An Ohio man, aged 24, has been sentenced to life in prison for the abduction of his 2-year-old daughter from his girlfriend. He tragically shot the child twice in the head and subsequently led police on a high-speed chase with the infant’s body in the vehicle.
On Monday, Judge Damon Alt of the Seneca County Common Pleas Court sentenced Jonathan Baker to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2023 murder of young Emery, according to records obtained by Law&Crime.
The judge issued the sentence following a jury’s recent verdict of guilt on counts of aggravated murder involving a firearm and kidnapping. Baker received a life sentence along with an extra 16 and a half years for the kidnapping charge, plus three years for the firearms specification.
A report from the Sentinel-Tribune reveals that Baker spoke to the court on Monday, acknowledging that the act of taking his daughter’s life was an act of “completely evil.”
Baker allegedly pleaded with Alt to “please have mercy” prior to the sentencing decision.
Nonetheless, the judge evidently found Baker’s assertions of remorse to be unconvincing.
Prosecutors emphasized that Baker’s recent display of remorse seemed insincere.
As previously reported, Baker on June 27, 2023, took his daughter from his girlfriend’s home and drove away in a bright yellow Camaro. An off-duty police officer quickly spotted the vehicle in Tiffin and followed it, keeping law enforcement informed of its whereabouts, according to police reports.
Initially, the outcome for Emery remained uncertain, yet early signs suggested a grim situation, according to authorities.
Deputies from the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, along with local police officers, attempted to pull over the Camaro after an off-duty officer provided its location. However, Baker managed to evade their initial efforts to halt the vehicle.
A collision took place shortly before 4 p.m. at a residence on Sandusky Street in Tiffin, a quaint town located approximately 55 miles southeast of Toledo.
Authorities subsequently made public the dashcam video capturing the short pursuit that culminated in the collaborative efforts of over seven officers and deputies to shatter the Camaro’s rear window in order to rescue the infant inside.
Officers administered CPR to both Baker and the girl, who were then successfully removed from the situation and transported to a nearby hospital.
Emery was discovered alive but unfortunately passed away from her injuries shortly after being rescued from the Camaro.
In unsettling 911 calls made public following his arrest, the accused, the mother of the girl, and an unnamed male — who included 911 dispatchers in the group call — talk about the situation at hand.
The unknown man also informs the dispatcher that the girl’s mother is monitoring the defendant’s phone location since “he forgot to switch it off.” The authorities were also given that information to aid in their investigations.
In a heart-wrenching 911 call, the mother desperately calls out to her boyfriend, invoking her daughter’s name: “I just want Emery.”