Episode 322

Summary

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Sword and Scale – Episode 322 Summary

Date: October 13, 2025
Host: Mike Boudet
Main Theme:
A harrowing true crime story of attempted murder, family court dysfunction, and the insidious lengths one woman went to for greed. This episode follows Baron Lee, a car salesman and father, who is ambushed and shot nine times outside his Washington home. As he survives against the odds, the police unravel a plot reaching back years—one steeped in custody battles, medical abuse, and a murder-for-hire orchestrated by his ex-wife. The story serves as an indictment of the family court and social services systems, while exploring resilience, fatherhood, and the lived reality of domestic abuse against men.

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1. The Attack on Baron Lee

Timestamps: 01:04–16:09

• Setting and Incident:
  Mike Boudet sets the scene in the tranquil suburb of Bellevue, Washington, shattered one summer morning by gunshots that leave Baron Lee fighting for his life in the apartment parking lot.

• 911 Calls and Immediate Chaos (01:48–06:22):

  • Multiple frantic 911 calls are played; neighbors and Baron's wife Dee Dee Fomoon describe the gunshots and chaos.
  • Dee Dee, trembling, tries to help her bleeding husband:

    “My arms are shot, Mama. Literally. My chest.” – Baron Lee relayed by Dee Dee (00:44, 03:25)

  • A neighbor uses a first aid kit; the shooter is described as slim, in a gray hoodie, green gloves, who picked up his own shell casings before fleeing.

• Baron’s Account of Surviving (10:45–16:09):

  • Baron recalls the ambush, misunderstanding the first shot for a firework until he sees his attacker—a masked figure in green gloves—“just shooting at me.” (11:35)
  • He shields himself behind the car and under the steering wheel:

    “If they’re going to shoot me, they got to shoot my body or my legs, not any fatal parts, hopefully.” (13:27)

  • Baron's wife and neighbors rush to his side as he prepares for death, asking Dee Dee to look after their kids.

• Medical Details:
  Barron is shot nine times—arms, legs, hip, and chest. Despite being written off for dead, surgeons save him, and Barron miraculously survives.

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2. Investigation and Early Suspicions

Timestamps: 16:09–29:58

• Initial Suspects (16:09–19:37):

  • Under police protection in the hospital, Baron instantly suspects his ex-wife, Sharon Kelly:

    “When they interviewed me the first time, I basically said that it was Sharon. Without a doubt, it was her.” – Baron Lee (16:49)

  • Dee Dee and police initially dismiss this.

• Key Evidence and The Getaway Car (19:37–33:21):

  • Police obtain CCTV, identify a red Ford F-series truck as the getaway vehicle, and trace it to Arthur Mendez—and then his teenage son, Quincy.
  • Tracking traffic cams, they see a passenger (the shooter) with a gold chain, tucking his seatbelt under his arm.

• The Teenage Accomplices (33:21–43:47):

  • Detectives identify Quincy’s friend Joseph Good as the probable shooter.
  • Interrogations show neither teen realizes the seriousness of their crime, and Joseph quickly “lawyers up.”
  • An investigation into their digital lives turns up evidence of Joseph purchasing a GPS tracker—found still attached to Baron’s car, registered to Sharon Kelly.

    “I want to reactivate that device... I would like to reactivate it.” – Sharon Kelly on call with GPS company (37:31)

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3. The Plot Uncovered: Sharon Kelly’s Role

Timestamps: 37:31–62:22

• The Murder-for-Hire Arrangement (40:40–45:29):

  • Quincy claims he was high on “shrooms” but agreed to drive Joseph to Bellevue for $5,000, with Joseph to receive $13,000—money promised by Sharon.

    “He told me at the end, like, do you want five grand? … That was it.” – Quincy Mendez (41:11)

• Police Find Smoking Gun Evidence:

  • Texts and emails connect Sharon to the plot and payment arrangement.
  • Detectives arrest Sharon; she doesn’t feign ignorance but screams for her lawyer.

• A Pattern of Attempts & Abuse (47:44–56:42):

  • Baron details Sharon’s previous attempts to kill him—including running him over twice (“she had me on her hood and … drove, you know, a couple hundred yards before I was able to roll off the car and get away from her.” – Baron Lee, 47:44) and repeated abuse and neglect of their special-needs son, Eric.
  • Sharon was diagnosed with Munchausen by proxy after seeking unnecessary medical interventions for Eric, culminating in a do-not-resuscitate order.

• The Broken System:

  • Courts side with Sharon again and again despite warnings from nurses, social workers, and Barron himself.

    “The family court system ignored it all … the courts never listened.” – Baron Lee (58:43)

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4. Motive and Fallout: Greed and Custody

Timestamps: 54:57–64:30

• Financial Motive:

  • Sharon’s primary motivation was to gain sole custody of Eric and access to his seven-figure settlement in a special needs trust.

    “She thought she would have access to it.” – Baron Lee (59:50)

  • The trust is structured so that even with sole custody, Sharon would not receive a windfall.

• Custody Battles and Legal System Critique:

  • Despite Sharon’s conviction, Baron still struggles to gain full legal custody.

    “Technically, Sharon still has custody. …So I can still fight for custody. I still don’t have custody.” – Baron Lee (63:59)

  • Barron rails against the incompetence and bias of the family court and child protective services.

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5. Resolution, Reflection, and Life After

Timestamps: 60:56–End

• Justice Served?

  • Joseph Good: 13 years in prison.
  • Quincy Mendez: 8 years in juvenile detention.
  • Sharon Kelly: Accepts plea deal, gets around 13 years—less than the would-be hitmen, and less than prosecution sought.

    “She deserves a lot more than what she was given.” – Baron Lee (63:32)

• Baron’s Second Chance:

  • Surviving the shooting gave him credibility and a platform to highlight the challenges men face in family law.

    “As horrible as you may think that the shooting was, [it] was the best thing that happened to me. The shooting gave me a voice. A lot of men go through this and this is one of the hardest things as a man sitting on an island by yourself.” – Baron Lee (60:56)

• Ongoing Advocacy:

  • Now on the advisory board of Route 21, a nonprofit for foster children; advocating for legal reform to protect fathers and vulnerable children.
  • Baron’s daily efforts are for his son Eric, and the family Sharon tried to destroy.

• Lingering Threat:

  • Sharon will be released when Eric is legally an adult. Barron fears for his son’s future and their safety when she is freed.

