13 Facts About Lena Baker

Lena Baker was an African American maid in Cuthbert, Georgia, United States, who was convicted of capital murder of a white man, Ernest Knight.

Lena Baker was executed by the state of Georgia in 1945.

At the time of the trial, a local newspaper reported that Lena Baker was held as a "slave woman" by Knight, and that she shot him in self-defense during a struggle.

Lena Baker was born June 8,1900, to a family of sharecroppers and raised near Cuthbert, Georgia.

Lena Baker's family, which included three siblings, moved to the county seat when she was a child.

In 1944, Lena Baker started working for Ernest Knight, an older white man who had broken his leg.

Lena Baker immediately reported the incident and said she had acted in self-defense.

Lena Baker was charged with capital murder and stood trial on August 14,1944.

Lena Baker's son had beat her on one occasion, warning her to stay away from his father.

Lena Baker said she got away from Knight that night and slept in the woods.

Lena Baker was transferred to Georgia State Prison at Reidsville on February 23,1945.

Lena Baker was buried in an unmarked grave behind Mount Vernon Baptist Church, where she had sung in the choir.

In 2003, descendants of Lena Baker's family began to mark the anniversary of her death and Mother's Day at her graveside.