Baker pleads guilty, sentenced to life in prison for 2013 murder

A Springfield man set to go on trial Tuesday for the killing a woman took a plea deal and was sentenced to life in prison.

Ryan Baker, 28, pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated murder charges in the June 2013 death of 33-year-old Alana Spink. Baker was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years served, said Clark County Prosecutor Andy Wilson.

Baker was arrested on murder charges three days after Spink’s body was spotted on the ground by a passerby on the 2100 block of West Jefferson Street in Springfield on June 29. The man also observed Spink’s shirt was ripped and her body was bloody. People nearby tried to assist Spink until police and medics could arrive on the scene.

A second call was made to police and in that call Spink can be heard in the background saying, “Someone beat me up.” Spink also told the 9-1-1 emergency dispatcher and police that she had no idea who beat her and she couldn’t give them a description of the suspect. She was first taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center and then flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where she died the next day of blunt force trauma, according to initial investigation reports.

Investigators said Baker ran over Spink with his car.

Baker had served three years of prison time on second degree felony robbery charges and was released in 2012. Less than a year later, he was arrested on aggravated murder charges for Spink’s death.

About the Author