    “In 2036, she’ll be out. Free to roam, free to plot. … in 13 years, he’ll need to disappear before she finds him again and does even worse.” – Mike Boudet (64:30)

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Notable Quotes & Key Moments

• On Survival:

  “Total nine shots … I end up pulling myself behind the car door while the person’s firing at my car, riddling it with bullets. … I decide I’m going to throw my head and body under the wheel well.” – Baron Lee (10:59, 12:21)

• On The Attack's Aftermath:

  "Every time I'm breathing, is this my last breath? … Am I dead now? You know, that type of thing." – Baron Lee (14:38)

• On Broken Systems:

  “They said that … we just need to learn to co-parent better.” – Baron Lee recounting police and family court responses (48:29)

• On Motive:

  "She was after Eric ... It looked to me like she wanted him to die, but in a way that no one was going to question her." – Baron Lee (58:10)

• On Sentencing:

  “She should get 165 … months which allow me to set up guardianship … Eric will already be 18 by the time she gets out.” – Baron Lee (62:22)

• On Needing to Flee Again:

  “Maybe he'll move to another state, another country, whatever it takes. Because in 13 years, he'll need to disappear before she finds him again and does even worse.” – Mike Boudet (64:30)

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Episode Structure (Timestamps Highlights):

• [01:04] Crime and 911 calls: Discovery of Baron’s shooting
• [10:45] Baron’s recovery and firsthand account
• [16:09] Police suspicion, Sharon as suspect
• [19:37] Surveillance & red pickup truck evidence
• [33:00] Interrogation of teenage suspects
• [37:31] GPS tracker evidence exposed
• [47:44] Sharon’s history of violence and neglect
• [54:57] The trust fund and Sharon’s financial motive
• [60:56] The aftermath, sentences, and Baron’s ongoing legal struggle

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Tone and Style

True to Sword and Scale’s unflinching, raw approach, the story is told with dark humor, direct personal testimony, and transcripted audio from interviews, 911 calls, and interrogations. The narrative is unflinching in its criticism of social systems, and empathetic towards Barron as both victim and survivor.

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Final Notes

This episode is a chilling exploration of calculated domestic violence, the failures of the family court system, and one father's miraculous survival. It exposes how biases can blind the system—and the importance of listening to victims, no matter their gender. The ending leaves listeners with an uneasy sense that even lengthy prison terms may not be enough to protect the vulnerable from those determined to harm.

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Transcript

[Dutch Vet Service Representative]

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24. 7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

[Baron Lee]

Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

My arms are sharp, Mama. Literally. My chest.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Bellevue, Washington is a clean suburb just outside Seattle, where tech wealth keeps the housing costs high and the lawns neatly trimmed just how I like them. It's a family oriented town filled with gorgeous parks and trails. A place of true Pacific Northwest tranquility. But on the morning of July 10, 2020, that tranquility was broken. As the sun shone over the neat hedges and parked cars, gunshots rang out in an apartment parking lot. There was a man down, gasping for air.

[911 Dispatcher]

We just heard several gunshots and some screaming right there. It sounds like it's right outside.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

I live in a residence in Lakemont behind the apartment. So about five or six shots. It sounded like a light caliber weapon.

[911 Dispatcher]

I think I just heard seven gunshots. Someone screaming outside. Help. It sounds like it's outside building 16 and we can hear screaming.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

I just heard seven shots and it looks like somebody has been shot.

[911 Dispatcher]

I'm in the overlook at Le Mont.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

The calls were all coming from the same complex. Neighbors peered through blinds, clutching their phones, straining to make sense of it all by the sound alone. Then, amidst the beeping dispatch board, the most crucial 911 call finally got through.

[911 Dispatcher]

Okay, is this that Overlake at Lakemont?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Yes.

[911 Dispatcher]

Okay, and what's going on there?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

My husband.

[911 Dispatcher]

Okay, it's your husband. Yeah.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

The woman on the phone was Dee Dee Fomoon. Her husband, 48 year old Baron Lee, was the one bleeding out on the pavement.

[911 Dispatcher]

And is it possible for me to speak to him? Is he awake? Yes. Once again, please. Okay.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Reluctantly, Dee Dee passed the phone to her bloody husband as other neighbors rushed over to help.

[911 Dispatcher]

Where are you shot? Sir, can you hear me? Hello?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

More than three mamas. My arms are shot, Mama.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

My leg.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

My chest.

[911 Dispatcher]

Okay, sir, okay. Where is the gun?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

The guy ran with the gun. It's not here.

[911 Dispatcher]

Please hurry. Okay. Can you handle the phone?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Hurry.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Dee took the phone back after Baron dropped it on the Ground in agony, he had.

[911 Dispatcher]

Yes. Hi.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Hi.

[911 Dispatcher]

Hi, I'm here. Okay, who shot him? Okay, so the person's no longer over there?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

No, I can't.

[911 Dispatcher]

Okay, is there. Ma', am, I need you to get a clean, dry cloth and apply pressure over the wound. Okay? It's been several boo. Ma'. Am. Okay, I need you to get some clean, dry cloth and apply pressure. Okay.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Even in the harsh, unforgiving sunlight, it took a moment to realize Baron's black shirt was drenched. Three shots had torn through his chest. Dee Dee fought to stay calm. Her hands trembled as she tried to help. Then, out of nowhere, a female neighbor appeared, clutching a first aid kit and reaching for the phone.

[911 Dispatcher]

Hi, I'm new. Hi. Hello?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Ma'? Am. Hello? Yes.

[911 Dispatcher]

Hello, can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you. Hi. Okay, so is someone applying pressure right now? Yes, my name is Krista. I'm applying pressure to the chest room. Okay, did you see which way the person went? You said he left on foot. Did you see which way?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Yeah, he went towards Lake Montvore. Okay, so where's the Angeline?

[911 Dispatcher]

I hear. I hear. Okay, and is it just his chest or is it also his arm? It's okay. I'm so sorry, sir. Okay, I have to verify. Was it one person or multiple people?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Did you see. Okay.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Finally, the chaos cracked open with a wall of sirens. The crowd parted as police cars tore into the complex. No one knew yet if the gunman was a man or a woman. All anyone could say was this. The assailant in the green hoodie vanished under the bridge towards the shopping center across the road.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Is the person still there?

[911 Dispatcher]

Did you just hear this?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Yeah, so I just heard this. And I looked out my back window and I watched someone run away. The person that shot them, they had a gray hoodie with their hood up, green kitchen gloves, and they picked up their shell casings.

[Detective]

They ran off.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

As the caller walked outside to see if he could help, he noticed a clue abandoned on the pavement.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

And they're picking up their. Don't touch that shell casing, man. He's out there because he picked up another shell casing.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

The shooter had chosen to attack Baron at 8:30am Just as he was heading out to his car to go to work. Barron hadn't been robbed. His car was left with the keys right beside it, and his wallet was on his person. This was a personal attack. The gunmen had targeted Baron, stalked him, and chosen the perfect time to strike. But who could harbor such a deep grudge against Baron Lee? A middle aged car Salesman. With a wife, three kids, and a quiet, uneventful life, Baron and his wife Dede had blended their families and had been together for years. They had two teenage kids from Dede's first marriage and one son from Barron's first marriage. As Barron lay in surgery fighting for his life, police started piecing together the few clues left behind. The good thing was that witnesses were everywhere. This was a large apartment complex, and people all looked outside when they heard the gun going off.

