LONDON, Ky. — A man pardoned by Kentucky’s former governor for a 2014 drug robbery killing has been convicted for the same slaying in federal court after a two-week trial.
Federal prosecutors brought charges against Patrick Baker after he was released from prison when former Gov. Matt Bevin pardoned him in 2019. Baker’s family had political connections to Bevin, including hosting a fundraiser for the one-term governor.
Patrick Baker was federally charged in the case in June after being accused of "willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with premeditation and malice aforethought" killing Donald Mills during "the perpetration of any robbery and kidnapping."
A federal jury in eastern Kentucky returned a murder conviction against Baker on Wednesday.
Media reports said that verdict came after several hours of deliberations. Baker will appear for sentencing on December 21, 2021. He faces up to life in prison.
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