FILE – Sgt. Daniel Baker (L, Dickson County Sheriff’s Office), Steven Wiggins (R, WTVF)

[PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.courttv.com/news/trial-begins-for-man-accused-of-killing-tennessee-deputy/]

Even if a civil society were to be dissolved by the consent of all its members (e.g., if a people inhabiting an island decided to separate and disperse throughout the world), the last murderer remaining in prison would first have to be executed, so that each has done to him what his deeds deserve and blood guilt does not cling to the people for not having insisted upon this punishment; for otherwise the people can be regarded as collaborators in his public violation of justice. – Immanuel Kant

[PHOTO SOURCE: https://victimsfamiliesforthedeathpenalty.blogspot.com/2016/02/immanuel-kant-on-blood-guilt-pro-death.html]

http://victimsfamiliesforthedeathpenalty.blogspot.com/2017/02/immanuel-kant-on-punishing-criminals.html

On this date, August 12, 2021, Tennessean Cop Killer, Steve Wiggins, was sentenced to death in Tennessee. He fatally shot a Sergeant Daniel Baker on May 30, 2018.

Steven Wiggins sentenced to death for murder of Dickson County Sheriff's Sgt. Daniel Baker

Chris Gadd

Nashville Tennessean

A jury sentenced Steven Wiggins to death for the murder Dickson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Daniel Baker on Thursday after a five-day hearing in Dickson County Circuit Court.

Last week, the same jury found Wiggins guilty on all counts including premeditated first degree murder and first degree felony murder in the 2018 fatal shooting of Baker in Dickson County.

The jury arrived at the decision after about two hours of deliberation following closing arguments Thursday. Wiggins was sentenced to die by lethal injection.

Wiggins, 34, of Dickson, was convicted last week of murdering Dickson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Daniel Baker in 2018. The jury has been listening to testimony since Saturday to decide if Wiggins, who has been imprisoned at the Robertson County jail, will get a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty. The state was seeking the death penalty.

Closing arguments

In his closing argument for the state, District Attorney Ray Crouch said that testimony from the various doctors who reported Wiggins had brain abnormalities couldn’t be entirely trusted because Wiggins lied. Crouch repeatedly emphasized Wiggins’ lies to law enforcement during interrogation and fabrications when talking to the doctors.

“There is no excuse for what he did,” said Crouch to the jury, referring to the defense attorneys’ statement during the trial about their client. "We all have deficits. But they don't define us. No one test defines who we are."

Crouch then played the interrogation video again.

"That's the defendant confessing to Agent (Nathan) Neece that he had to have pliers to open that car door,” Crouch said. "He recalled this story over and over again. He was trying to mitigate what happened."

Crouch played a portion of the video where Wiggins states Baker tried to "yank his wife out of the car."

Crouch pointed out that Wiggins is not married to Erika Castro-Miles, who was in the car with him, and Baker didn’t try to pull anyone out of the car, as evidenced by the body camera.

"When is this guy telling the truth, and when is telling a lie?" Crouch said.

Crouch also plays video of Wiggins stating he tried chest compressions on Baker and checked for a pulse.

"You know that's a lie. He got out and shot Sgt. Baker from two and a half to three feet away,” Crouch said.

Crouch said Wiggins told a doctor that his brother died that day, causing him stress — however, Wiggins' brother is not dead and testified in court Wednesday.

"There are conflicts all through (the reports)," said Crouch, while adding that all the doctors are from out of state. "These reports are full of inaccuracies."

Crouch showed a slide of Wiggins’ tattoo on the right side of his torso he got while in jail, which was against jail rules.

"Ain't go not time for that" and "Death Row” were the tattooed words.

Crouch also told the court that Wiggins’ father, Scott Wiggins, is not the person being sentenced. He said the focus should remain on Steven Wiggins.

"What you heard a lot of this week sounded like State of Tennessee vs. Scott Wiggins,” Crouch said.

The district attorney said Wiggins had lived away from his father for years when Baker was fatally shot.

"Seventeen years went by before the defendant murdered in cold blood Sgt. Daniel Baker,” Crouch said. "It's about what Steven Wiggins did...today, here, now with people in this courtroom suffering from it."

