Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - How did UCLA student Ronald Baker die?

21-year-old Ronald Baker, a senior astrophysics student from UCLA, was found stabbed to death with his throat slashed near an abandoned Los Angeles tunnel on June 22, 1990. The murder was initially believed to be a part of an occult sacrifice.

Investigators started looking for other possible motives and angles when they learned that Ronald's parents had received ransom notes. They began suspecting the involvement of his roommate, Duncan Martinez, who disappeared for two years and later confessed to the murder. He also implicated their other roommate Nathaniel Blalock.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will take a look at Ronald Baker's spine-chilling murder case. The all-new episode, titled Night of the Summer Solstice, airs on the channel this Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET on Oxygen.

The official synopsis reads:

"When hikers find a 21-year-old UCLA student's body in a Los Angeles-area train tunnel, detectives wonder if his interest in an alternative religion is connected to his murder."

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Ronald Baker died after he was stabbed at least 18 times

Police labeled the body of 21-year-old UCLA astrophysics student Ronald Baker as John Doe 135 before his identity was confirmed. As per the Los Angeles Times, Baker was found stabbed at least 18 times. His throat was reportedly slashed to the point that he was nearly beheaded in an abandoned train tunnel near Chatsworth Park in Los Angeles on June 22, 1990.

According to The Cinemaholic, Ronald studied pagan witchcraft (Wicca) and frequented the train tunnel to meditate. Moreover, when his body was found by hikers, he was wearing a necklace with a pentagram pendant and since it was right after the summer solstice, authorities believed the victim was murdered as part of an occult sacrifice.

The same report mentioned that detectives learned that Ronald was involved in Mystic Circle, a registered UCLA group also called the Bruins for Metaphysical Inquiry. They suspected the group's involvement given that the killing occurred only an hour after the summer solstice and that the tunnel was believed to be a spot for occasional animal sacrifices.

A major breakthrough in the investigation came after the victim's parents informed detectives that they received two ransom notes - one before the body's discovery and another one after - demanding $100,000, as per the Daily Bruin.

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Ronald Baker's roommates, Duncan Martinez and Nathaniel Blalock were responsible for his death

Duncan Martinez, one of Ronald Baker's roommates (Image via Bonnie's Blog of Crime)

After the information about the ransom notes came to light, detectives began questioning one of Ronald Baker's roommates Duncan Martinez, who disappeared not long after his death and resurfaced after two years with a lawyer. Duncan admitted to his role in the murder and incriminated his other roommate Nathaniel Blalock.

The former claimed that they intended to kidnap the victim and demand ransom from his parents after watching something similar on a TV show. However, their simple plan escalated when Nathaniel decided to murder their roommate.

According to Duncan's confessions, they brought him to the abandoned train tunnel, where Nathaniel stumbled while walking and Ronald made a funny remark. Nathaniel, unhappy with the joke, attacked the 21-year-old with a knife. After murdering him, the duo poured beer on the body to hide their fingerprints and threw their clothes and the murder weapon in a dumpster.

Nathaniel Blalock stabbed Ronald Baker to death (Image via Bonnie's Blog of Crime)

By the time this information came to light, Nathaniel Blalock was already serving time in prison for an unrelated robbery. His blood type also happened to match the sample collected from underneath Ronald's fingernails. Following this, Nathaniel confessed to the murder but alleged that Duncan Martinez was the mastermind behind it.

In 1996, the duo was charged with murder and convicted in Ronald Baker's killing. They both received life sentences without the possibility of parole.

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Learn more about the case on Wednesday's episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered.