BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — An investigation into an Angola State Penitentiary inmate’s apparent suicide attempt by setting himself on fire continues, according to Department of Corrections (DOC) officials.
Joel Baker, 62, was found behind the main prison camp at around 8 a.m. Sunday (Dec. 22) with significant burns. DOC and West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators believe the inmate set himself on fire, as an attempt to commit suicide, as there was no indication of foul play. Baker died on Christmas Eve, according to DOC officials.
Baker was serving a life sentence for multiple sex crime convictions out of Franklin Parish from 1989, including aggravated rape, sexual battery, and aggravated oral sexual battery.
DOC officials said no further information would be released at this time.
