Testimony opens in homicide trial
WAYNESBURG — Testimony began Thursday in Greene County Court in the homicide trial of a Nemacolin man charged in the death of his estranged wife two years ago.
During opening statements in the trial of 39-year-old Scott Joseph Baker, who is accused of killing Melissa Baker at her Crucible mobile home on Nov. 20, 2009, District Attorney Marge Fox told the jury that Scott Baker recruited his then 12-year-old son Nathaniel Baker to lie for him and provide an alibi after Scott Baker decided to kill his wife.
“Life isn’t wrapped up in a neat package,” Fox told the jury. She added that Melissa Baker died because Scott Baker decided it was more convenient to have her out of the way and he developed a plan with the help of his sons.
After initial interviews, Fox said that Nathaniel Baker confessed that his father planned to make Melissa Baker’s death look like a robbery gone wrong and that his father wanted him to lie and say they were home on the day of the death.
In addition to Nathaniel Baker, Scott Baker is the father of another son Brett Baker, who was at the time of his mother Melissa Baker’s death, 18 months old.
Fox said she plans to prove that Scott Baker had a cold-blooded intentional plan to kill Melissa Baker.
On the day Melissa Baker was found dead, she hadn’t shown up for work as a correction’s officer at the Greene County Prison and was found by two colleagues.
In his opening, defense attorney Harry Cancelmi said there is no dispute that Melissa Baker died and that she was killed by Scott Baker,but the degree of homicide is in question.
“It is not a question of guilt but what is there guilt of?”Cancelmi said.
Cancelmi said the only way to prove premeditated murder is to use Nathaniel Baker to say there was a plan to kill his stepmother.
Cancelmi asked how to get a 12-year-old boy to admit a plot to kill his stepmother is to give him immunity.
During testimony on Thursday morning, Monty Keys and Lisa Caltuna, who worked at the county prison with Melissa Baker at the time of her death, said they went to Melissa Baker’s trailer when she didn’t show up for work on Nov. 20 and found her body.
Keys said she was laying in the living room still wearing her pajamas and with a pool of blood behind her body. He said there was a black, semi-automatic handgun to her right, but she had no pulse. Caltuna, the medical officer at the county prison, said Melissa Baker didn’t have a pulse, but she was covered with a blanket and a pillow.
Former Cumberland Township police officer Tony Gismondi testified that he arrived and found that Melissa Baker had severe lacerations on her neck. Gismondi said he notified state police for forensic services.
In other testimony it was revealed that the Baker’s had separated after an incident at their home in September 2009 in which Scott Baker said he wanted to commit suicide and that Scott Baker was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation after that incident.
A friend of Scott Baker’s David Yekel, said he recalled speaking with his friend after Scott and Melissa separated, and Scott Baker was concerned with how much time Melissa Baker had Brett each week.
The friend, David Yekel, testified that Scott Baker was worried about Brett and he wanted Melissa back.
Chief deputy coroner Mary Lewis testified that the body of Melissa Baker had marks on the right side of the neck and a laceration on the left side of the neck, along with severe bleeding. She said the laceration was four inches in length.
Testimony was expected to continue Thursday afternoon, after the Messenger’s press time.
The trial is being held before President Judge William R.Nalitz.
Selection for the 12-person jury and four alternate jurors began Tuesday and concluded early afternoon Wednesday.