Suspicions on Lou Ann
As it was said before, Lou Ann’s attitude was suspicious all the way. Her bitter relation with her husband was well-known by the time, but being so upbeat and cheerful in Jerry’s funeral? There was a missing piece.
Even more, she didn’t appear on court a single day of the trial. Not for Jerry, not for her best friend. Not even on the day of the verdict. She was the great absent in the courtroom.
Further strangely, the prosecutor’s theory was that both Lou Ann and Debra were confabulated in a conspiracy to murder Jerry for his inheritance and life insurance money. Debra was found guilty, but why was not Lou Ann investigated? It felt frightening that two women could carry out a homicidal scheme and walk free with such ease. …show more content…
“I talked to jurors about why they would give her probation. They said they felt she was the scapegoat, that the widow was the one who had committed the crime.” So if the DA had prosecuted Lou Ann at the same time than Debra, the outcome might have been to be different.
Another problem is that as Jerry was never able to investigate if the money robbery was conducted by Debra Lynn Baker herself, the prosecutor could not use that as a motive. Rather, he used a much more wobbly motive: that Debra killed Jerry Sternadel so he could not divorce Lou Ann and she wouldn’t lose her rights to Jerry’s inheritance. Yet, the jury could not deny the fact that arsenic was found in a storage unit owned by Debra Lynn Baker under a false identification, which made it suspicious. But they believe she was a stooge rather than the leader of the operation. The sentence was called a “Travesty of justice” by the DA.
Still, it’s clear he made a big mistake by not charging Lou Ann Sternadel for murder, too.
Justice gets served… Sort of
So Debra Lynn Baker walks free with a little probation sentence and Lou Ann with mere suspicion and Jerry Sternadel’s …show more content…
She was 56 years old by the time. Becky Sternadel, Jerry’s oldest daughter, said she was going to continue seeking justice for her father. "No, I don't think justice has been served (…) Texas prides itself on being hard on crime yet a convicted murderer gets ten years probation" She also declared to News Channel 6 "The criminal justice system in Texas has failed the Sternadel family since 1990"
"All my friends, my family, my mother, we all sent in protest letters to make sure she served all her time in prison and that's what she did. She served every single day," Becky Sternadel declared to the press the day Baker was freed.
But Becky inherited some of her father’s character and stubbornness and said she would keep brawling until every person involved in her father’s homicide is put in prison. "I don't honestly know what my reaction would be if I ever was to actually see her face to face but I did write her a letter to her in prison. I don't know if she got the letter or not. I told her I would never stop ever until she serves the rest of her life in
As it was said before, Lou Ann’s attitude was suspicious all the way. Her bitter relation with her husband was well-known by the time, but being so upbeat and cheerful in Jerry’s funeral? There was a missing piece.
Even more, she didn’t appear on court a single day of the trial. Not for Jerry, not for her best friend. Not even on the day of the verdict. She was the great absent in the courtroom.
Further strangely, the prosecutor’s theory was that both Lou Ann and Debra were confabulated in a conspiracy to murder Jerry for his inheritance and life insurance money. Debra was found guilty, but why was not Lou Ann investigated? It felt frightening that two women could carry out a homicidal scheme and walk free with such ease. …show more content…
“I talked to jurors about why they would give her probation. They said they felt she was the scapegoat, that the widow was the one who had committed the crime.” So if the DA had prosecuted Lou Ann at the same time than Debra, the outcome might have been to be different.
Another problem is that as Jerry was never able to investigate if the money robbery was conducted by Debra Lynn Baker herself, the prosecutor could not use that as a motive. Rather, he used a much more wobbly motive: that Debra killed Jerry Sternadel so he could not divorce Lou Ann and she wouldn’t lose her rights to Jerry’s inheritance. Yet, the jury could not deny the fact that arsenic was found in a storage unit owned by Debra Lynn Baker under a false identification, which made it suspicious. But they believe she was a stooge rather than the leader of the operation. The sentence was called a “Travesty of justice” by the DA.
Still, it’s clear he made a big mistake by not charging Lou Ann Sternadel for murder, too.
Justice gets served… Sort of
So Debra Lynn Baker walks free with a little probation sentence and Lou Ann with mere suspicion and Jerry Sternadel’s …show more content…
She was 56 years old by the time. Becky Sternadel, Jerry’s oldest daughter, said she was going to continue seeking justice for her father. "No, I don't think justice has been served (…) Texas prides itself on being hard on crime yet a convicted murderer gets ten years probation" She also declared to News Channel 6 "The criminal justice system in Texas has failed the Sternadel family since 1990"
"All my friends, my family, my mother, we all sent in protest letters to make sure she served all her time in prison and that's what she did. She served every single day," Becky Sternadel declared to the press the day Baker was freed.
But Becky inherited some of her father’s character and stubbornness and said she would keep brawling until every person involved in her father’s homicide is put in prison. "I don't honestly know what my reaction would be if I ever was to actually see her face to face but I did write her a letter to her in prison. I don't know if she got the letter or not. I told her I would never stop ever until she serves the rest of her life in