Joanne Baker, 59, and her husband, John, 62, were found dead at their home in Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Monday, Sept. 21
Credit: John Baker/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- John Baker, 62, and his wife Joanne, 59, were found dead at their home in Pembroke Pines just after 7 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21
- The deaths of John, a retired Pembroke Pines Police Department sergeant, and Joanne are being investigated as “an apparent murder-suicide”
- John was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash in 2019. His wife chronicled his progress on social media
A Florida woman killed her husband — a retired police sergeant — before killing herself, authorities have said.
Joanne Baker, 59, and her husband, John, 62, were found dead at their home in the 8300 block of Pine Drive in Pembroke Pines just after 7 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21.
Officers went to the home after responding to a 911 call “regarding two people found unresponsive,” the Broward Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The sheriff’s office said it is investigating the deaths of John, a retired Pembroke Pines Police Department sergeant, and Joanne as “an apparent murder-suicide.”
“The preliminary investigation has revealed that Joanne shot and killed John, before turning the gun on herself,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The couple had celebrated their 40th anniversary weeks earlier, the Miami Herald reported.
The cause and manner of death will be determined by the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office, the sheriff’s office said.
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John retired from the police department after he was involved in a near-fatal on-duty motorcycle crash “when a car turned in front of his path” in 2019, the Pembroke Pines Police Department wrote on Facebook.
“Following the crash, Sergeant Baker was left with critical injuries that impacted his speech and movement,” per the post. “Through perseverance and the help of his family and medical team, Sergeant Baker regained limited motor skills. Despite his accident, Sergeant Baker stayed active in supporting the community. He participated in several charity races through Special Compass, a local non-profit organization that assists children and families with disabilities, as well as the Special Olympics Torch Run.”
Joanne chronicled her husband’s recovery on a Facebook group called “John’s Prayer Army” and on a GoFundMe page, the Herald reported.
“He is always expressing his gratitude to me and our care aides for all that we do for him each day, and he regularly apologizes to me for the accident,” Joanne wrote on GoFundMe, according to the Herald. “I always reassure him he’s not to blame, but I do like knowing he understands our situation and acknowledges my struggles.”
“I know it’s not my fault, but I’m sorry,” he said, per the GoFundMe, according to the Herald.
According to the Pembroke Pines Police Department, John served with the department for nearly 28 years, working as a road patrol officer, a field training officer, a master patrol officer, a public information officer, a traffic homicide investigator, and a traffic unit sergeant.
The department wrote on Facebook that he was also a founding member of the department’s crisis response team, which assisted first responders during tragedies.
“Being passionate about traffic safety, he worked regularly with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and would often volunteer at their events,” the department said.
He was also a “dedicated father to his three children” and loved traveling and music, per the department.
“Even with the challenges he faced from his work-related injury, his joyful and positive personality always persisted,” the department said.
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