Now, more details are emerging about the crime itself, with Baca quoted in a police report as saying that he committed the murder because his mom had been possessed by demons and he needed to "make things right with God."
The latest information comes courtesy of 7News, which obtained the affidavit. According to the station, the body of Bernice Medina, Baca's mom, was discovered early on the morning of March 28 by a family friend. Baca had called the woman on his mom's cell phone and asked that she come to the family's Lakewood home to pray.
Upon her arrival, she discovered Medina's body and encountered Baca, who told her that he'd slapped his mom because she'd been "growling and snorting."No surprise the woman quickly split, then informed the Lakewood Police Department about what had happened.
Baca, whose criminal history includes assault and domestic violence, was still at the apartment when the cops arrived, but he didn't let them inside. Instead, he spoke to one sergeant over the phone. He said he'd gotten into an argument with his mom, and before long, he concluded that she'd been "possessed by demons." In response, he claimed to have done God's will by killing her. "Tim said he was sorry, but it had to be done," the affidavit states.
The sergeant gave Baca three minutes to come outside on his own, and when he didn't do so, he and his fellows busted in to discover he'd vacated the premises. He left behind Medina's body, which was posed on a bed, her head on a pillow, her hands in her lap and blood on her face.The Jeffco coroner subsequently determined that she'd died from a severe beating; she had three fractured ribs and a broken nose, among other injuries.
Meanwhile, an alert went out for Baca -- and that evening, officers found him at his father's home. Even though he injured the hands of two cops with a knife, they still managed to take him into custody. He's currently being held without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Continue for our previous coverage of the Timothy Baca arrest, including more photos and a video. Original post, 5:46 a.m. March 31: From the beginning, Timothy Baca, 41, was the prime suspect in the apparent murder of his mother, 65-year-old Bernice Medina.
And police only had to use the most basic detective skills in order to track him down.
Yet taking him into custody wasn't easy, since he had a knife in his possession, and used it on two of the officers tasked with fitting him with cuffs.
See photos, video and details below.
The first alert from the Lakewood Police Department came on March 28 and pertained to what was referred to as a "suspicious death" that took place overnight on the 1300 block of Everett Court -- specifically a unit in the McKenzie Apartments.Here's an interactive graphic of the area near the crime scene. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."
View Larger Map
Medina's cause of death wasn't detailed in the release, and it has yet to be made public at this writing. However, Baca was deemed a person of interest in the case.
As the alert circulated, the police continued their investigation -- and that evening, they stopped by the home of Baca's father, who lived on the 1300 block of King Street.
There, they discovered a surprise. Baca was there, too.
He didn't go quietly. According to 7News, two officers suffered injuries to their hands as they rounded up Baca, who is said to have been armed with a knife.
The injuries were relatively minor, and the officers are expected to make a complete recovery.
In a subsequent interview, Baca's dad told the station his son had been crying when he arrived at his place -- and although he didn't say specifically what caused this flood of emotion, he admitted to doing something "bad." He added that Baca had a temper and had previously displayed violence toward family members, including his mom.
Baca is currently being held on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Here's a larger look at Baca's booking photo, followed by the 7News report.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
More from our Mile High Murder archive circa March 18: "Nate Tallman murder a pot deal gone wrong? Russell Britton, Moises Mendez busted (45)."
