John Baker was born in North Carolina around 1901. On the night of January 26, 1916, Baker was shot three times by officer Rufus Beck in Raleigh, North Carolina. Baker was allegedly robbing the home of Mr. S. Glass on N. East St. at the time he was shot. He was taken to a hospital and recovered from his wounds. On February 9, 1916, he was found guilty of burglary in the second degree and sentenced to a twenty-year prison sentence. Baker was transported to Halifax County to serve his term at the state prison farm in Tillery. In 1919, he was the victim of alleged torture at the hands of prison officials. A subsequent investigation resulted in no substantive changes to the prison system.