[Neighbor Witness]

So I just walked out to the window in my master bedroom, and I saw an individual sprinting down the stairs toward the street.

[Police Interviewer]

Okay, and then did he go to the building across the parking lot from you or the carports or where did he go?

[Neighbor Witness]

Right along the carports, down the stairs.

[Police Interviewer]

Okay, so right between the building and the carports.

[Neighbor Witness]

Yep. And I heard the footsteps on the concrete and as I was walking to the window, and then I saw the individual jump up on the curb there and then run down the stairs.

[Police Interviewer]

Okay.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Using canines, the police tracked the scent of the shooter all across the complex, under a bridge, and into the parking lot across the street. But then the dogs stopped. This indicated that whoever did this got into a car and fled. The suspect was at large.

[Police Interviewer]

What kind of stature did that person have?

[Neighbor Witness]

Looked? Slim, build. That's why I thought at first it might have been fireworks, because it looked like it could have been a kid almost. Probably 5, 4, 5, 6, somewhere in that range. It's hard to tell looking down, but definitely not taller than me based off of running next to the car real quickly. Gray hoodie, fully over. Could not see skin color. Long pants on. I can't remember if they were blue or red. It's weird how some things you remember so vividly and other things are just a blur.

[Police Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Neighbor Witness]

And then holding something, I thought it would look like a bag in the right hand, like a football as the person was running down.

[Police Interviewer]

Okay.

[Neighbor Witness]

Like I said, I couldn't see skin color or anything else.

[Police Interviewer]

Okay, so no skin color. Can you tell gender Was either a.

[Neighbor Witness]

Teenage boy, most likely, or it could have been a woman.

[Police Interviewer]

If you were to think about things that have happened in the last 24 hours, 48 hours over the last week, do any incidents or concerns stand out in your mind in this complex here that would have resulted in a situation like that?

[Neighbor Witness]

No. I mean, as far as I know, the family, wonderful family. I think they have a special needs kid, and they've never done anything but smile and be polite along with everybody else in the area. So it Just was a complete shock.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

It was a complete shock. Baron Lee was a kind hearted car salesman who smiled at every person he met. Now he was at Harborview Medical center, full of bullet holes. Barron had been shot nine times all over his body, from his legs to his arms and chest. At Harborview Medical center, surgeons worked fast, pulling bullets, tying off limbs, fighting to keep him from slipping away. The cops were already writing it up as a homicide, but inside the or, no one gave up. After hours of surgery, Barron opened his eyes. He didn't just live, he remembered everything.

[Baron Lee]

Hi, my name is Baron Lee. I'm originally from Hawaii and now reside here in Issaquah, Washington.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Baron's survival was a miracle. There was no way he should have lived. But he did.

[Baron Lee]

Total nine shots. I took two to the arm, two to the right arm, two to the left leg, I believe. One on the one on the right leg, two on the left arm, one in the chest and one in my hip, I believe.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Barron said that the morning was like every other, except that his stepchildren were in Florida visiting their grandparents. So it was just his wife Dede and his son Eric. Barron kissed his wife and child goodbye, then headed down the stairs towards his car.

[Baron Lee]

And I come out of the house and I'm probably about 25, 30ft from my car and I just unlocked it with my fob and I hear pop. So this is July 10, 2020. So I'm thinking, oh, someone's still firing fireworks, right? So I look to my left, I didn't see anything. As soon as I look to my right, a second shot goes off and that's the one that hits my right arm and shatters my right arm completely. End up dropping my keys and my fob. And then I see this person with green gloves and a mask aiming a revolver. I mean, just shooting at me.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Baron's first instinct was to use his car as a shield. So he moved as quickly as he could while the rounds kept coming.

[Baron Lee]

So I run to the car. He's still firing at me as I open my car door. With my left hand, I take a shot into the back of my leg and then another shot in the back, back of my leg. And I end up falling to the ground. I end up pulling myself behind the car door while the person's firing at my car, riddling it with bullets. And then a few seconds later, it seems like instantaneously that person's standing over me. He comes around the car door and he's standing over me. First shot goes right through my chest and Out. And I'm thinking, oh, I'm going to die. Like, what am I going to do?

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

That's when it all hit him, the reality of what was happening, but nothing compared to the pain.

[Baron Lee]

It's like, initially feels like you're getting punched and pierced at the same time. So, like you feel that searing pain that goes through from the bullet, but the impact feels like someone just punched the crap out of you, you know.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

It'S like that's when Baron made a quick decision that probably saved his life.

[Baron Lee]

So I decide I'm going to throw my head and body under the wheel well of my steering wheel, the steering wheel column, and protect at least that part. So if they're going to shoot me, they got to shoot my body or my legs or whatever and not any fatal parts, hopefully, right? So I, I dive in and he unloads the rest of the about, I think six more shots on the left side and then runs out of ammunition. I see him bend down, pick up some shell casings, and then I hear him run off.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

That's when neighbors arrived and started tending to Barron. He screamed for them to get his wife, afraid he was going to die right then and there, right in that parking lot.

[Baron Lee]

They do that. She comes out, my wife's like, oh, oh, you'll be okay. You'll make it. You're strong. Don't worry about it. And I remember having a full blown conversation with her, asking her to take care of the kids, that I love them.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

When officers arrived, they tied tourniquets on Barron's limbs. He was losing his vision. The pain was overwhelming as they lifted him into the stretcher.

[Baron Lee]

As the adrenaline start wearing off and I'm taking a breath. What's going through my head every, every time I'm, I'm breathing, is this my last breath? You know, I felt like I'm, I'm dying, right? Like I was in so much pain and I was like, oh my God, am I going to end up stop breathing? You know, because I know people get shot, you see it on tv, right? They, they're slowly fading out. And I'm thinking, oh my God, I'm going to, I'm going to be, you know, this is my last breath, this is my last breath. Am I dead now? You know, know that type of thing.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

As his strength started to fade, Barron's racing thoughts about who would care for his family faded into something different. The ambulance raced across town while the paramedics ripped off Barron's clothes, desperately trying to locate all the bullet wounds that's when he felt himself slipping away.

[Baron Lee]

And I remember I felt at ease. At one point, I was imagining myself in a metal or pasture, very calm, serene. And I was tired and I just wanted to go to sleep. And the paramedic basically shook me and said, hey, you got to stay awake. You got to stay awake. And I'm like, okay, okay. And then I remember I was like, almost gone. I was like my eyes had closed and all I felt was this searing pain. He stuck his finger in my wound to wake me up. And I was like, oh, fuck, don't do that. I'm up. I'm up. I won't. I won't go to sleep, right? And. And from then on, I was up until surgery.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

When Barron finally woke up from surgery, he was bewildered. But his first concern was his children. Dede assured him that everyone was safe. And then detectives arrived.

[Baron Lee]

It. Actually, the investigation started right away. I remember Detective Parrott and Detective Grannis both showed up at Harborview. They had told me that I was under protection, mean media. No one was allowed into the hospital to come visit. The only person allowed was Dee. De was the only one that was authorized to come up and see me.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

The detectives wanted the obvious answers, like, oh, I don't know who the hell would do this?

