Eric Javah Baker, 22, of Lake City entered a plea of no contest to four charges resulting in the death of Christopher Alvord from Salina, Kansas last year in Gainesville.
The charges included: vehicular homicide with failure to render aid, a second-degree felony; leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a first-degree felony; reckless driving, a third-degree felony; and fleeing and failing to obey law enforcement officers, a third-degree felony. Baker's plea results in a guilty adjudication on all counts.
According to a Gainesville Police Department arrest report, Baker collided with a Dodge sedan after fleeing an attempted traffic stop on July 26, 2024. The collision happened at the intersection of NW 10th Ave and NW 6th St, killing the driver of the sedan, Christopher Alvords, who moved to Gainesville after high school and seriously injuring three people riding in Baker’s car.
“He was driving a car he had never driven before, and he realized after the accident the pain that he had caused,” the defendant’s attorney said during the plea hearing.
Despite Baker suffering from an apparent broken ankle, as mentioned in the arrest report, he ran from the scene and attempted to hide in the yard of a property. Eventually, Baker was located by a GPD K-9 officer and taken into custody.
David J. Margulies, special prosecutor for the major crimes unit at the state attorney’s office, shared details of the damages Baker caused during the hearing.
“Baker was on probation at the time, with a driver license suspended, driving around 111 mph, running a red light, fleeing the police, refusing to stop. This wasn’t a drunk driving case, he was completely conscious of what he was doing. The vehicle parts were 30 feet away from the scene of the crash, some of the worst pictures I’ve seen in my career,” Margulies said.
Christopher Alvord’s mother and father said they drove almost 19 hours from Kansas, where they live, to address the court.
“The death of your child impacts your whole life. He was a good son, he loves cars and video games. My son was all about helping other people. I continuously ask myself, ‘why, what was the reason for this to happen?’ and there is no reason at all,” said Jeromy Alvord, the victim's father.
Mr. Alvord said besides losing his son, the hardest part was telling his family about it after his grandparents were killed by a drunk driver. “So it’s been very hard for the entire family to know and understand that this happened to Christopher,” Alvord said.
“My son died when hurricane Debby was approaching Florida so I had to wait 15 days to be able to bring my son back to Kansas and put him to rest. Judged please consider the pain and all the birthdays I won’t get to spend with my son moving forward,” Alvord shared.
McKensey, Christopher’s sister, was not present in court but a statement from her was read by the prosecution: “After what happened to my brother, I feel like my whole world has been falling apart. Watching my mom and dad go through this is hard and as a family we will never be the same. The person that killed my brother should be in jail as long as possible. In the end, all we can do is try to figure out how to live without Chris."
As part of the plea deal, the state asked for 25 years in the department of corrections followed by probation, 120 hours of community service and at least three years of driver's license suspension. Robert A. Rush, the defendant’s public attorney, asked for a maximum of ten years in the department of corrections, arguing in front of the judge that 25 years is a lot for the defendant who had shown remorse for the incident and is a young man with a life ahead of him. Rush also gave words of condolences to Christopher's parents by acknowledging them in the court benches.
Judge David P. Kreider sentenced Baker to 15 years in state prison, followed by ten years of probation. If probation is violated, he could face 15 more years in prison. In addition, Baker should complete 120 hours of community service, pay court fees and not carry any firearm or weapon. Baker avoided a maximum of 55 years in prison for all counts and has 396 days credited to his serving time.
“You did turn something small into the death of a young person. I appreciate that you didn’t put this family into a trial and you actually take responsibility for your actions. You are going to come out of prison either being a different person or facing me again or another judge,” Judge Kreider said.
At the moment of the incident, Baker did not have a valid driver's license. With an extended record, his first suspension was in 2020 and then in 2021 it was indefinitely suspended after failing to appear for traffic summons. Later that year, his driver's license was indefinitely cancelled. Additionally, Baker had an active state-wide extradition felony warrant out of Columbia County for possession of a controlled substance.
Baker, a.k.a. Raw Youngin, is a rapper with an online presence on various audio and video platforms. “From the Block” was his first single released in 2021 with a 2022 album debut titled “386 Landlord”.
In 2023, Raw Youngin collaborated with artist DJ Khaled in a song called “Supa Ties”, receiving more than two million streams on Spotify, released by Epic Records, a music label owned by Sony Music Entertainment.
WUFT attempted to contact Epic Records in request of comment regarding Raw Youngin’s music career but no response was obtained.
According to social media, Raw Youngin is represented and managed by Deeppocket Music Group and its owner Rick Smith. According to the Florida Division of Corporations, the company has been inactive since 2024 despite an active Instagram account, last posting in June of this year.
WUFT wrote Deeppocket Music Group via social media but did not receive a response.
Baker addressed the court by saying, “I am sorry to the family, no words can undo the pain that my actions have caused. Nothing justified the danger that I created but I didn’t intend to damage anyone. I accept full responsibility and since that day I have constantly thought about the pain I’ve caused. I cannot change the past but I can commit to not doing anything like that ever again. I am so sorry for the accident. My apologies can never be enough."
When asked if Baker’s plea brought closure or peace, Jeromy Alvord said, “There is nothing like burying your kid. All I know is I will never get him back."
