CHARLOTTE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Steven Wiggins was found guilty on all counts in the murder of Dickson County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Daniel Baker after jury members deliberated for just over one hour.
The jury found Wiggins guilty on the following charges: premeditated first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder in perpetration of theft, false reporting, theft of property, criminal impersonation, criminal impersonation of law enforcement, tampering with evidence, arson, abuse of a corpse.
Baker's widow, Lisa Baker said she's been carrying a heavy load for the past three years and that hearing the verdict lifted a weight off of her.
"Some people obviously had some tears, you know, but I, I had some sort of sense of relief. I couldn't help but smile a little bit but I know this is just one part of many parts; so we're gonna keep going," Baker said.
During that time, she said she's received support from her friends, family and commuity.
"I thank everyone for their support, and your continued prayers and this is just one part of the journey so we're going to keep going and keep praying," Lisa said.
Dickson County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe was also glad to finally hear the verdict, but it wasn't without some mixed emotions.
"It's not something I feel like I can celebrate. I think it's just part of a process - we still don't have closure we have to go through the sentencing phase and then the hardest part," the sheriff said.
Wiggins' sentencing hearing will begin Saturday morning. Lisa says Wiggins should receive the death penalty.
"Ultimately you reap what you sow. I feel in this case a definitely assault on law enforcement officer and there should be consequences and that should be death."
Watch verdict below:
Closing arguments: Wiggins’ defense says it was not premeditated saying ‘6 minutes he does nothing, now we’re talking seconds when the plan was hatched.’ @nc5
— Alexandra Koehn (@NC5_AKoehn) August 5, 2021
After closing arguments ended, Wiggins took the stand and said he declined to testify.
Wednesday marked day three of Wiggins’ trial in Dickson County. He’s accused of killing Sgt. Daniel Baker during a traffic stop back in 2018.
Medical Examiner Dr. Feng Li took the stand Wednesday and went through the autopsy report of Sgt. Baker.
Earlier in the day, jurors saw Wiggins’ confession video, in which he said he pulled the trigger. He also told agents that he told the woman with him to “get away from me, I’m a monster.”
While watching the confession video, there was a glitch. Some jurors may have heard something they weren't supposed to hear, which prompted the defense to ask for a mistrial.
However, Judge David Wolfe ruled the trial could proceed and went to a recess to review the video to make sure the right sections were redacted.
