragedy struck the couple in 1998 when one of their daughters, Kassidy, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, a battle she did not survive. This pushed Kari to depression and the couple never really recovered. However, no one expected what came seven years later.
On April 8, 2006, Matt Baker called 911 to report that his wife was unconscious in their bedroom. He reportedly went to run some errands and came back to find her unconscious. He was administering CPR when authorities came and found her dead on the site.
Her dresser had a typed suicide note and an empty bottle of sleeping pills. The case was ruled as a suicide and no autopsy was performed. Matt Baker nearly got away with it, but not quite.
Kari Baker's parents never brought that their daughter committed suicide
Though the official cause was ruled as suicide, Kari's parents were not convinced. They also found out some big secrets that Matt Baker was hiding. This included him making unwanted advances towards at least four women (one of whom even reported that he tried to assault her) and a blooming affair with a young churchgoer, Vanessa Bulls.
They hired a former assistant district attorney and assistant U.S. attorney, Bill Johnston, to investigate, and sure enough, this cracked the case wide open, When Kari's body was exhumed, her cause of death was changed to undetermined.
Vanessa Bulls revealed what really happened to Kari Baker
Vanessa Bulls ended up confessing that not only did she have an extramarital affair with Matt Baker but also that he confided in her his plans to kill his wife.
Bulls revealed that Matt had put some drugs in stimulant capsules and given them to his wife in a bid to spice up their married life. He went on to tie her to the bed as a part of making love and smothered her with a pillow till she died. Because of the pills, she was too weak to fight back.
He went on to stage the scene to make it look like a suicide and even left a typed note that would look convincing. He allegedly did it to be with Vanessa Bulls.
Thanks to her testimony, the jury found Matt Baker guilty of murdering Kari Baker. He was sentenced to 64 years in prison, where he remains today.
The upcoming episode of 20/20 will cover this case in more detail.