[Baron Lee]

When they interviewed me the first time, I basically said that it was Sharon. Without a doubt, it was her.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Sharon Kelly was Barron's first wife. I know, I know. Sharon and Baron, let's just be adults here and try to move past it, okay? But Baron's wife, Dede shook her head. Sharon was Eric's mother. She would never do something so horrible to the father of her son. Was this just Baron's trauma talking?

[Baron Lee]

And Dee Dee had told them, oh, no, it could be. Disgruntled worker at. At his job. You know, he works in the car business. Maybe they're mad or, I don't know, maybe her ex husband sent, you know, De's ex husband sent somebody. You know, they said there's all kinds of possibilities. And in my mind, there was no, no other possibility.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

It was easy to dismiss a man shot nine times, confused, scared and searching for answers. His divorce from Sharon had been nasty. But now they barely talked. Unless it was a drop off when they exchanged care of Eric. And yet, what if he wasn't wrong? Dede said Barron was crazy. Sharon was not responsible. Still, the cops promised they'd look into it. They had to. But first they chased the leads. They did have CCTV footage from nearby businesses and traffic lights around Barron's apartment complex. And on those tapes, something stuck. A red Ford truck idling on the other side of the bridge just after the attack. Then the shooter ran up and climbed in. This vehicle was distinct. It was a Ford F series single cabin with diamond plate bed cap and tinted headlight covers. Using traffic cameras across Bellevue, police tracked the truck. Thank goodness for 24, 7. Government surveillance, eh? Well it worked. Cause they got lucky. One frame had the plate. They ran it and discovered that the red Ford was registered to a middle aged man named Arthur Mendez. And just like that, the case had a new name, a new direction, and a very unexpected turn.

[Dutch Vet Service Representative]

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24. 7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, perhaps you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

In July of 2020, 48 year old Baron Lee was on his way to work at the car dealership when he was ambushed outside his apartment by a stranger. Shot nine times in the legs, chest and arms and left for dead. But somehow Barron survived. While detectives were stalking out a house in Mount Vernon, tracking the red Ford pickup that helped the shooter vanish, Barron was facing something else entirely. A long, brutal recovery without the use of his legs or his left arm.

[Baron Lee]

The first three months I was in a wheelchair, I couldn't walk. I couldn't do anything other than go in a wheelchair. When I was in the hospital, they wanted, because it was the middle of COVID they wanted to send me home immediately. So they basically said, every day we're going to have you try and walk a little bit. And since you have two steps at home, your goal is to walk down two steps. If you can walk down two steps, we're sending you home. So I ended up going home in seven days. But when I was at home, you know, obviously I wasn't walking around. I was still in a wheelchair.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

With Baron immobilized, Dee Dee, his wife, was the glue that held the family together.

[Baron Lee]

Dee Dee's amazing, an amazing woman, and, and I owe a lot to her. Not for just a shooting, but what she went through while I was going through rehab was amazing, emotionally, physically. I. I don't know how she did it. Every day I Had to have my. My wounds dressed twice a day. So she had to go through all the bullet wounds and take out the gauze and put in new gauze and, you know, clean it all out every single day. On top of taking caring of Eric, feeding, medications, all that, and then taking care of Sophia and Ethan, cooking, cleaning, laundry, all of that by herself with no help, and still smiling, still being positive, still being supportive, still encouraging, and not asking for anything back at the.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Time, because that's the thing. Not only did Dee Dee have to take care of Baron, but her two teenage children, but Baron's son from his first marriage, Eric, is special needs. Eric has dystonia and kernicteris. These are two very serious conditions, which means he will require 247 care for the rest of his life. Dystonia is a developmental disorder that causes a person to have awkward posture and move with twisted repetitive motions. Kernicterus is a condition developed at birth when bilirubin builds up in the baby's brain. I think I said all those things correctly, but I'm sure you'll let me know anyway in the comments. Anyway, this results in cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and hearing loss. But the reason this all happened to Eric was not an act of God, but instead it was due to negligence from the medical system. When Eric was born, you see, Sharon decided at the last minute to change from her OBGYN to a midwife at a birthing center after her OBGYN told her she had to watch her weight during pregnancy. Guess she didn't like that. Anyway, Eric was born safely at the birthing center, and then the new family returned home. But after a few days, Baron noticed something was off.

[Baron Lee]

After they sent us home, the very next day, the birthing center sends a home nurse to get Eric's heel prick test, which is genetic testing. And so they come over, and then they leave. And then over the next few days, I start noticing that Eric is severely jaundiced. He looks yellow. So I call the birthing center. I tell him, hey, you know, Eric's. Eric's getting yellow and little concerned. And they're like, oh, yeah, that's normal. Babies usually are a little jaundice. Just put him in some sunlight and he should be okay. So I did that. Next day, he's not getting better. And so I call them up again. They're like, oh, no, no, that's normal. He's. He's Asian. Of course he's going to be a little yellow, you know, like, that's normal. I was like, that's, that's a weird, you know, it seemed weird, but I'm, as a first time parent, I wasn't, you know, completely sure. So it wasn't till day seven or the, the evening of day seven, my son was just crying and wouldn't stop crying. And he had been pretty even keel. I mean it was, his demeanor was really quiet. You know, he smiled, but he didn't cry, cry or do anything. So this was concerning that he kept crying. The very next morning, this day eight, I go to my normal doctor and I take him there and my doctor says, hey, you need to take him to the emergency room.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

So Baron rushed his 8 year old son to the emergency room, praying that everything would be all right.

[Baron Lee]

I'm headed to the ER with Sharon and basically she's like, no, no, we need to stop at the birthing center. They'll know what's wrong with him. And so, you know, against my better judgment, I listened to her, I took her to the, to the birthing center. We get to the birthing center, they're like, oh yeah, he's jaundiced, we need to probably give him some milk. So they get bottled milk and they start feeding my son. And about an hour later they realize that his temperature is going up, it's spiking, and he's not getting better. And they're like, oh, you need to get to the hospital.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Barron was beside himself, a million thoughts rushing through his head as he packed up Eric and Sharon in the car to go to the place he originally wanted to go, the emergency room.

[Baron Lee]

As soon as we get into the er, a whole team comes into the room, grabs him, puts him on the stretcher and takes him up to the newborn icu. And like, we don't even know what's going on. And so they're like, we'll have someone meet with you. And they end up putting us into this room. And about a few minutes later, there's like 10 or 11 doctors and nurses come in and they're like, you know, we, we gotta, you have some things to discuss with you about Eric. And they tell us that he has a severe case of hyperbilirubin. He said there's. They say that most children, when their bilirubin levels are at 15 or so, they'll put them under the blue light and that usually brings them down. And they said if it goes over 20, typically they have to do a blood transfusion, taking out the bad blood and putting in new blood. They said, my son was a 47.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Eric's bilirubin levels were astronomical. Baron knew that this was serious, but he had no idea why it happened. Why had Eric's levels spiked so severely?