Crouch then finished by showing the jury the body camera footage of Wiggins shooting Baker during the May 30, 2018 stop.

For the defense, Luke Evans argued that Wiggins, due to abuse from his father, faced long odds in life.

"The truth of the matter is that man never had a chance," said Evans, pointing at Wiggins.

Evans said Wiggins was not operating with a "fully-functioning brain" for much of his life due to the physical abuse. Evans cited the various doctor reports.

Evans asked the jury to look at Wiggins entire life and "go beyond the crime itself."

INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/dickson/2021/08/12/steven-wiggins-sentenced-death-murder-sgt-daniel-baker/8113466002/

Steven Wiggins (left), and Sgt. Daniel Scott Baker.

[PHOTO SOURCE: https://lawandcrime.com/crime/steven-wiggins-sentenced-to-die-for-murdering-sheriffs-sgt-daniel-baker/]

Steven Wiggins sentenced to death in murder of Sgt. Daniel Baker

Photo by: WTVF

Steven Wiggins appears in court on Aug. 3, 2021.

By: Laken Bowles

Posted at 11:56 AM, Aug 12, 2021

and last updated 5:10 AM, Aug 13, 2021

CHARLOTTE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Steven Wiggins was sentenced to death for the murder of Dickson County Sgt. Daniel Baker. Jurors reached the verdict after deliberating for about two hours.

During closing arguments on Thursday, the defense asked jurors to consider Wiggins' mental illness, which the state rebutted, saying much of that report was based on firsthand information from Wiggins, and he was caught lying during some of it. The defense also said Wiggins had "cognitive abnormalities" as a child, calling him "maladapted."

"I'm not asking you to forgive him. I wouldn't. You couldn't," the defense said. "All he's asking you to do is put him in a box for the rest of his life. He will walk into a TDOC facility and he will leave in a casket." "He'll be surrounded by cold steel without the warm embrace of his family and friends. That's a serious punishment."

The defense also argued that since Wiggins is medicated, he's not a danger anymore due to his lack of incidents while incarcerated. They also said the death sentence would harm his son, saying,"his son didn't have nothing to do with this."

Meanwhile, prosecutors said Wiggins had five active warrants and that Baker was executing his lawful duties to take him into custody. "Wiggins murdered Sgt. Baker to keep from being arrested," according to the state.

They also played the confession video in which Wiggins said he knew law enforcement was looking for him. He had packed and was leaving town. He confessed to giving a fake name in another attempt to avoid arrest.

"Sgt. Baker was in uniform. He was driving his patrol car. He was dispatched to that intersection. He asked for the suspect's ID. He was doing his job," the state said.

The state also presented autopsy reports of Sgt. Baker, saying that 10% of his body was covered in 2nd and 3rd degree burns. They said there was no soot material in his airways, which indicated that he was dead.

Earlier in the day, the defense argued that Wiggins has a diminished capacity to control his impulses due to his mental health and drug use. A history of family abuse was also brought up.

However, the state used his "crush your enemies" and "no mercy" tattoos, as well as a jailhouse phone call where he instructed his 10-year-old son to kick his mother in the stomach when he found out behind bars that she was pregnant, to show that he had a reckless disregard for others.

The defense argued that these tactics were prejudicial and most of the past two days revolved around whether or not some of that could be heard by a jury in a death case.

Last week, Wiggins was found guilty on all counts in the murder of Baker after jury members deliberated for just over one hour.

The jury found Wiggins guilty on the following charges: premeditated first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder in perpetration of theft, false reporting, theft of property, criminal impersonation, criminal impersonation of law enforcement, tampering with evidence, arson, abuse of a corpse.

As the sentencing phase began on Saturday, Lisa Baker, the widow of Sgt. Baker, was the final witness to speak. She gave an emotional victim impact statement, causing several jurors to cry while it was read. She spoke on how their daughter calls Sgt. Baker every night on her play phone and how he won't be around for her life's biggest moments.

Sergeant Daniel Scott Baker

Dickson County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee

End of Watch: Wednesday, May 30, 2018

https://www.odmp.org/officer/23696-sergeant-daniel-scott-baker

Wiggins was found guilty of all ten charges stemming from the 2018 killing of Dickson County Sgt. Daniel Baker.

