Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
The murder case of Randy Baker, whose killers are now in prison, aired on Dateline NBC on June 29, 2024. The official synopsis of the episode titled “The Secret Keepers” reads, “When the death of a 59-year-old father is found to be unrelated to his ongoing health issues, police begin an investigation and question some of his family members. Keith Morrison reports.”
At first, Randy Baker‘s cause of death seemed natural, but the killers had been planning his murder for months. Those involved in his fatal shooting on August 16, 2017, were his then-wife Kelly Baker, his sister Carol Baker, and nephew Kelly Raisley. Reportedly, Raisley was the triggerman, and he also admitted to the crime while Carol and Kelly planned the murder. Investigators believed there was a financial motive behind Randy’s slaying.
Kelly Baker and Kelly Raisely are now serving life without the possibility of parole while Carol Baker is serving a 30-year prison sentence. The latest episode of Dateline NBC chronicles Randy Baker’s murder case and the subsequent investigation that led to the killers.
Where are Randy Baker’s killers now?
According to the Colorado Department of Corrections, Randy Baker’s killers are currently incarcerated in separate facilities. Kelly Baker, his wife and the mastermind of the murder plot, is serving her sentence in the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. Randy’s sister, Carol Baker, is serving a 30-year sentence in the La Vista Correctional Facility. Meanwhile, his nephew, Kelly Raisley, is in the Sterling Correctional Facility.
CBS News reported that among those convicted, Kelly Raisley was the triggerman in the 2017 murder. Authorities initially believed Randy Baker’s cause of death was natural until an autopsy confirmed that he died after suffering from two gunshot wounds. The victim’s wife, Kelly Baker, was the first to find the crime scene at his Greeley, Colorado, home on August 16. Moreover, his car was missing from the scene, per Oxygen. Detectives then investigated for months before discovering that the perpetrators were close to home.
How were Randy Baker’s killers caught?
According to the Coloradoan, detectives used cell phone records, interviews with witnesses, and a stolen car to find Randy Baker’s killers. Randy’s nephew, Kelly Raisley, fatally shot him twice inside his Greeley home before stealing his Pontiac. Raisley’s mother, Carol, who was also the victim’s sister, had told him to get rid of the vehicle but later handed it over to two other individuals, who “washed down” and “abandoned” the car after learning of its connection to the homicide.
Oxygen reported that detectives learned about the whereabouts of Randy’s vehicle through a Facebook ad. They eventually linked it to Carol Baker and, using digital evidence, also learned of her close bond with the victim’s wife, Kelly Baker. Authorities also learned that Carol was the last person to have visited Randy’s house before the murder. The same trail of digital evidence eventually led them to Raisley, who turned out to be the triggerman.
Kelly Raisley later admitted that he committed Randy Baker’s murder after his wife Kelly Baker agreed to pay him money, per CBS News. The amount was somewhere between $10,000 and $13,000. Additionally, she gave Raisley Randy’s motorcycle. While in custody, the shooter also alleged that Kelly and Carol had manipulated him.
As one of Randy Baker’s killers, Raisley pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in exchange for life without parole. By accepting the deal, he avoided getting the death penalty. Randy’s wife, Kelly, stood trial on first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder charges. A jury convicted her on both counts, following which she received a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole. Elsewhere, the sister, Carol Baker, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. She got a 30-year prison sentence.
