Baker
Nearly six months after a suspicious death shattered the calm of Franklin’s Branigin Creek neighborhood, the man arrested in connection to the death has been criminally charged.
Johnathan Z. Baker, 50, was charged by prosecutors Wednesday with voluntary manslaughter, a Level 2 felony, in the death of long-time girlfriend Jennifer L. Lewis, 47, of Franklin.
The investigation into Lewis’ death began with a 911 call for a suicide attempt at a home on the 2700 block of Woodfield Boulevard came in the early hours of Nov. 12. Baker was inside the house with Lewis, who was deceased.
Responding officers called detectives to the scene because they believed it was suspicious. There were multiple shell casings present and the gun was placed on Lewis’ chest, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Johnson County Superior Court 2.
Lewis and Baker had become known to Franklin police because of several past domestic violence-related incidents at the home. Franklin police have responded to at least seven calls involving Baker and Lewis since 2016, some at the Woodfield Boulevard home, while others took place at a different address, according to police reports.
Detectives spoke with two people who said they received several concerning phone calls shortly before the incident. During one of the calls, Lewis reportedly told the witnesses that she was outside with no clothes on and that Baker had beaten her. Lewis asked one of the witnesses to call her back in five minutes before saying ‘he’s coming’ and hanging up the phone, according to the affidavit.
Before five minutes passed, Baker called the witness. Baker told the witness to call the police because he shot Lewis, and she was “bleeding from the head.” On the call, it appeared Baker had been drinking, as his speech was slurred, the witness told police.
Baker called back shortly after and told the witness not to call the cops. He changed his story and said Lewis shot herself, the affidavit says.
In an interview with police on Nov. 12, Baker said he and Lewis had been fighting and she had “got a couple of shots.” He also said he couldn’t get the gun out of her hands and wanted to punch her but didn’t, according to the affidavit.
Baker told police he left the room Lewis was in and when he came back, he saw her with his gun. He said Lewis told him that if he was going to leave her, she was going to kill herself. A couple of shots then went off and he reportedly said he felt a hole in the back of her head.
Baker’s version of events changed several times throughout the interview, police say. At one point Baker said Lewis didn’t intentionally kill herself, and it happened when they were “tussling.” He also said he was “maybe” touching her when the gun went off, and police say he was unable to provide a consistent statement on the struggle for the handgun and how Lewis was shot, the affidavit shows.
Detectives told Baker his statements did not match the physical evidence at the scene. He told 911 dispatchers the gun was in Lewis’ hand and told police he grabbed the gun and threw it on the bed. He later said he didn’t know where the gun went after Lewis was shot, according to the affidavit.
Baker also allegedly said he picked up Lewis’ head after she shot herself, and detectives asked how he didn’t notice the gun on her chest. After seeing a photo, Baker reportedly said he may have placed the gun on her chest.
After seeing another crime scene photo, Baker said it didn’t look like a suicide, the affidavit says.
During a search of the home conducted later on Nov. 12, evidence technicians from the Indiana State Police found three shell casings and recovered two bullets in a wall. The other bullet was later found in Lewis, the affidavit says.
ISP evidence technicians concluded that the scene had been manipulated, including the placement of the handgun. An autopsy of Lewis confirmed the manner of death was a homicide, the affidavit shows.
Technicians also did a forensic analysis of Lewis’ phone and found a voicemail of Lewis and Baker arguing. In the recording, Lewis can be heard screaming “no, no, no” and Baker can be heard saying Lewis was going to get him thrown in prison, according to the affidavit.
Near the end of the recording, Baker asks Lewis who she called. Her last statement on the recording was her saying she was going to call the police.
A warrant was issued for Baker’s arrest on Thursday related to the voluntary manslaughter charge. However, Baker has been held at the Johnson County jail on a probation revocation since the time of the incident. The probation violation stems from a domestic violence case from January 2022.
The probation revocation allowed prosecutors more time than typical to gather the records and physical evidence they needed to determine what kind of homicide Baker could be charged with, said Brandon Robinson, chief deputy prosecutor. Recently, sufficient evidence was gathered to determine voluntary manslaughter was the best fit, he said.
Voluntary manslaughter was chosen because prosecutors believe there was an element of sudden heat, which under Indiana law, downgrades a homicide from murder to voluntary manslaughter, said Lance Hamner, Johnson County prosecutor.
An initial hearing on the charge is set for June 7.
