Man accused of killing Charlotte mother has history of domestic violence

CHARLOTTE — A man accused of killing his girlfriend and leaving her body and car behind a west Charlotte church was never sentenced on previous domestic violence charges.

Court records say Lorenza Inman was arrested several times over the years.

He is currently in the Mecklenburg County Jail under no bond.

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Friday night the 38-year-old man was arrested in Maxton where he has family. He’s accused of taking the life of Frezja Baker, a mother who disappeared about a week ago and whose body and car were found at an abandoned church in west Charlotte.

“These guys abuse because they can,” said Bea Cote of Impact Abuse Prevention. “Because they believe they are entitled to.”

On Saturday Channel 9’s Glenn Counts caught up with Cote by phone. She operated the Impact Abuse Prevention service which helps abusers change their ways.

We’ve learned that Inman has a lengthy history when it comes to domestic violence. In 2017 he was charged with attempted murder. In 2021 he was charged with habitual misdemeanor assault and was accused of threatening a victim from jail. He wasn’t given an active sentence. Instead he was placed on probation for two years and ordered to participate in a domestic violence prevention program.

“When you have a serial offender like this, the chances are really slim that they are gonna take the opportunity,” said Cote. “So what we have to do is hold them accountable criminally.”

Cote said there is help for abusers, but a case like Inman’s shows that the system doesn’t take domestic violence seriously enough.

“A car break-in, that’s clear and clean, right? We’re not going to victim blame with that, but when we have domestic violence we still have a community that’s thinking, ‘Well, you know what did she do really to deserve this?’” said Cote.

In the Baker case, Inman is charged with murder, assault on a female and domestic violence. He’s scheduled to have his first court appearance on Monday.

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