A Stalker in Cyberspace

Jake Baker was a sophmore at the University of Michigan with not a lot of friends and no sexual life. Though most described him as a quiet computer geek, the stories he posted on the Net were loud, monstrous, and horrific. He liked to write about abducting, then torturing helpless girls with knives, needles, spreader bars, drills, gasoline, and matches.

First impression: this kid needs help.

The government's first and determined impression: throw him in jail

When the FBI realized that one of the stories contained the name of a real girl--a former classmate--they called in the U.S. Attorney and mounted a case. Baker was thrown in jail. Then Judge Avern Cohn released him and sent everyone home.

Recent Updates

The U.S. Attorney's office in Detroit has filed for appeal.

An Interesting Link

• The Jake Baker Pages
  These pages contain links to local newspaper articles, relevant legal documents, the stories themselves, and anything else you might want to know about the Baker story.