[Baron Lee]

Apparently, the person that did his genetic testing didn't submit it right away. And so my son had a genetic disorder called galactosemia, where he can't break down galactose. And galactose is the. One of the components in lactose. Lactose breaks down into two parts, glucose and galactose, and the glucose gets burned up as fuel. And galactose usually gets passed through the body, through your urine. But a person that has galactosemia is not able to break that down. And that galactose will flow through the bloodstream and get trapped up inside of the brain. And that's what happened to my son.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

The nurse from the birthing center had neglected to send Eric's genetic testing. Often time this very serious and life threatening condition went unchecked. And then Eric was given milk by the birthing center, which was essentially like giving him poison.

[Baron Lee]

So the doctors are telling me all these scenarios about how he could die. If he does survive, he's going to be a vegetable. Or best case scenario, if he does survive, he'll have no motor skills and he won't be able to talk or walk. And fortunately, he did survive. But they were correct.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Eric was 6 years old when Baron was shot. And though he was not a vegetable by any means, he did require constant help as a medically fragile kid. So not only was Dee Dee tending to a frustrated and traumatized husband in a wheelchair, she also had a son in the same condition, plus two teenagers who were terrified that there was a crazed psycho on the loose wanting to kill their stepfather. It was absolute hell for Dee Dee. But she kept a smile on her face the entire time. Just goes to show, some women are truly fantastic. She was the rock in this situation. As Barron struggled, I wasn't easy to.

[Baron Lee]

Deal with as well. You know, through that rehabilitation, I had, you know, emotional issues, I had physical issues. So, you know, I had temperaments. You know, obviously with what I went through, my. My patience was very low and. And she had. She was the water to my fire, you know, and she made sure that she got me balanced and. And told me things were going to be okay and we're going to make it. And we had financial issues that we were stressing about and a lot of other things that, you know, we had to deal with that most people don't understand, you know.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

While Barron worked on his physical rehabilitation, the police Were setting their sights on the investigation. They checked out Dee Dee's ex husband as well as Sharon. Dee Dee's ex was out of the state at the time of the shooting, and though he admitted to having some beef with Barron, he claimed he had nothing to do with it. He checked out. Sharon said the same thing. In fact, she told cops, the only person I know in Bellevue is my ex husband, and we rarely talk. The exes were checked off the list for now, and police narrowed their focus on the owner of the shooter's getaway car, Arthur Mendez. Arthur was about the same age as Barron, and he lived in Mount vernon, A town about an hour and a half away from Barron's house in bellevue. Instead of just going right up to the door and knocking, Police decided to stake out the Mendez house To see if they could get some activity on the truck. The red F150 was the key. Detectives had pulled even more footage from the day of the shooting and now confirmed that the truck had arrived at Barron's apartment Two hours before the attack, Circled back, and exited. They were also able to secure traffic light footage that showed a clear shot of the passenger in the truck, A slender person wearing a distinctive gold chain. This person, the alleged shooter, Also had a habit of tucking the seatbelt under his arm Rather than across his chest. They were certain that this truck was the key to finding Barron's killer. As a group of officers staked out Arthur's house, Another team investigated his life on social media. Arthur was 56 years old. He had a couple of kids, loved Jesus, and was a big football guy. But he had no known ties to Baron Lee. In fact, Arthur wasn't the one who drove the red F150. It belonged to his son, 17 year old Quincy Mendez. Quincy was your typical high schooler who flexed on social media by posing for bathroom selfies. He also devoted his life to wrestling and had dreams of joining the military. He worked at a tire shop and drove his F150 there for every shift. So the cops tracked him. One afternoon, they hit the jackpot when they noticed a friend in the car with him. This friend wore a gold chain, and he tucked his seatbelt under his arm, Just like the passenger on the surveillance video had. Bingo. But the detectives had to keep Barron and his family in the dark. Chasing down Quincy was a covert operation, and they couldn't risk any gossip.

[Baron Lee]

I worked with the detectives. They kept asking me stuff, you know, here and there, but they wouldn't disclose anything that they found. They told me that they wouldn't because they wanted to keep the integrity of the investigation in place. And they said, I understand that. I said, I'm not in a rush. I said, just do what you got to do to make sure you can get a conviction. That's all I care about.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

The detectives found out that Quincy Mendez went to Mount Vernon High School. And when they visited the school's administrators, they were able to identify the alleged shooter as Joseph Good. The school administrators confirmed that both Quincy and Joseph were good kids. They never caused any trouble, and they had zero criminal records. Still, it was time to talk with Quincy and Joseph and find out what the hell was going on at the station. Joseph folded his hands and listen to the detectives.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

So before you decide on that, okay, we have some information that we're willing to share with you at this point.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Okay.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

So if you want, before we get into that, you can hear us out about what we have to say and then make a decision about that.

[Baron Lee]

Okay.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

Does that make sense?

[Baron Lee]

Yeah, that sounds good.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Okay.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

It's not fair to you.

[Detective]

So you're okay with talking to us at this point?

[Baron Lee]

Do I have to, like, answer questions and stuff?

[Detective]

That's up to you.

[Neighbor Witness]

You.

[Detective]

Like you said, you read your rights to. You have the right to answer questions. You don't have to answer questions at any time. If you don't feel uncomfortable, you can just say, yeah, I've heard what you wanted to say. I don't want to answer that.

[Baron Lee]

So I'd just rather have, like. Because I have no idea about any of this stuff, so I'd rather have someone who knows.

[Neighbor Witness]

So.

[Detective]

And that's fine. You're more than entitled to that. What we like to do is just have you give us the opportunity to share with you what we have, and then you can make a decision. Does that make sense?

[Baron Lee]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Joseph didn't seem to really grasp what was happening. But like a good alleged hitman, he wanted to seem agreeable. So he nodded along as the cops told him about the attempted murder they were investigating in Bellevue.

[Detective]

So when, like I said, we had that shooting in Bellevue, after we went back, we. We found this. This vehicle pulling into a gas station down Bellevue. You recognize that pickup at all?

[Baron Lee]

Kind of, yeah.

[Detective]

Kind of.

[Baron Lee]

I don't know.

[Detective]

You don't know?

[Baron Lee]

I'm not sure.

[Detective]

You're not sure? You've never seen that pickup before?

[Baron Lee]

I know a few people who own those.

[Detective]

Anybody that you know that owns a pickup like that?

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Joseph said his friend Quincy had a truck like that, but they didn't hang out that much. Anymore. In fact, the last he heard, the clutch went out on Quincy's truck.

[Detective]

You said the clutch had been out for a long time. I was just trying to put a reference on six.

[Baron Lee]

Five, six months?

[Detective]

I don't know. Five or six months. Clutch had been out. I don't know.

[Baron Lee]

I'm not exactly sure.

