Trial for Bolivar man charged in child’s death moves to Cedar County
CEDAR COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - The trial for Chad Baker, a Bolivar man charged in a child’s death in August 2020, will move to Cedar County.
Baker, who was once ruled unfit to stand trial, will next appear in Polk County court on May 16 for a bond hearing. His trial could potentially run from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, 2022, per court records.
Baker faces charges of first-degree murder, domestic assault and armed criminal action in the death of the child. Family found the child dead outside his grandparents’ home in Bolivar on August 16, 2020. Investigators say his father attacked him outside a barn and he suffered serious blunt force trauma to the head.
Cedar County court documents state that Baker was charged twice over the past few years with endangering the welfare of a child when he lived with two sons in the Stockton area.
Investigators say Chad Baker suffers from schizophrenia and that they had concerns in the past about the child’s safety.
Baker’s lawyer released further information on his mental state. In Dec. 2020, lawyers looked into his past trauma from a vehicle wreck and signs of schizophrenia.
“Chad was involved in a horrific vehicle accident when he was on his way home from work and totaled his truck and he was transported to the hospital,” said Lacon Smith, Chad Baker’s lawyer. “Chad’s injuries went untreated and as a result he suffers from a Neurocognitive Disorder.”
Baker has been ordered to custody of the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
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