An Aurora man has been found guilty by a jury of shooting his estranged wife’s boyfriend three times in the head in 2014.
Jermaine Baker, 40, of the 1200 block of Cottonwood Drive, was wearing his then-wife’s dress and a wig when he went into Anthony Townsend’s duplex, crept up a flight of stairs to the bedroom and shot him, according to Townsend and Kane County prosecutors. Bullets from a 9mm semiautomatic handgun struck Townsend in the cheek, jaw and forehead, as well as his hands, prosecutors said.
A jury convicted Baker on all counts, including Class X felony attempted murder, home invasion and three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, after deliberating for about 10 hours. They returning their verdict about 9 p.m. Thursday.
Kane County Associate Judge David P. Kliment revoked Baker’s bond upon conviction, and he remains in custody at the county jail. Baker had been held on $750,000 bail since his September 2014 arrest.
Baker’s sentencing and motions are set for April 19, and he faces at least 31 years in state prison, including a mandatory enhancement of 25 years to life because he personally shot a gun, proximately causing great bodily harm, according to prosecutors.
During Baker’s trial, which started Monday at the Kane County courthouse in St. Charles, prosecutors framed him as a jealous man, while his attorney argued the state lacked sufficient evidence tying Baker to the crime.
Witnesses who testified at the trial included Townsend, Baker’s ex-wife, Baker’s former boss, and police officers.
Reached by phone Friday, Baker’s attorney, Marc Wolfe, declined to comment on the verdict beyond saying he was “not happy” with it and referencing post-trial motions. Asked whether he planned to appeal, Wolfe said, “one step at a time.”
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