TX - Leslie Squair Baker, 59, murdered in driveway in broad daylight, Dallas, 25 May 2020 *ARRESTS*

[mysteryfan96]

See my post here in another thread—we were just discussing “murders on holidays”:

CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #8

Is the holiday significant?

Interesting thought for sure. I would be curious to see if there is any data out there on whether holidays experience a spike in violent crime rates or not. I know that some holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day can be particularly upsetting/depressing for some people.

But my guess would be that, if more more murders do occur on holidays, it’s likely more due to an availability/opportunity factor.

 

[mysteryfan96]

Hopefully by now they have collected security footage from ring doorbells etc. from up and down the street and they have something more than the grey sedan - are people moving about freely on Memorial Day in Dallas? I know it was super quiet on the streets here.
JMO

It rained pretty significantly on Memorial Day in north Dallas. So for most of the day, people were indoors and it was quiet. But the rain had passed by around 3:30 and people had begun to emerge from their homes and started to cook on their grills and enjoy the sunshine. It was far from the usual Memorial Day scene of people gathering everywhere, due both to the pandemic and the weather, but there would have been some people out and about when she was killed.

 

[Bellecent]

Was her handbag taken?

 

[oviedo]

It rained pretty significantly on Memorial Day in north Dallas. So for most of the day, people were indoors and it was quiet. But the rain had passed by around 3:30 and people had begun to emerge from their homes and started to cook on their grills and enjoy the sunshine. It was far from the usual Memorial Day scene of people gathering everywhere, due both to the pandemic and the weather, but there would have been some people out and about when she was killed.

thank you for updating us on the weather that day - so it could be she was returning from the store? I doubt she was working that day but it is possible i suppose? I am sure they will be getting phone records and may already know who she was talking to based on the information that she said she was getting robbed - I wonder if the cell phone was still on the entire time including when LE arrived? How terrible for whoever she was speaking to if true.
JMO

 

[oviedo]

Working on her media thread
TX -Leslie Squair Baker, 59, murdered in driveway, Dallas, 25 May*MEDIA,MAPS,TIMELINE*NO DISCUSSION*

 

[Inthedetails]

Hopefully by now they have collected security footage from ring doorbells etc. from up and down the street and they have something more than the grey sedan - are people moving about freely on Memorial Day in Dallas? I know it was super quiet on the streets here.
JMO

I'm guessing that neighborhood will indeed have video, but perhaps the best info it will show is what direction he fled. Then, perhaps, LE can piece together video from businesses, highway cams, etc to find where he went.

The gray sedan might be torched by now, but perhaps they can use video to pinpoint a neighborhood he fled to.

jmo

 

[oviedo]

The local Fox affiliate has images and a description posted of a “vehicle of interest” which was seen speeding away from the area at the time of the shooting:

Woman shot and killed in her Preston Hollow driveway on Memorial Day

Not a whole lot to go on with those images other than “grey four-door sedan”, but it’s a start.

hmm neighbors heard the shots and called 911?
Woman shot and killed in her Preston Hollow driveway on Memorial Day
snipped and BBM
DALLAS - Dallas police are looking for video and any leads on the killer who shot a woman in her own driveway on Memorial Day in North Dallas.

Leslie Baker was in her driveway on Royalton Drive near Preston Road and Royal Lane around 5 p.m. Monday when neighbors heard shots fired and called 911.

When officers arrived, they found 59-year-old Baker unconscious in her car. They were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Surveillance photos show a possible suspect vehicle, a grey four-door car seen speeding away from the neighborhood around the time of the shooting. Police haven't released a suspect description, but Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information.

On Tuesday morning, investigators returned to the crime scene to look for clues.
more at link

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

Killer on Loose in Dallas Murder of Well-Known Marketing Executive

This murder took place at 5 pm on Memorial Day in the upscale Prestonwood residential neighborhood of Dallas. The victim was a well-known marketing executive and was, according to acquaintances quoted in the article, very well-liked and friendly. She was shot multiple times while still sitting in her vehicle in her driveway. There had been rain storms in Dallas earlier in the day, but by 5 pm the sun was out and neighbors would have been more likely to be out and about. This was definitely a bold killing.

Although Dallas is a large city with its share of violent crime, the Prestonwood area is definitely not one where crimes like armed robbery, drive-bys, drug deals, and even murders in general take place. In fact, those crimes would be considered rare or perhaps even nonexistent there.

The article states the police haven’t announced any suspects, persons of interest, or even any potential motives. If they have any leads, they haven’t yet shared them with the media. So it would seem, without any information other than the basic facts to go on at this point, that all solutions are on the table- random murder by deranged killer, armed robbery gone wrong, robbery with the intent of killing from the get-go, murder by acquaintance, murder for hire for someone she knew, murder due to mistaken identity, etc...

The case reminds me somewhat on the surface of the Elizabeth Barrazza murder outside of Houston. There are differences, of course (time of day, age of victim, video being present in the EB murder, etc). But at the core of both cases there seems to be, in my opinion, a very personal element to the crime and a motive so strong that the killer didn’t care that he/she committed the murder under very risky circumstances.

