Hewitt, Texas — a quiet town where neighbors left their doors unlocked and pastors were trusted beyond question. But in 2006, that trust was shattered when Kari Baker, a devoted teacher, mother, and wife of a local Baptist pastor, was found dead in her bedroom.
Beside her body lay a typed note — a supposed suicide letter — claiming despair had driven her to overdose. Her husband, Matt Baker, the town’s well-loved preacher, wept as he told police his wife had “given up.” But not everyone believed him.
Especially Kari’s mother, Linda Dulin.
Something about the story felt wrong. The letter didn’t sound like her daughter. The funeral was arranged too quickly. And Matt’s behavior — calm, rehearsed, detached — gnawed at her instincts. From that moment, Linda made a silent vow: she would find out what really happened to Kari.
Weeks later, as Linda sorted through Kari’s belongings, she opened her daughter’s well-worn Bible — and found something that changed everything. Inside its pages, scribbled in the margins, was a message that sent chills down her spine:
“He’s not who he seems.”
There were other notes too — cryptic reflections of fear, guilt, and sorrow. Kari had clearly been afraid of her husband.
That discovery reignited the case. With the Bible as her starting point, Linda began digging into the details the authorities had overlooked — the inconsistencies in the scene, the missing pill bottles, the absence of fingerprints. And the more she looked, the more sinister the story became.
Behind the pulpit, Matt Baker preached virtue and family values. Behind closed doors, he was allegedly having an affair with a church member — Vanessa Bulls.
When investigators finally re-opened the case in 2008, the truth began to unravel like a twisted sermon gone wrong. Vanessa Bulls, under oath, delivered the testimony that stunned the courtroom: Matt Baker had confessed to her that he planned to kill his wife — and stage it to look like suicide.
He told her, step by step, how he would drug Kari, forge the note, and make sure it all appeared “peaceful.” And that’s exactly what he did.
The courtroom fell silent as Vanessa described his cold precision. Her words echoed through the packed gallery — a man of God turned calculating killer.
Prosecutors presented chilling evidence: Matt’s lies, his obsession with control, his affair, and his eagerness to move on just days after Kari’s death. Witness after witness painted the same portrait — a manipulative pastor who had fooled everyone, from his congregation to the police.
But not Kari’s mother.
After years of rejection and disbelief, Linda Dulin’s relentless determination finally paid off. Her refusal to let her daughter’s story be silenced forced the system to listen. When the jury returned their verdict — guilty of murder — the courtroom erupted in tears and applause. Matt Baker was sentenced to 65 years in prison.
For Linda, it wasn’t triumph — it was closure.
Today, Kari Baker’s two daughters are thriving under the care of loving family members, growing up in an environment free of fear. Linda still speaks of her daughter often — her laughter, her kindness, her unwavering faith — and how that same faith carried her through the years-long battle for justice.
The story of Kari Baker is not just about betrayal or murder. It’s about a mother’s courage, a community’s reckoning, and a chilling reminder that evil can wear a mask of holiness.
Matt Baker thought he had buried the truth forever. But Kari left her confession — not in a letter, but in her Bible.
And in the end, that was the scripture that saved her story.
