Suspect in murder arrested after wreck

Pickup passenger was victim’s wife

A Johnson County man wanted in a murder case was captured Sunday after the Chevrolet pickup he was driving collided with a deputy’s vehicle and landed in a ditch along Arkansas 352 near Hartman.

Robert Wayne Baker, 29, of Lamar was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the Feb. 15 shooting death of Christopher Farmer of Hartman.

Chris Farmer’s wife, Jackie Farmer, was in the pickup with Baker when he crashed, said Johnson County Sheriff Jimmy Stephens. She was arrested on a preliminary charge of hindering apprehension.

Det. Johnny Gonzales said Jackie Farmer had clothing and personal items with her at the time of her arrest, “like she was going on a trip.”

Gonzales said they were arrested near Jackie Farmer’s residence.

Baker had spent the previous several days eluding police. Stephens said last week he believed Baker was still in Johnson County.

Gonzales said Baker stole three vehicles during the time he was on the run. He said the Chevy pickup was reported stolen, but Baker said he had borrowed it.

Gonzales said two deputies in separate vehicles were pursuing Baker about noon Sunday when Baker turned the truck around and headed toward them. One deputy swerved to miss hitting the pickup head on, but the other deputy’s vehicle hit the driver’s side of the pickup,

knocking it into a ditch.

Gonzales said nobody was injured in the crash.

Gonzales said Baker didn’t have a firearm with him at the time of his arrest. He was being held Monday in the Johnson County jail in Clarksville on $325,000 bond, according to his jail booking information.

The jail log also showed Jackie Danielle Farmer, 27, of Hartman to be incarcerated Monday for hindering apprehension.

Baker was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and a warrant was issued for his arrest that day.

According to a probable cause affidavit from Matthew Foster, a special agent with the Arkansas State Police, Baker arrived at a residence on Arkansas 352 in a black Chrysler 300 on the night of Feb. 15. Gonzales said one of Chris Farmer’s relatives lived at the residence.

Jackie Farmer told police she sat in the front passenger seat of the car and Baker showed her a firearm.

After a short period of time, she got out of the car and was standing by the passenger side door when Chris Farmer arrived, according to the affidavit.

Chris Farmer walked past the Chrysler, turned around and walked back toward the front driver’s side window, Foster wrote.

“Chris Farmer leaned towards the window, and Jackie heard a single gunshot,” according to the affidavit. “Chris Farmer fell to the ground.”

Baker got out of the car and put the shirt he was wearing on Chris Farmer’s wound, Foster wrote. Then Baker got back in the car and drove away.

Baker told police he had opened the driver’s side door of the Chrysler and he was placing the gun on the floorboard, Gonzales said.

“He says he opened door and Chris hit him in the head and the gun went off,” the detective said.

But the gun was pointed at Chris Farmer instead of the floorboard, Gonzales said. He said Chris Farmer was shot in the left side of his body.

Baker was convicted in 2015 of breaking and entering, theft of property, defacing a firearm and drug charges, according to a filing in Johnson County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to three years in prison and was paroled June 6 after serving 34 months, according to court documents.