A tragic crime has unfolded in Charlotte, North Carolina, shaking the community as details emerge. Frezja Matisse Baker, a 31-year-old mother, was reported missing last month after she dropped her 2-year-old son off with his grandparents. Surveillance footage captured her at a gas station, but she never made it to her next destination. Authorities found her body days later, unresponsive in her car, leading to the arrest of Lorenza Thomas Inman Jr., a man with a violent criminal history.
Inman, 38, has a record stretching back nearly two decades, with a dozen arrests. He previously served only two years of a 12-year sentence for attempted first-degree murder before reentering society in 2016. This raises troubling questions about the justice system’s handling of violent offenders. As Baker’s death highlights, early release decisions can have dire consequences. “He hollering ‘Mommy, Mommy,’” said Baker’s aunt, Evette Swanson, in a heart-wrenching recount of the young boy searching for his mother. “He looking for Mommy, but Mommy not there.”
The grief over Baker’s passing is compounded by anger about Inman’s past. Many have taken to social media to express outrage, pointing out the systemic failures that allowed someone with Inman’s history of violence to roam free. One post captured the sentiment, calling attention to the fact that Inman was on the streets despite his lengthy criminal history. It said, “He SHOULDN’T have been out.”
Authorities continue to investigate the precise cause of Baker’s death while the community grapples with loss. Her family is left to mourn, especially her son, who will grow up without his mother. “I just hate that she is gone. I hate that,” her father Freddie lamented, describing his daughter as “sweet, kind, lovable.”
This incident has reignited conversations about North Carolina’s criminal justice policies, particularly the practice of releasing inmates before they have completed their sentences. Critics argue that the push for decarceration can compromise public safety, allowing violent offenders back into the community without proper oversight. As one retired law enforcement officer bluntly put it, “When someone with a proven history of violence is allowed back out with so little accountability, you’re gambling with lives.”
While investigations continue, Baker’s family faces a heartbreaking holiday season with their loss. The young mother’s death serves as a stark reminder of the potential risks posed by lenient policies on violent offenders. For now, unanswered questions hang in the air, and a community grapples with grief and anger in the wake of a tragedy that should have been preventable.
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