[Detective]

Oh, so there's that picture there.

[Baron Lee]

Can I get an attorney before I answer all these questions and stuff? I feel like I'm doing it wrong.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

That's fine.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

And just like that, Joseph. Shut up, smart boy. Because the cops weren't done with him, not even close. They started churning out warrants, pulling everything they could from Joseph and Quincy's icloud accounts. Instagram, Snapchat, emails, text. You know, the entire profile of your life you put online. At first it was just teenage noise, selfies, memes, dumb jokes, all useless. But two months in, buried in the noise of selfies and memes, a detective spotted it. An email receipt from Brick House Security, a company that sells GPS trackers. Why would a teenager need a GPS tracker? Baron Lee's car was still in evidence. Investigators checked under the tailgate, and lo and behold, there it was. The GPS tracker still clinging to the frame with a strip of cheap duct tape. The detectives contacted Brickhouse, pulling every record they had related to the serial number on the device. And it was registered to none other than Sharon Kelly Barron's ex wife.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Yes, I purchased a GPS tracker from you guys about five years ago. And the subscription, of course, is no longer active. I am able to log in, but it looks like you guys may have changed the website or service or whatever that you've used. I want to reactivate that device and then I'm not sure how. I'm not sure how I can. If it's like track to you or what. Once your device is activated, it still looks the same. So would you like to reactivate your service or your tracker? I would like to reactivate it.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Baron was right. This was all Sharon. And apparently she'd been plotting this for five years. Now the cops had to figure out how 30 year old Sharon got two teenage boys to shoot her ex husband. I'll tell you what, some women out there are pure shit. Anyway, Joseph lawyered up when they took him into custody, but Quincy. Quincy wasn't quite as.

[Baron Lee]

Hmm.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Smart.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

Well, yeah, we had an incident in Bellevue, and that's what we're here to talk to you about. They. They told you what you were arrested for, right?

[Neighbor Witness]

No, they didn't.

[Joseph Good]

I was asking and they're just like, shut up and just wait for the detectives.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Sorry.

[Neighbor Witness]

That's all.

[Baron Lee]

That's all it told me. And I was.

[Joseph Good]

Okay. Yeah.

[Neighbor Witness]

So.

[Detective]

So, like we said, it was a. It's a pretty serious thing. But as we said, we. Right now we think you're more.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Minimal.

[Joseph Good]

What do you mean by that?

[Detective]

Minimal? And you're involved in it. Like, I think there's other people that are more. I don't know how to best explain it. So there's other people that obviously have played a greater role in what happened.

[Joseph Good]

I'm not catching them all.

[Detective]

That's fine. I think as we talk about it, it'll probably make more sense, but.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

Okay, so to be clear, you're under arrest for an assault.

[Joseph Good]

An assault?

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

An assault? Yes, and it's a pretty serious one.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

What assault?

[Detective]

Do you want to solve this? Do you know what that means?

[Joseph Good]

Like beating up someone that's wondering.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

Harming another human being.

[Joseph Good]

Yeah, harming another human being.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

We also know that there is another person involved that needs to be held accountable for a much larger role in this than. Than you seem to have played.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Okay.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

And that's a big part of what we're interested in today. Right.

[Detective]

There's a reason we're talking to you. So we know there's more to what you guys did when you were in Bellevue than what you're telling us. Because we've already talked with him.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

The detectives told Quincy they already knew what happened, which was, of course, a lie. And now they needed his side of the story. Who falls for that shit? Oh, right, right, right. Dumb people. Which are usually, you know, criminals. Quincy said that when Joseph approached him about driving to Bellevue, he wasn't in his right mind.

[Joseph Good]

Okay. I can't really remember. Cause I was on shrooms. I was on shrooms.

[Detective]

You know, you and Jada were smoking shrooms for the first time.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Smoking shrooms, huh? To be fair, this cop's drug education probably came from a VHS tape. Quincy admitted that he was at Joseph's house tripping on shrooms with Joseph's sister. When Joseph came home and said they were going to Bellevue the next day, Joseph said he had something big to do and there'd be money in it, too.

[Joseph Good]

He told me at the end, like, do you want five grand? Pretty much gave me the option.

[Dutch Vet Service Representative]

Okay.

[Detective]

I said, yeah. How much did he say he was getting?

[Joseph Good]

I don't know. I didn't.

[Detective]

That's a standard question. Negotiating 101. You say, well, you give me five.

[Joseph Good]

How many? I mean, that's a lot of money.

[Baron Lee]

Five grand.

[Detective]

How much is he getting? What's his cut?

[Joseph Good]

Well, I think he said like probably 13.

[Detective]

His cut was 13. Yours was 5. So 18 total. Or was there another person in there that's getting a cut of that?

[Baron Lee]

That?

[Joseph Good]

I. I don't know.

[Detective]

I.

[Joseph Good]

He just told me for me, said it was just, he's getting paid and I'm getting paid. That was it.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

Okay, so the question becomes, where did.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

That money come from?

[Joseph Good]

Right. Because I haven't gotten any money.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

But what I'm saying is he didn't have that money to pay you.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Right.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

He's getting 13 from somebody, right?

[Detective]

Yeah.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

Okay, so, so what does that lead you to believe is. Is happening here?

[Joseph Good]

Someone told him to do it, Right? Yeah.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

He's being, he's being paid. He's breaking you off a piece for being his driver, basically.

[Baron Lee]

Right.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Okay.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Quincy swore he had no idea who the money was coming from, but he was high and $5,000 sounded pretty good. Money was coming from, but he was high and $5,000 sounded pretty good for a drive to Bellevue. Even if it was some sketchy shit like, oh, I don't know, emptying a clip. Oh, and before you say it's a magazine, not a clip, just shut the fuck up.

[Detective]

What does it mean to take a.

[Joseph Good]

Whole clip or catch someone, shoot someone.

[Detective]

So you know.

[Joseph Good]

Yeah, but in my head I was just like. I thought I was just bluffing, honestly. Like.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

Who does J know that could have put him onto a job like that?

[Joseph Good]

Put him on a job like that? Yeah.

[Detective Interviewing Joseph]

Like who? Who's gonna say I need somebody to get shot? I know.

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

I'll call.

[Baron Lee]

J.

[Joseph Good]

Not that, not anyone I would know of. All my friends are high schoolers.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

The more they talked, the more it really did seem like Quincy was just the tag along who got roped into something too big for his warped little mind to handle. We are only showing you about 2%. This excruciating interrogation went on for nearly four hours.

[Detective]

So is it some scrap you were supposed to go knock off or what?

[Joseph Good]

No.

[Detective]

You don't know what kind of person.

[Joseph Good]

No.

[Detective]

Did you ever find out what kind of person it was? Did you ever talk about it? Just, it could have been just a normal Jomo citizen who's walking down the street, or was it a gang banger or what? Who was the person that was supposed to be taken out?

[Joseph Good]

Oh, I don't know. He just talked about the dude that, that, that, this dude. That was it. He didn't say anything at all.

