Where is James Harold Baldwin now? Details explored ahead of Accident, Suicide, or Murder on Oxygen

Season 5 episode 17 of Accident, Suicide, or Murder on Oxygen will focus on the 2016 murder of Judy Baldwin, the wife of James Harold Baldwin.

As per the U.S. Sun, James Harold Baldwin, a former police officer and dispatcher was found guilty of the murder of Judy Baldwin on November 5, 2019. He was sentenced to life without chances of parole and remains incarcerated within the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

The episode that will cover this homicide is titled Lost Control. The logline for the same reads as:

"A dodged coroner and newly appointed prosecutor join forces to uncover the truth."

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James Harold Baldwin faked an accident to cover up a murder

Judy Baldwin was found dead by the driver's side door of a car in Chester County California on the night of December 14, 2016, as per Oxygen True Crime. According to her husband James Harold Baldwin, Judy had climbed the ladder while decorating the Christmas tree. However, during the process, she suffered severe injuries after falling and hitting her head on the mantle.

James was taking her to a hospital 30 minutes away from their home when he claimed someone ran him off the road, leading to a car crash. It was also revealed that there was a hospital a few minutes away from their residence that according to James, Judy didn’t like.

On his way to the hospital, they met with a crash and Judy was ejected from the vehicle and died an accidental death.

James Harold Baldwin's account contained numerous contradictions because Judy did not get any of the injuries—such as broken bones or shoulders—that are typically sustained by victims of fatal accidents. The windshield and the dashboard of the car were also not damaged. However, there was a knocked-over ladder and blood near the Christmas tree at Baldwin’s home, which made James's story seem credible.

Judy’s autopsy report revealed the cause of death to be blunt force trauma as she had a large crack on her skull. Simply falling down a ladder would not give her an injury that severe.

The alleged murder weapon which was a Santa stocking holder was discovered at the crime scene and forensics confirmed that Judy Baldwin was killed with that. Additionally, there was blood on the top of the Christmas tree, indicating that Judy had been struck and her blood had been all over the place.

According to the car's module report, there was no accident as James Harold Baldwin stated, and the airbags of the vehicle from which Judy supposedly fell and died were not deployed either.

Additionally, multiple motives for James killing Judy surfaced including a life insurance policy James had taken out in Judy’s name for which he was the sole beneficiary. Allegedly, there were claims that James and Judy had a strained relationship, he had anger issues, and he was having an extramarital affair.

Forensics put the last nail in the coffin when they determined Judy’s death to be a homicide and not an accident. Investigators also concluded that James Baldwin lied about the accident to cover up that he murdered Judy.

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James Harold Baldwin was sentenced to life without parole

As per THE U.S. SUN, James Baldwin was arrested in 2018 and his trial began in October 2019. On November 5, 2019, he was sentenced to life after being found guilty of the murder of Judy Baldwin. Baldwin had appealed his case but a court panel in December 2022 upheld the murder conviction.

Baldwin didn’t plead guilty to the crime. Records from the prison show that he has been well-disciplined and has not attempted to break out.

In 2020, James Harold Baldwin started working as a Ward Keeper Assistant in prison. According to the US Sun, Baldwin has not signed up for any of the prison's programs as of July 6, 2024, while serving his life sentence.

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To learn more about this case, watch season 5 episode 17 of Accident, Suicide, or Murder on Oxygen, titled Lost Control. It airs on January 5 at 10 pm ET.