We only have the eyewitness statement from the article to go on, but it sounds like the victim was shot/shot at multiple times. Shooting a victim 5 or 6 times (if that is in fact how many times she was shot) seems to indicate a lot of anger towards the individual, or at the very least a desire to make 100% sure she was dead.

Thoughts?

Her recent business prospects from the last few months might be beneficial and new scheduled appointments.
What was she marketing?
Did she meet her business prospects in bars where a prospects spouse might get jealous?

 

[TGIRecovered]

Her recent business prospects from the last few months might be beneficial and new scheduled appointments.
What was she marketing?
Did she meet her business prospects in bars where a prospects spouse might get jealous?

The following post contains a statement from her employer and source links. It says she was an administrator. I doubt that she conducted business in bars.

Larry Q. Robertson, president of Texas Health Center for Diagnostics and Surgery released the following statement regarding Baker’s death.

"We're shocked and heartbroken by Leslie's senseless death. I personally have known and worked with Leslie for many years, and her tragic passing is very difficult to understand and accept.Leslie was part of the Texas Health Resources family for more than 20 years and had been in her current role since 2007. She quickly became a trusted, valued member of our family. During her time here, she was a key member of our administrative team, known as an intelligent, fair and compassionate leader who kept the care of patients as her guiding light.During this tragic time, we send our heartfelt prayers, condolences and support to her husband and beloved children. We ask that everyone keep Leslie's family in their thoughts and prayers as they navigate through this tragic time."

The Dallas Police Department's homicide unit is asking that anyone with information regarding this offense, contact Detective E. Montenegro at 214-671-3624 or via email: e.montenegro@dallascityhall.com. Please refer to case #092727-2020.

Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information.
Killer on Loose in Dallas Murder of Well-Known Marketing Executive

 

[meanmaryjean]

My gut says this is personal and only disguised as a robbery.

 

[SAMS]

Were there any burglaries in that area lately? Do we know? Any thing from cameras released? MOO

 

[MimosaMornings]

If this is an elite expensive neighborhood- wouldn’t it be gated?

 

[BrownRice]

Where was she coming from? Had she been shopping? Maybe followed home from store. Similar to the Petit murders in CT. Will only be the case if her purse was taken.

Other scenarios: business rivalry, jealous love interest (hers or husband’s), life insurance beneficiary.

Or most troublesome scenario: no reason at all. Insane person.

 

[mysteryfan96]

If this is an elite expensive neighborhood- wouldn’t it be gated?

Good question!

The older neighborhoods in Dallas where the rich and famous live... Highland Park and Preston Hollow... aren’t gated. However, certain mansions like where George W Bush, Mark Cuban, and Dirk Nowitzki live are walled-in with security gates. They all live in Preston Hollow, btw. Houses in Preston Hollow range from $600,000 on the very low (and the rare to find) end to several million $$. And while Dallas is an expensive city in which to live “well”, especially when compared to all other Texas cities, it doesn’t compare to cities in California, New York, Illinois, or many others along the East coast. Anything above $750k is considered expensive by Dallas-Fort Worth property standards. You can buy a brand new 3,500 sq. ft house with every upgrade imaginable in one of the Dallas suburbs for around $500k (or sometimes even less!)

There are gated communities of mansions in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but those are all of the new build variety. And for whatever reason, the rich in this area mostly gravitate towards the old $$/historical neighborhoods rather than the newer ones. Dallas is an old city, so there just isn’t a ton of room for new luxurious gated developments to pop up.

 

[mysteryfan96]

Were there any burglaries in that area lately? Do we know? Any thing from cameras released? MOO

All I could find on the crime map was one burglary several streets away on the outer edges of Preston Hollow back in early May and another report of what sounded like gunfire (no report on what it actually was). No assaults, murders, thefts, or any other violent crime reported for that area in the last 30 days. When you stop and remember that Dallas is one of the nation’s 10 largest cities with the crime that goes with cities of that size, having only 2 minor crimes in one area of the city in a 30-day period underscores just how safe that area is typically and how truly weird it is to hear of something like a particularly vicious driveway murder occurring there.

 

[charminglane]

I'm going to take a guess and say gang initiation. So many shots fired - newbie.
Blessings to Leslie's grieving family.

 

[oviedo]

My gut says this is personal and only disguised as a robbery.

ITA - another sad statistic IMO

 

[TxGidget]

Arrests made per CBS DFW...
Sources: Dallas Police Make Arrests In Driveway Murder Of Hospital PR Executive Leslie Baker

 

[MimosaMornings]

Sources: Dallas Police Make Arrests In Driveway Murder Of Hospital PR Executive Leslie Baker

“Detectives were led to the suspects’ location after another carjacking in Richardson Tuesday night.

Sources said the arrest was made on Deerwood in Dallas and that Baker, 59, was killed during a random attempted carjacking.”

 

[oviedo]

Sources: Dallas Police Make Arrests In Driveway Murder Of Hospital PR Executive Leslie Baker

“Detectives were led to the suspects’ location after another carjacking in Richardson Tuesday night.

Sources said the arrest was made on Deerwood in Dallas and that Baker, 59, was killed during a random attempted carjacking.”

Not what I expected at all