[Detective]

What'd he say about the dude he.

[Joseph Good]

Was just like, this dude right here. I was like, what about him? He's like, we need to. He, he. We need to unlock the clip. So, yeah, he told me we need.

[Detective]

To do what you say. Again, I didn't.

[Joseph Good]

The clip.

[Baron Lee]

Unload the clip, you know, unload the clip.

[Detective]

What does that mean to you?

[Joseph Good]

That he was going to cap him?

[Dee Dee Fomoon]

Yeah.

[Joseph Good]

I'm telling you guys straight up. I'm being honest. I'm being everything I am right now to be helpful to you guys right now. I do not know who he's connected with. I do not know who his big homies are. He told me I did it. It was up, that I did it. I regret it. I shouldn't have done it just for money or anything, but I don't know who his connections are.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

But the cops didn't need Quincy to confirm what they already knew. Sharon Kelly was behind it. They had the brick house GPS data. They had the emails to Joseph. They also had the texts between Sharon and the boys solidifying their guilt.

[Baron Lee]

And the conversation between Sharon and Joseph was that the job wasn't done, that they'll need to go back and Joseph will say, well, we need money up front because you didn't pay us anything yet. So we need some of that money or at least half up front. And apparently Quincy said he didn't want to take part of any of it, didn't want to participate or help or have anything to do with it anymore.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

So when the cop showed up at Sharon's door with handcuffs, she didn't ask, what is this all about? She didn't feign ignorance. She dropped her coffee cup and screamed inside to her brother, call my lawyer. But what still haunted the detectives was the question no evidence could answer. Why? Why would the mother of a special needs child who saw him every weekend hire teenage boys to kill her ex husband? Sharon wasn't going to talk. But the cops didn't need her to because Barron was alive and willing to tell them everything. In early July of 2020, Baron Lee was shot nine times by a teenage hitman. He should have died, but somehow he didn't. Now his ex wife, Sharon Kelly, sat behind bars, the mastermind of it all. She wasn't talking. But to her dismay, Barron was alive. And he remembered everything. Because what no one knew then was that Sharon hadn't just tried to kill him once. She'd been laying the groundwork for years.

[Baron Lee]

She had tried to run me over twice prior. Once in 2015. This is before I ended up fleeing the state of Washington because I Wasn't getting help. She actually had me on her hood and she was, she actually tried to hit me. I ended up jumping up and ended up on her hood. And she drove, you know, a couple hundred yards before I was able to roll off the car and get away from her. The second time was in front of the Kirkland police department during a custody transfer. And they said that basically it was a domestic issue and that we would have to deal with it in family court, which just boggled my mind. So someone tries to kill me, but it's a family issue. So I end up going to family court. And I'm told in family court that we just need to learn to co parent better.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Sharon and Barron's amicable phase was short lived. They met Online in 2005. Barron was working in Nevada at the time, and Sharon was young, pretty, and looking for someone to take care of her. Though they were over a decade apart, they pursued a relationship through phone calls and texts. And before long, Sharon left Washington to meet Barron in Nevada.

[Baron Lee]

And she wanted to come down to Vegas. And she asked if it was okay to bring her two younger brothers with her to meet me and, you know, stay a couple weeks. And so I was like, yeah, you know, if you want to come down and visit, no problem. You know, I was single at the time, Nobody lived with me and you know, at space. So she came down to Vegas and she brought her brother Timmy and her brother Joshua, who were like five and I want to say five and seven or five and eight at the time.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

With her young brothers in tow, Sharon showed up in Las Vegas. And surprisingly, Barron welcomed them with open arms. Being a product of the foster care system himself, Barron just couldn't turn anyone away.

[Baron Lee]

We hit it off and then, you know, the interaction I had with her brothers surprised her as well. Her brothers were so used to just doing whatever they wanted and having, you know, no discipline. And so when they came to stay with me, you know, set some ground rules and basically the way they treated her was not very good. And I, you know, I told them that's not, you know, allowed, you know, and that kind of stuff, and started parenting them. And the two weeks that they were going to stay ended up turning into like four months staying with me.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Their relationship moved quickly. They decided to move back to Washington so Sharon could be closer to family. Barron agreed without hesitation. After settling in, they got married. Barron believed they shared the same ambitions, A driven, adventurous future. Sharon had a way with words. Soon they decided to start a family. Then Eric was born. His birth Was traumatic, leaving him severely medically fragile. Barron stepped up. Sharon did not.

[Baron Lee]

I worked in the car industry at the time. I worked for Toyota, and I worked 12 hour days. I'd get up in the morning at 6 and I'd come home about 6 and I would find Eric soaking wet in his walker or, you know, his, his little walker thing. And he'd be crying and screaming, and Sharon would be sitting on the couch watching Korean dramas or whatever it is that she was watching. And she would say, oh, yeah, he's been like that all day. And. And I'm like, then why aren't you changing him? Why aren't you doing anything? It would take me, you know, three, four hours to calm him down, you know, because he had been, you know, in that high emotional state for so long.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Whether she was depressed, overwhelmed, or just plain lazy, Sharon's mothering went from bad to worse. Barron knew things were unmanageable. He tried to get help for his wife, but she insisted she was fine and so was Eric.

[Baron Lee]

So the last straw for me was that I found out that she was having Eric. Someone babysit Eric. Like they're not medically trained to babysit him, but they were babysitting him while she was going out and having an affair.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Baron had enough. Not out of anger, but fear. His son Eric's health was on the line with dystonia and kernicteris. Every day required constant specialized care. And Sharon couldn't handle it. She wasn't just failing as a mother, she couldn't even be trusted as his nurse.

[Baron Lee]

And so I was like, okay, I'm done, you know, like, this is it. So I came home one day and I picked up Eric and I was trying to leave the house. And she's asking what you're doing, and I'm saying, I'm. I'm leaving. I'm taking Eric with me. And she got mad and started pulling on Eric and. And I was afraid he was going to get hurt, so I gave him to her. And she starts screaming, you know, like, like she's being abused or something. And just at the top of her voice is screaming. And the neighbors end up calling the police. And the police come and she says, oh yeah, that I'm abusing her and abusing my son, Breaking furniture and doing all this stuff. And I'm like, I haven't even touched her. I done anything to her and I haven't broken anything. And so the police do their investigation and they realize that none of what she's saying is true, but they Advised that one of us leave. And I said, well, she has my son. If she wants to go and leave with him, then go ahead. I'll just deal with it in court. And so she takes off.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

It was the point of no return. Two weeks later, Sharon filed a restraining order and the state put Eric in her care. That's what the state does, favors women in situations like this. It happens all the time. Must be that male privilege I keep hearing about. That's when the war started. For the next five years, Barron fought for custody while Sharon played the system, demanding support and collecting benefits. Her son wasn't a child to her anymore. He was a paycheck. At least that's what her family convinced her of. The woman Baron had fallen in love with had transformed into a bitter, entitled mother who expected sympathy from the world because she had a special needs child. A lot of that going around these days.

