Mark Wilson

Mark Howard Wilson Jr. was born in approximately 1990 and was 30 years old when he murdered Robert and Tayten Baker in 2020. Publicly available information about his childhood and early adult life is limited.

Wilson was in a relationship with Cynthia "Cindy" Guinan, the maternal aunt of Robert and Tayten. The couple had a young daughter together. Shortly before the murders, Wilson and Guinan were experiencing serious difficulties with their living arrangements.

On August 21, 2020, Wilson, Guinan and their 14-month-old daughter moved into a shed on the Baker family's property in Melrose, Putnam County. The arrangement was made after Guinan's sister, Sarah Baker, learned that the couple's previous rental property had serious problems, including a flea infestation and no electricity.

Wilson was given access to the Baker home because the shed did not have a functioning bathroom. This allowed him to enter the house to use the bathroom and kitchen and to do laundry.

On the early morning of August 26, 2020, Wilson entered the Baker home while Robert and Tayten were sleeping.

Twelve-year-old Robert Baker and his 14-year-old brother Tayten Baker were brutally attacked with a hammer and a knife. Both boys suffered severe blunt-force injuries and deep lacerations to their throats.

Sarah Baker discovered her sons' bodies later that morning.

Investigators recovered a hammer and a fillet knife bearing blood evidence. Wilson subsequently admitted to investigators that he had entered the house carrying a hammer and fillet knife and killed the boys.

Wilson later claimed that he believed the boys were abusing his young daughter. Law enforcement investigated the allegations and found no evidence supporting them.

Wilson entered the family home during the early morning hours while the boys were asleep and attacked them with a hammer and knife.

The murders were committed inside the victims' home and involved extreme physical violence. Investigators recovered the weapons used in the killings, and evidence presented at trial established that Wilson had entered the home armed with the hammer and fillet knife.

The Florida Supreme Court noted that Wilson's own admission that he entered the home with the weapons and killed the boys, together with other evidence, supported the convictions.

After Sarah Baker discovered her sons' bodies on August 26, 2020, investigators began examining people who had access to the home.

Wilson quickly became a suspect because he was living on the Baker property and had access to the house. Investigators recovered the hammer and fillet knife and developed additional evidence connecting Wilson to the murders.

Wilson was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, burglary with assault or battery and burglary of a dwelling while armed.

Wilson was tried in Putnam County, Florida, in October 2022 for the murders of Robert and Tayten Baker.

The prosecution presented physical evidence, testimony from members of the Baker family and evidence concerning Wilson's movements and access to the home. Wilson's statements concerning the murders also became significant evidence for the prosecution.

On October 13, 2022, a jury convicted Wilson of two counts of first-degree murder, along with the burglary-related charges.

During the penalty phase, prosecutors argued that the murders were particularly aggravated and had been committed in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner. The jury unanimously recommended the death penalty for both murders.

On January 27, 2023, Circuit Judge Howard O. McGillin Jr. formally sentenced Wilson to death for the murders of both Robert and Tayten Baker. He also received a consecutive life sentence for armed burglary.

Wilson appealed his convictions and death sentences to the Florida Supreme Court. On May 22, 2025, the court affirmed the convictions and sentences, finding no reversible error.

Wilson had been living with Cynthia Guinan and their young daughter on the Baker property for only five days before the murders. The boys' mother, Sarah Baker, had allowed them to stay there because of the couple's poor living conditions at their previous residence.

The prosecution presented evidence that Wilson believed the boys had abused his daughter. However, investigators found no evidence supporting those allegations.

The murders attracted significant attention in Putnam County because Robert and Tayten had recently moved to the area with their family. Friends and former neighbours later held memorials for the brothers, remembering Robert as an enthusiastic baseball player and both boys as beloved members of their community.

Wilson's case also involved evidence concerning his mental state. His defence presented testimony about his history of childhood abuse and drug use and argued that methamphetamine-induced psychosis could have affected his behaviour. The court ultimately rejected the mitigating circumstances as insufficient to outweigh the aggravating factors supporting the death sentences.

As of 2026, Wilson remains under sentence of death in Florida. His convictions and death sentences were affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court in 2025.

Sources:

• Florida Supreme Court
• Putnam County Sheriff's Office
• Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
• State Attorney's Office, Seventh Judicial Circuit
• Florida Department of Corrections
• News4JAX
• WCJB
• Associated Press