Well, here’s a sentence you never want to read about someone who took an oath to uphold the law: An Alabama attorney has been charged with three counts of attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill her husband with fentanyl. Not once. Not twice. But three separate times.
The attorney in question is Sara Baker, who has now been hit with the sort of charge list that reads like someone shook the criminal code and let everything fall out: conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder (in triplicate), distribution of a controlled substance, elder abuse, and domestic violence.
Authorities say Baker began plotting in September, despite being married to her husband — former Auburn football player Doyle Baker — for almost 30 years. Doyle had suffered a stroke a few years ago, and Sara was his caregiver, yet according to court documents, she served her husband fentanyl “for a purpose other than lawful medical or therapeutic treatment.”
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The attempts reportedly came in quick succession, on September 4, September 12, and September 20. And despite everything, Doyle survived, though prosecutors say he suffered “physical impairment” as a result.
Even veteran Alabama attorneys are stunned. As fellow lawyer Will League put it, “It’s just sad … that someone has gone that far and is willing to go to those lengths to do something, you know, especially when they know all the consequences of the laws.” Which is polite Southern-lawyer speak for: What in the actual hell?
But there’s an extra lawyerly twist. One of Sara Baker’s clients, Felisha Nichole Cofield, was charged with tampering after allegedly swallowing fentanyl she thought might tie her to the plot. Cofield is listed as a witness in the criminal complaint against Baker.
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].