When you’re in your golden years or you’ve been with your spouse for decades, the bare minimum of what you should expect is the simple act of helping to care for one another and keeping each other healthy and active as you head into your next chapter of life. Unfortunately, for one Alabama man, that was not the case. A 75-year-old attorney has been accused of attempted murder of her husband by poisoning his food and drinks with fentanyl on several occasions. Her husband did not die after these acts, but he did become physically impaired.
A grand jury in Alabama has indicted Sara Baker on multiple counts of attempted murder on her husband after allegedly trying to fatally poison him by putting fentanyl in his food and or drink on three separate occasions, People reported.
Baker was arrested in November 2025 in connection with alleged incidents that took place in September 2025, and according to court documents, she faces charges that include conspiracy to commit murder, three counts of attempted murder, domestic violence, and unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, per WBRC. According to People, the indictment states that Baker attempted to “intentionally cause the death” of her husband, James Doyle Baker.
Thankfully, James Baker did not die after the alleged fentanyl poisoning attempts, but he did become physically impaired, which is why Sara Baker is also being charged with domestic and elder abuse, People reported.
According to WBRC, Baker worked as a lawyer in Cullman County and previously worked for the district attorney’s office. In December 2025, the Alabama Bar Association suspended her from practicing law.
Baker posted $400,000 bail shortly after her arrest and remains on pretrial release ahead of her trial, per People. She has yet to enter a plea.
Practicing criminal defense attorney Roger Appell, who has no current connection to this case, told WBRC that “this is something that ‘Dateline’ or ’20/20′ would pick up. This is bizzaro in our world.” He went on to speculate that this case will likely “take a lot of time to prepare” and suggested that Sara Baker find a “really fine defense attorney.”
As things proceed with this case, our thoughts go out to James Baker and his loved ones. We hope that they find peace and some sense of justice going forward.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women’s shelter (domesticshelters.org).
