JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office has obtained a conviction against Jason Wayne Baker in connection with the murder of Chelsea Conway, the mother of his two children. On Father’s Day, June 20, 2021, Baker gunned down Conway while she was driving on Missouri Highway 21 in Reynolds County to pick up her children.
“As a prosecutor and as Attorney General, I am committed to obtaining justice for domestic violence victims and their families,” said Attorney General Bailey. “My office will continue to work to hold heinous actors accountable for their crimes.”
Ms. Conway was able to tell police who had shot her before she passed away. Baker recorded the incident on a mountable camera that was placed inside his vehicle. Through the efforts of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, the State was able to recover both audio and video of the defendant’s crime.
After consulting with Chelsea’s family members, the Attorney General’s Office and Baker reached a plea agreement. On May 16, 2023, Baker pled guilty to murder in the first degree, armed criminal action, and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. Several of Chelsea’s family members provided victim impact statements to the court. The court sentenced the defendant to life without the possibility of parole and thirty-seven years’ imprisonment.
The Attorney General’s Office was appointed to prosecute the Baker case after a conflict arose from the Reynolds County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Miranda L. Loesch and Kelly Snyder, with assistance from investigator Rob Jauer, legal secretary Whitney Wilson, and victim advocate Carrie Boessen.