Baker found guilty

SENECA COUNTY— Jonathan Baker, 24, of North Baltimore was found guilty of aggravated kidnapping and murder with a gun specification Thursday. The charges stem from a June 2023 incident in which he is alleged to have kidnapped a 7-month-old baby, culminating in the baby's alleged murder. He was indicted by the Seneca County Grand Jury last July. Baker's trial began at 9 a.m. Monday with jury selection, Seneca County Court of Common Pleas Judge Damon Alt presiding. The defense rested its case Thursday after it finished calling witnesses. The jury heard from District V Forensic Diagnostics Center's Dr. Brian P. O'Reilly who found Baker to be competent in March and Baker's case manager at Seneca County Jail. The prosecution began its closing argument with Prosecutor Derek DeVine thanking the jury for its service. He told the jury that there were two basic decisions to make in this case. The first is to determine if the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Baker is guilty of the charges of aggravated murder with a gun specification and kidnapping. The second is to determine whether the defense proved that Baker was suffering from a mental illness or defect during the time of the crime. DeVine highlighted evidence that the jury saw during the trial such as body cam footage from two law enforcement officers, testimony, footage and photographs. He reminded the jury to think about the evidence they saw or heard regarding Baker's sanity. DeVine referred to the testimony of Amy Weber, owner of TNT Fireworks, in which she discussed her interaction with Baker and that she did not feel any concern about his behavior or comments. He also referred to Baker bringing his vehicle registration to buy the gun because the address on his license did not reflect his current address. "Does that sound like someone in an emotional freefall?" DeVine asked the jury. "Does that sound like someone in a rapid decline as it relates to mental health?" He also discussed that Baker was jailed in July 2023, however, he did not self-report about mental health issues until November 2023, nine days before his interview with Dr. O'Reilly. "The defendant wanted to hurt (the mother of the baby) as bad as he could," DeVine concluded. "How could he hurt her? He does what he knows would hurt her more than anything. He succeeded in putting her in as much pain as he could. It ended in the death of a little girl. We ask that you return a 'yes' verdict on these charges." During the defense's closing argument, Attorney Christopher Bucio discussed how the evidence pointed to Baker's insanity. He referred to the testimony of the mother of the baby in which she had said that she wanted Baker to get counseling and medication. Bucio also discussed that Baker had a history of being unwell, however, the January 2022 death of his grandfather was the catalyst for his mental deterioration. He referred to an incident in March 2022 in which Baker was threatening to take his own life, which contributed to the idea that Baker was mentally deteriorating. He discussed that the North Baltimore Police Department had urged Baker to return the baby and that there would be no charges if he did so. "You can't talk sense into someone who is mentally ill," Bucio said. "Feel free to hate the actions of Jonathan," he concluded. "I do. Understand the person, son, brother, grandson, colleague, student and athlete he is. He is a good person who would have never hurt his baby." Wood County Assistant Prosecutor Charles R. McDonald presented the prosecution's final closing argument. He said Baker's behavior did change after the death of his grandfather, but the changes were grief, not insanity. "Grief is not an excuse to kill your daughter," he said. McDonald discussed the testimony of Dr. Richard Bromberg who stated he found Baker to be insane at the time of the crime. "The defendant told Dr. Bromberg that he was uncertain if (his actions were caused by) hallucinations or intense thoughts," he said. McDonald played multiple videos taken by the mother of the baby, in which the audio of their fight leading up to the alleged kidnapping could be heard. He played conversations between Baker, the mother of the child and law enforcement later in the day. "The defendant knew (ending the life of the baby) was the only thing to keep power and control over (the mother of the baby) forever," he concluded. "Every moment in the fabric of her life, this loss will be there. His job was to protect (the baby), but he used (the baby's) entire life against (the mother of the baby). The baby's death was the physical manifestation of his anger and rage." After the conclusion of the final testimony, Judge Alt went over jury instructions with the jury. The jury then began its deliberation. Sentencing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 28.