In 2017, Michelle Rogers was stabbed seven times by her then-boyfriend Matthew Robertson Terry. She told a court: 'He had stabbed me seven times, beaten me quite badly, broken my nose, and given me a concussion. I said to him "Why are you doing this? I love you," and he said, "No, you don't. F*** you, I'm going to kill you."'
Terry's relatives hired an expensive solicitor who presented character witnesses, downgrading the charge from attempted murder to assault. One witness was teacher Kay Baker.
Five Years Later
On May 28, 2022, Baker was found barely alive in Lithia, Florida, with multiple stab wounds to the neck and shoulder. Police said the wounds indicated an attempt to sever her head. Prosecutor Justin Diaz said: 'Kay Baker is lying face down on the ground in the yard of her neighbour. With every beat of her heart, her life is ending.'
Earlier, Baker and Terry had drinks at a pub. CCTV showed her briefly dancing with another patron to avoid a collision. That triggered Terry's jealousy. At home, he grabbed a carving knife and stabbed her repeatedly. She broke a window, staggered to a neighbour's yard, and died before help arrived.
Self-Defense Claim
Terry cut himself and claimed self-defense, as he had after the 2017 attack. At trial, Michelle Rogers testified despite defense objections. She recounted how Terry slammed her head into the floor and stabbed her after a St. Patrick's Day celebration.
In 2017, Terry received a three-year sentence. In 2022, the jury convicted him of murder. The death penalty was replaced with life imprisonment at the request of Baker's family. Step-mother Kristine Empey said: 'We just don't want him to get out.'
