Baker Sentenced to 85 Years for Fayette County Murders, Home Invasions

The Loogootee man who was a teenager when convicted of two murders in the small Fayette County community Monday was sentenced to 85 years in prison for the murders and for two counts of home invasion.

Clifford Baker was 15 years old at the time of the murders of Mike Mahon and Deb Tish in their home in 2010. He was convicted of the murders and of entering their home and the home of another neighbor the following year. Baker was sentenced to natural life in prison without possibility of parole.

The US Supreme Court later ruled that life without possibility of parole for those under age 18 is unconstitutional, and declared that ruling was retroactive, meaning Baker's sentence was thrown out. His convictions remained in place, though, so Baker has remained in prison while awaiting the resentencing.

Following about 90 minutes of testimony Monday morning, Judge Allan Lolie took 20 minutes to finalize the sentence.

The judge sentenced Baker to 37-1/2 years in prison on each of the murder counts, and those sentences will run one after the other. Baker was also sentenced to 10 years in prison on each of the home invasion counts and those will run concurrently, but will follow the two murder terms. The home invasion sentences do qualify for day-for-day good time, but the murder counts do not, meaning Baker will have to serve both of the full murder terms.