Ohio Man Sentenced to Life for Kidnapping and Killing 2-year-old Daughter, Leading Police on High-speed Chase

A 24-year-old Ohio man will spend the rest of his life in prison after abducting his 2-year-old daughter from his girlfriend, fatally shooting the youngster twice in the head, and leading police on a high-speed chase with the infant’s body still inside the vehicle.

According to records seen by Law&Crime, Seneca County Common Pleas Court Judge Damon Alt on Monday sentenced Jonathan Baker to life without parole in a state penitentiary facility for the 2023 murder of child Emery.

Alt imposed the sentence after a jury convicted him earlier this month of aggravated murder with a firearm specification and kidnapping. In addition to the life sentence, Baker received an additional 16 1/2 years for kidnapping and three years for guns.

According to the Sentinel-Tribune, Baker told the court on Monday that he now understands that killing his daughter was “completely evil.”

“I truly thought that day I was doing something good,” he allegedly replied, adding that what he did was “absolutely horrible.” He also stated that he believed he was suffering from a mental illness since, at the time of the murder, he had not discovered religion and “did not have God in his heart that day.”

Baker allegedly urged Alt to “please have mercy” before sentencing him.

However, the judge did not believe Baker’s allegations of regret were true. “Mr. Baker, you murdered your daughter…” “Throughout the day, you had every opportunity to prevent that crime from occurring,” Alt said, adding that it was a “senseless act” for which Baker demonstrated no genuine sorrow.

Prosecutors emphasized that Baker’s professed repentance appeared deceptive.

“That is a level of evil that is rarely seen,” Wood County Assistant Prosecutor Brian Boos allegedly told the court as he requested Baker receive the maximum term.

According to Law&Crime, Baker took his daughter from his girlfriend’s home on June 27, 2023, and fled in a bright yellow Camaro. According to authorities, an off-duty officer saw the automobile near Tiffin and pursued it, informing law enforcement of its location.

Emery’s fate was unknown at first, but early signs did not bode well for her, according to authorities.

“The male subject had indicated he was feeling homicidal and suicidal, and had made a statement to the child’s mother that he killed the baby,” the Tiffin Police Department stated in an early press release. “The BOLO also advised that the subject was armed with a firearm.”

Seneca County Sheriff’s Office deputies and local police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop after getting the Camaro’s position from the off-duty officer, but Baker was able to dodge the initial attempts to halt the car.

“The Camaro began accelerating and at a high rate of speed, erratically drove off the roadway through the front yard of one residence and crashing into another residence, knocking it off its foundation,” according to the police.

“The suspect vehicle rapidly accelerated and veered left off the roadway, crashing into a residence,” the agency stated in a subsequent press statement. “No one was in the home at the time of the crash.”

The incident happened just before 4 p.m. at a residence on Sandusky Street in Tiffin, a tiny town about 55 miles southeast of Toledo.

Police eventually published dashcam footage of the brief chase, which ended with seven or more cops and deputies working together to break the Camaro’s back window and extract the infant.

Officers administered CPR on Baker and the girl, who was then extricated and transferred to a local hospital. Emery was discovered alive but died from her injuries shortly after being recovered from inside the Camaro.

In terrifying 911 calls revealed following his arrest, the defendant, the girl’s mother, and an unidentified third male — who looped 911 dispatchers into the group discussion — discuss the situation. “Anything you’d like to say to me before I say my goodbyes?” Baker asks.

“Jonathan [Baker], what’s going on bud?” The other man asks.

The unnamed male also informs the dispatcher at one point that the girl’s mother is following the defendant’s cellular phone position because “he forgot to turn it off.” That information was also given to police to aid with their investigations.

In one of the 911 calls, the girl’s mother begs her boyfriend, using her daughter’s name: “I just want Emery.”