In November 2012, Payette-based pre-school teacher Elizabeth Baune, 45, was found fatally stabbed inside her home, which she shared with her second cousin Michael Culley, who was suffering from addiction problems, and his mother. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities learned that her death was the result of a botched burglary.
Within days, 26-year-old Culley and his 19-year-old accomplice, Jonathon Hernandez, were arrested and charged with Baune's murder. The accused duo pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and were sentenced to 45 years to life.
Murder in the Heartland will delve into the heart-breaking case of Elizabeth Baune, whose kindness backfired as she was murdered by the same person she offered shelter to. The episode, titled The Kind Sister, airs on ID this Monday, December 12, 2022, at 8:00 pm ET.
The synopsis of the upcoming episode reads as:
"In Payette, Idaho, teacher Elizabeth Baune is the pillar of her community until she is stabbed to death in her own home; townspeople suspect Baune's kindness may have been behind her death."Elizabeth Baune murder case: Five quick facts to know about the tragic death of the pre-school teacher
1) Baune's death body was found by a relative who was residing with her at the time
Baune took in her second cousin Michael Culley, 26, as a house guest to help him with his drug addiction problem. Sources stated that his mother and Elizabeth's then-boyfriend were also residing in the same house at 1619 Baker Lane, in Payette, Idaho, when the murder occurred.
Authorities informed that it was Culley's mother, Brenda Jo Cloud, who found her body on the floor and called 911.
2) The pre-school teacher was stabbed multiple times
Elizabeth Baune was murdered on November 7, 2012, inside her home during a botched burglary.
She was reportedly stabbed 29 times on her chest and head with a large kitchen knife, which was found at the crime scene, jammed into her head. Authorities claimed that even after the attack, the victim did not instantly die and tried to move a short distance before eventually succumbing to the deep wounds.
3) Brenda Cloud blamed her son's addiction for his actions and claimed she last saw her the day before the murder
Brenda Cloud allegedly stated that the last time she saw her son, Michael Culley, before Elizabeth Baune's murder was when she dropped him off at the library on November 6, 2012.
She wrote in a letter that Michael's drug addiction apparently started when he was a teenager. This addiction remained throughout Michael's adult years and was the reason behind his criminal intentions.
4) Michael Culley and Jonathon Hernandez were arrested in connection with Elizabeth Baune's not long after
In November 2012, Culley and Hernandez were both arrested in connection with the stabbing death of Baune and charged with first-degree murder. Both insisted that robbery was their primary motivation, however, each of their testimony contained assertions that were contradictory.
Hernandez claimed that Culley entered the house alone, but Culley alleged that Elizabeth was unintentionally awakened because the two of them entered the house together. Culley then allegedly stabbed his cousin Elizabeth in the back and chest using a large kitchen knife. The only factor they both could agree on was that the murder occurred during a botched burglary.
5) The accused duo pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder
Both Michael Culley and Jonathon Hernandez pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Elizabeth Baune and were sentenced to 45 years to life, respectively.
While Hernandez is being held at the Idaho State Correctional Institution, Culley is serving his sentence at the Saguaro Correctional Center, which is administered by the Idaho Department of Correction. They will both be eligible for parole in 2057.
Tune in to ID's Murder in the Heartland this Monday, December 12, to learn more about the case.
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