2020-06-12

A love triangle ended in gunshots on the evening of March 3,2017. Corrie Baker had been married to appellant since 2010 and the two shared two daughters. The relationship deteriorated, resulting in Corrie filing for divorce twice but remaining legally married to appellant when she began a relationship with her co-worker, Blake Thorvaldsen. The record suggests that Corrie contemplated reuniting with appellant but also maintained her relationship with Blake. The two men were seemingly somewhat aware of Corrie’s relationship with the other, though it is not entirely clear to what degree. The looming disaster came to pass after appellant, who had custody of the daughters for the night, called Corrie, who was spending the night with Blake. Corrie got out of bed and purportedly prepared to meet the distraught appellant. As she neared the door, appellant called again, apparently not alerting Corrie to the fact that he was outside the apartment door. The details of what happened next are in dispute.

Appellant maintains that Corrie came outside to pull him away from the door when Blake shot him in the arm as Blake stood inside the apartment. Appellant then claims to have turned around and opened fire in Blake’s direction, ultimately shooting him several times and killing him. Corrie’s version was different; she explained that appellant tried to force his way into the door as soon as she opened it. She and Blake tried to close the door to deny him entry but, as soon as appellant was able to get his upper body through the door, he began shooting toward Blake. When appellant fully entered the apartment, he shot Blake in the face three more times.

Though Corrie did not specifically remember Blake shooting a gun, it appears he did.

According to the forensic evidence,Blake shot appellant in the arm at some point during the altercation. Evidence that a bullet from Blake’s gun was found in the attic of the apartment building, seemingly having passed through the apartment’s ceiling, supports Corrie’s account of the respective locations of the involved parties