Murder of the Kumari-Baker sisters

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Rekha Kumari-Baker
Born
Rekha Kumari

1967or1968(age 56–57) [1]
India
Occupation Waitress
Criminal statusMurder
SpouseDavid Baker (former)
ChildrenDavina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker
MotiveRevenge against ex-partner
Conviction(s) Murder
Criminal charge Murder
Penalty Life imprisonment (minimum tariff 33 years)
Details
VictimsDavina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker
Date13 June 2007
Location(s) Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England
WeaponKnives

Davina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker were murdered by their mother who stabbed them to death at their home in Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England, while they slept on 13 June 2007. [2] Rekha Kumari-Baker was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 33 years. [1] [3] In 2010 the BBC stated that the punishment was "one of the longest jail terms given to a woman in the UK in modern times." [4]

Contents

Murders

On the day of the murders, Rekha Kumari-Baker took her two daughters on a shopping trip to the Lakeside Centre, near Thurrock, Essex. [5]

The older daughter Davina, aged 16, was killed first, with Kumari-Baker stabbing her 39 times. The younger daughter Jasmine, aged 13, was found dead in her bed stabbed 29 times. [6] After the murder, Kumari-Baker called a friend of hers, who was a special constable, and admitted that she had murdered her children and said that she had "done something terrible". [5]

The prosecutor stated that Rekha Kumari-Baker killed the girls as a form of revenge against her ex-husband and father of the girls, David Baker. [7] The murderer had purchased kitchen knives, the murder weapons, from ASDA on 11 June. [2]

Judge Mr Justice Bean said that Rekha Kumari-Baker desired to "retaliate against David Baker and destroy the happiness in his life", but also said that her motive could not be fully determined by investigators. [8] He said that her defense was "flimsy and insubstantial". [9] The jury took 35 minutes to convict her. [10]

Council review

Cambridgeshire County Council conducted a review into the murders and found they could not have been prevented and listed recommendations for social workers in relation to the review. [4]

See also

Cases of filicide attributed to revenge against an ex-spouse:

References

  1. 1 2 "Killer mother jailed for 33 years". BBC News . 22 September 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Mother Rekha Kumari-Baker sentenced to 33 years for murders of children". The Daily Telegraph . 23 September 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Restricted access - log in required". The Times online.[ dead link ]
  4. 1 2 "Two child murders in Cambridgeshire 'not preventable'". BBC News . 8 September 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Mother: I've done something terrible... I've killed the kids". Evening Standard . 12 April 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "Mother jailed for killing teen daughters". News.com.au. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  7. ↑ Siddique, Haroon (21 September 2009). "Mother guilty of murdering daughters". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "Father tells of loss as mother is jailed for at least 33 years". The Herald . 21 September 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "33-year jail term for killer mother". Evening Standard . 11 April 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "Killer mother jailed for 33 years". BBC News . 22 September 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
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