False Report
Premeditated 1st Degree Murder
Felony Murder
Theft of Property (Patrol Unit)
Theft of Property (Guns)
Criminal Impersonation Law Enforcement: 2 Counts
Tampering with Evidence
Arson of Vehicle
Abuse of Corpse

INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.wkrn.com/news/wiggins-sentenced-to-death-for-murder-of-dickson-county-sergeant/

If the death penalty was not imposed then "wrong really has finally totally triumphed over right and all civilised society, all we hold dear, is the loser." - John Stevens, Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington

[PHOTO SOURCE: https://quozio.com/quote/hwwv7bcchftj/1092/if-the-death-penalty-was-not-imposed-then-wrong-really-has]

Jury considers death penalty as sentencing begins in Wiggins trial

Michael Warrick

Updated 11 hrs ago | Posted on Aug 7, 2021

CHARLOTTE, TN (WSMV) - The widow of Dickson County police officer Daniel Baker moved members of the jury to tears Saturday, giving a heartbreaking victim impact statement on the first day of the sentencing phase in the Steven Wiggins trial.

Wiggins, is accused of killing Sgt. Baker 'execution style' during a traffic stop in May 2018. After finding him guilty of premeditated murder Friday, the jury will decide if Wiggins deserves the death penalty.

"My life and our daughter's life can never be the same and we are reminded daily of the depth of his absence," Lisa Baker told the court. "Daniel was the very best of the best and so much more than I ever though I deserved."

Members of Baker's family have told News 4 they hope for the death penalty. As Lisa Baker closed an impassioned victim impact statement Saturday, she looked directly at Wiggins as she said:

“I’m prepared to spend the rest of my like making sure yours, Steven Wiggins, is miserable. However long that may take you better believe I’m strong enough and I’m not going anywhere.”

A jury is now deliberating in the capital murder trial of Steven Wiggins, accused of shooting and killing Dickson County Sheriff’s deputy Sgt. Daniel Baker in 2018.

Daniel and Lisa Baker have a young daughter, Meredith, who Lisa told the court calls her father on her play phone at night.

“Meredith searches the sky every night for the moon so she can blow her daddy kisses and tell him that she loves and misses him," Baker told the court.

Following Baker's statement, the prosecution rested its case for the sentencing phase. Wiggins' defense will make its case beginning on Monday.

INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2032109430273751&id=1299628893521812

https://www.wsmv.com/news/jury-considers-death-penalty-as-sentencing-begins-in-wiggins-trial/article_37c411b6-f7ca-11eb-b2b0-6b93f3e48a1c.html

Sergeant Daniel Scott Baker

(April 23, 1986 to May 30, 2018)

[PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190200664/daniel-scott-baker]

This morning on "Fox & Friends," Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke said that every murder of a law enforcement officer should be classified as a capital crime punishable by death. http://bit.ly/2hoRK9V

[PHOTO SOURCE: https://web.facebook.com/FoxNews/photos/a.184044921335.134777.15704546335/10154866789451336/?type=3&theater]

http://victimsfamiliesforthedeathpenalty.blogspot.com/2016/12/sheriff-david-clarke-wants-death.html

RELATED LINKS:

Sgt. Baker's widow to Wiggins in sentencing hearing: 'I am strong enough and I am not going anywhere'

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2033128886838472&id=1299628893521812

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/dickson/2021/08/07/jury-decide-death-penalty-life-sentence-steven-wiggins/5514768001/

OTHER LINKS:

http://victimsfamiliesforthedeathpenalty.blogspot.com/search/label/Death%20Penalty%20For%20Cop%20Killers

Sen. Toomey pushes act that would increase death penalty chances for convicted cop-killers

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=112614107621254&id=101692122046786

https://wjactv.com/news/local/sen-toomey-pushes-act-that-would-increase-death-penalty-chances-for-convicted-cop-killers

https://victimsfamiliesforthedeathpenalty.blogspot.com/2016/12/local-police-chief-wants-death-penalty.html