Retired Pembroke Pines police sergeant killed by wife in apparent murder-suicide

Crime admin September 22, 2026 0 Comments

Retired Pembroke Pines police sergeant killed by wife in apparent murder-suicide

Joanne and then-Sgt. John Baker’s lives changed when his motorcycle collided with a car seven years ago. He had to relearn to walk, to eat, to talk, to think. Through the years, she intimately chronicled his recovery for thousands who rallied around him.

“As many of us know, our prayers aren’t always answered the way we envision. So while John will never be ‘whole’ again or the John we all knew before his accident … he is mostly happy, engaged, understanding, considerate and gracious,” she wrote on Facebook about her husband in June 2024.

Joanne, 59, understood John, 62, needed 24-hour care despite all of his progress. From the outside, many learned of his recovery through her plentiful social-media posts.

However, something changed. Her near-daily updates became monthly highlights, then stopped altogether last year.

Now, early Monday morning, their bodies were found inside their Pembroke Pines home — police say they believe Joanne killed John and then herself; the deaths coming nearly a month after their 40th anniversary.

Grisly discovery

Shortly after 7 a.m., Pembroke Pines police officers and fire crews rushed to an emergency call on the 8300 block of Pine Drive. The 911 operator was told two people were found unresponsive, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.

Pembroke Pines officers asked the sheriff’s office to handle the homicide investigation — John retired from the Pembroke Pines Police Department following nearly 28 years of service and his on-duty motorcycle crash.

READ MORE: Deputies are investigating after finding two dead inside a Pembroke Pines home

Authorities arrived to find Joanne and John. Detectives say they believe she shot and killed him, then turned the gun on herself, the sheriff’s office said.

An official cause and manner of death will be determined by the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office.

‘I know it’s not my fault, but I’m sorry’

Baker proudly rose through the ranks of the police department for almost three decades before he was critically injured on Aug. 10, 2019, when a car turned in front of his motorcycle, the Pembroke Pines police said in a statement.

Baker was left with impacted speech and movement, but “through perseverance and the help of his family and medical team, Sergeant Baker regained limited motor skills.”

READ MORE: Daughter of cop hurt in crash: ‘We are going to concentrate on getting him healed’

Joanne shared her husband’s recovery and progress on social media.

A Facebook group called “John’s Prayer Army” grew to nearly 600 members. Many of Joanne’s updates on John can be found on the group page. She also regularly posted updates on a GoFundMe page until last year.

Joanne shared stories about how John regained his speech and was able to communicate his thoughts and needs with her — something he could not do while he was heavily medicated, she wrote in a Feb. 13, 2025, GoFundMe update.

“He is always expressing his gratitude to me and our care aids for all that we do for him each day, and he regularly apologizes to me for the accident,” Joanne wrote in the GoFundMe post. “I always reassure him he’s not to blame, but I do like knowing he understands our situation and acknowledges my struggles.”

“‘I know it’s not my fault, but I’m sorry,” he told her once, per the GoFundMe.

Outside of work, John was a dedicated father to his three children and enjoyed traveling and attending concerts alongside his family, the Pembroke Pines Police Department said in its statement. He participated in several charity races through Special Compass, a nonprofit organization that assists children and families with disabilities, as well as the Special Olympics Torch Run after his accident.

“The entire PPPD family mourns the sudden loss of Sergeant John Baker,” the statement said. “Even with the challenges he faced from his work-related injury, his joyful and positive personality always persisted.”

The Bakers seemingly continued to try to enjoy life together after the crash, with Joanne sharing about their road trips to the Kennedy Space Center, Walt Disney World, Atlanta and Key West.

Photos uploaded to her Facebook page showed the pair smiling with family members on holidays and theme parks. They posed with Stormtroopers at Disney World. Riding roller coasters together.

“We are active as always, seeing concerts and have slowly started traveling. Each trip gives me a little more confidence to try new adventures, she wrote in a June 22, 2024, Facebook post, one of her last.

Joanne wrote about how John regained his short-term memory, and even his snark and humor. He had “dad jokes” on repeat, she wrote. He had even started donating blood again.

“It is all far, far from perfect and he has his struggles, but we are doing the best we can to make the best of this altered reality (ie, crappy life),” Joanne wrote.

This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 2:54 PM.