Community celebrates 'amazing mother' who was killed in shooting

Crimea Baker was a fixture at The Derby Restaurant & Bar in New Market.

On Sunday, the bar and restaurant held a celebration of life for friends and family to remember Baker, who died in a shooting at her house in the Lake Linganore area.

The bodies of Baker, 33, and Sean Lange, 34, were found on Aug. 25. The two had been living together.

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins has said that authorities found 42 rounds of .40-caliber shell casings at the scene.

In August, the sheriff's office said it did not have a suspect, but Jenkins said it's likely that the killer knew Baker and Lange.

When asked on Friday if there were any updates on the Sheriff's Office investigation into Baker and Lange's deaths, spokesperson Katie Robine said there was no new information or changes.

None of Baker's four children, who were also in the house that night, was injured, according to police accounts at the time.

More than 150 people were expected at Sunday's celebration of life.

The open, outdoor seating and spacious grass field adjacent provided a nice mix of social opportunities for her and her friends, and space for their kids to play.

Lindsey Hamilton, the general manager of The Derby Restaurant & Bar, described Baker as a "glowing person" who brightened every room she walked into.

She loved a glass of white wine with rockfish bites and a Caesar salad.

Sarah Duncan was a close friend of Baker's.

At the event on Sunday, Duncan described Baker as "the most amazing mother."

"She just flawlessly did it, 100% of the time," Duncan said. "Any time any of us — me and my friends — would have trouble with our kids, I'm like, 'I'm going to run it by Crimea.' Because she's going to know how to handle it."

Duncan said that one time she was in a "tricky situation." She had a young child, was pregnant and needed to move across the country.

Baker flew to Florida to watch Duncan's dogs to help with the move.

Duncan said her friend's funeral will be held in her hometown of Chicago, so the event on Sunday allowed the community she belonged to for the last 10 years to get "closure" and recognize the impact Baker had on all of their lives.

"We always hung out at The Derby," Duncan said. "The kids can play and run around and the adults can sit and hang out."

Duncan said that since Baker died, Duncan had been inundated with well wishes and messages from strangers whose lives intertwined with Baker's, if only for one prolonged conversation.

People told Duncan that even though they may have only met Baker once, she left an imprint in their lives or gave meaningful advice.

"That's just who she was," Duncan said.

The Derby's owner, Dan Caiola, organized the event to "celebrate her and everything that she brought to the neighborhood and the community."

Caiola said his "whole staff was shocked" when they heard the tragic news in August.

He said he prided the restaurant on being a family-friendly hub of the community and wanted to do anything he could for Baker's family and friends.

"It's just a community place and that's what we want to be," he said. "I've got five kids myself, so it's all about being there for the community as much as they're here for us."

Staff writer Gabrielle Lewis contributed to this story.