In the cold of early January 2018, the body of 44-year-old Erik Leon Baker, a male, was discovered by a passerby in a ditch in Aurora, Colorado, near East 26th Avenue and North Himalaya Road. The Arapahoe County Coroner's Office would later determine that he had been shot in the head, and his death was ruled a homicide. For months, the case was diligently worked by detectives from the Aurora Police Department's Major Crimes/Homicide unit as they sought to piece together the events that led to
Baker's untimely death.
The investigation, which spanned several states including Louisiana and Southern California, eventually led to a significant breakthrough. Investigators sifted through numerous interviews and analyzed a substantial amount of cell phone data, including text messages and location information. This meticulous police work culminated in the arrests of three individuals. William Ardoin, 34, was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. Alongside him, 29-year-old Barbara Walker and 64-year-old Raymond Walker Sr. were arrested and charged with accessory to first-degree murder.
As the legal proceedings began to unfold, further details of the circumstances surrounding the murder came to light. According to an eyewitness, Baker had gone to a house where Ardoin and Barbara Walker were living. The witness reported that as soon as the door opened, Baker was shot in the head and his body was dragged to a vehicle. The motive for the killing appeared to be multifaceted, with one account suggesting it stemmed from a disagreement over payment for a pistol. Another possible motive that emerged was Ardoin's belief that Baker was involved with his girlfriend. Following the murder, Ardoin and Barbara Walker allegedly fled, while Raymond Walker Sr. was accused of assisting them by caring for their child and providing false information to law enforcement about their location.
