Man sentenced to life for murder of Gilmer woman at Florida beach

MONROE COUNTY, Florida — An East Texas man was sentenced to life in prison on Jan. 20, for the murder of a Gilmer woman in Florida. According to our news partner KETK, Billy Baker, 52, was charged and found guilty for the second-degree murder of his girlfriend. On Aug. 2, 2017, Baker pulled Candice Cooper’s body from the water on Smather’s Beach in Florida. He told police that he was swimming at a distance from Cooper when he noticed she was floating and unresponsive. The pair was in Florida on a vacation. An arrest warrant was served for Baker on Feb. 18, 2018. Baker pleaded not guilty on March 27, 2018 according to court documents.