Herman Baker, a 29-year-old male from the 1300 block of West Ninth Street in Chester, Pennsylvania, was fatally shot on January 6, 1986. The shooting unfolded at his apartment, where police found him across the doorway, bleeding from five gunshot wounds. He was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center, but he died shortly after midnight.
When officers first responded to the report of a shooting, Baker’s apartment door was open and a woman who lived there was inside. Authorities did not publicly release her name. The scene suggested a violent confrontation had reached Baker’s own doorway, leaving investigators with a homicide that quickly drew the attention of Chester police, county detectives, and the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division.
About two weeks later, on January 21, 1986, authorities carried out simultaneous early-morning raids and arrested three men in connection with Baker’s death. The arrested suspects were Bennie Wright Sr., 54, a former Chester juvenile aid officer from the 2900 block of Knight Place in the McCaffery Village project; Craig Brown, 28, of the 1400 block of Morris Place in Ruth L. Bennett Terrace Homes; and Lynott Richardson, 31, of the 300 block of East 11th Street.
The three men were arraigned before District Justice Garland Anderson on serious charges that included first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime, conspiracy, recklessly endangering another person, and firearms violations. They were ordered held without bail at the county prison while awaiting a hearing scheduled for January 29, 1986, in Chester Regional Court.
Police also said they were searching for a fourth suspect, Allan Richardson, 26, of the 1400 block of James Street. Authorities did not say whether Allan Richardson and Lynott Richardson were related, and Chester Police Chief Richard Conway declined to discuss a possible motive. The available online source information identifies the arrests and the wanted fourth suspect, but it does not provide a confirmed later outcome such as trial results, convictions, acquittals, plea agreements, or sentencing.