[Baron Lee]

Her family are, you know, what we call them career welfare cases, you know, and then her mom basically lives off welfare, uses welfare because she has multiple kids. So she uses welfare to. To survive. And their mentality, and I saw this in texts, were like, you know, oh, you can do this, this, this. You don't have to work, you know, you can, you know, get welfare. You can live off his child support. So it was more of like, oh, you know, I don't have to do anything anymore, and I can, you know, abuse the system and that type of stuff.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

It became clear that Sharon wanted sole custody of Eric. Not to care for him, but because there was a million dollar settlement tied to his birth injury. Though they could not sue the birthing center directly, the insurance paid them for what happened to Eric.

[Baron Lee]

I took that money and I put it into a special needs trust. So later on, when Eric's 18, hopefully that money will grow and help, you know, take care of him when we're not there anymore. One of the things that I found when we broke up because I access to all of her phone records as well, and so there was text messages where she had planned, you know, to siphon money out of her accounts also when we break up, that they were going to utilize the courts to force me to pay child support and that eventually she's wanting to get access to the trust fund money.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Sharon had custody of Eric until he was three years old. And during that time, she did her best to put him in a more medically fragile state, demanding a feeding tube, a tracheotomy, and a do not resuscitate order. All things doctors said he didn't need so she hospital shopped until she got the feeding tube and the dnr. What a.

[Baron Lee]

During this time, I expressed a ton of concerns because he was being hospitalized, he was being sick. She was trying to do things that didn't seem appropriate. But because I didn't have medical making decisions, she was able to go to the hospitals and convey what she wanted.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

That's when CPS stepped in. Sharon was diagnosed with Munchausen by proxy and deemed unfit. Eric was placed in foster care pending a parenting plan. For Barron, it was a nightmare, A legal disaster. His life narrowed to one goal. Bringing Eric home. But the courts leaned towards Sharon. I wonder why. Oh, right, right. Female this was despite her erratic behavior and her obvious lack of concern for her own child's well being. Then came 2017. A custody exchange at the Kirkland police station. Sharon didn't just lose control. She threw Eric on the floor instead of placing him in a wheelchair. That changed everything. For the first time, someone besides Barron saw her rage firsthand. Barron and Dede took Eric home. He stayed with them full time. But legally, Sharon was still considered the primary caregiver. Let's face it, the family court system is more than broken. It's pure shit. Anyway, Barron didn't want her to have contact with Eric for obvious reasons. Shared custody was just not an option for him.

[Baron Lee]

She was after Eric. It was the way that Eric was being hospitalized or the things that she was doing. It looked to me like she wanted him to die, but in a way that no one was going to question her and say that he's. It's because he's medically fragile or this is. You know, this is the cause of his death is because he. He had complications.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

There was one incident where Eric's home nurse aide found him nearly dead at Sharon's house, and he had to be rushed to the hospital. Things like this just kept happening.

[Baron Lee]

And here's the thing is the family court system ignored it all. Like the G. L is saying, hey, this boy is not safe around her. And they ignored it all when it came to whatever she did. It doesn't matter who spoke on my behalf, Whether it was me, whether it was a gl, Whether it was a social worker, it didn't matter. The courts never listened.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Barron and Dee Dee cared for Eric while Sharon had visitation. What she really wanted was money. If Barron was gone and errik returned to her care, she thought she could get it. So she went through her little brother, the same one Baron once looked after in Vegas. And she found Joseph good setting in motion her Final plot to get rid of her ex husband. Sharon's little brother put the word out amongst his friends at high school. And Joseph took the bait. It was that easy. With Barron dead, the money would be all hers. Money, money, money, money. Or so she thought.

[Baron Lee]

But what Sharon didn't realize is the way the trust is set up, unless it's needed for medical reasons, that money will never be pulled out. And it can't be pulled out as cash. It's going to be pulled out to pay for medical reasons only. So in other words, if there's a medical bill, then it goes directly to the medical company, not to us. And then we pay the medical company. But that wasn't what she thought. She thought she would have access to it.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

For years, Sharon had threatened Barron and worse, their son. But what she did was so outrageous, so unhinged that when Barron spoke up, he sounded like a man describing the plot of a bad movie. No one believed him. And the family courts only emboldened her. Every time Eric landed in the hospital or CPS got involved, she was given a pass because she's the mom. Years of getting away with it convinced her of one. She could get away with murder.

[Baron Lee]

As horrible as you may think that the shooting was, the shooting was the best thing that happened to me. The shooting gave me a voice. A lot of men go through this and this is one of the hardest things as a man sitting on an island by yourself. I was telling people what was going on at work, my personal life, my family. And I would always get that eye roll, you know, not, you know, not blatant, but you could tell, like, yeah, he's full of shit. Type of look, right? Like, oh, he's not telling all the truth or he's exaggerating. But the shooting allowed people to see that. Now what I say is true, right? Like what I've been saying all my life is true.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Joseph Good was charged with attempted murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, then sentenced to 13 years in prison. Quincy Mendez received eight years for the assault on Barron and was sent to a juvenile detention center. Barron has since forgiven both of the boys. Sharon, on the other hand, was eventually offered a plea deal, taking her charge down to solicitation of attempted murder in the second degree. She'd be looking at 13 years, not 25. Then for shits and giggles, they lowered her charge a smidge more. Probably because of the tits and puss, you know.

[Baron Lee]

But in the plea deal, the Prosecutor offered her 150 months. And my argument to the courts was that the fact that they were reducing the plea. She should have got the maximum of the reduction plea, not an agreed average of that plea. So the reason I wanted that was one at 150 months. She would get out when Eric is 17. And my concern is that I'd have to deal with this family court bullshit again on top of having to deal with her trying to kill me. So I told the court that one, she shouldn't get less time than the shooter or the. Or the driver. So she should get 165. The maximum 165 months. Which allow me to set up guardianship and do everything that's needed before she gets out. So Eric will already be 18 by the time she gets out.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

It was abysmal. It was outrageous. How could Sharon receive a lighter sentence than the teenagers she hired to shoot Barron? Without her, none of this would have ever happened.

[Baron Lee]

That's what appalled me the most. Like I even stated that in court. You know, the fact that she not just ruined my life and my son's life, but she ruined two teenagers as well. You know, I said, like, you know, she deserves a lot more than what she was given.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

Sharon is behind bars. And she'll be there until her son turns 18. But for now, one legal problem remains that Barron is still trying to fight.

[Baron Lee]

Technically, Sharon still has custody. I wanted to go to trial and get custody, but she was in in county for three years. And during that time, they wouldn't allow me to move forward with the family court case. Saying that she had a right to be there and that I couldn't move forward. So this whole time I've been waiting to get custody. And because it took so long, they closed the case. And I had to petition to reopen the family court case. So I can still fight for custody. I still don't have custody.

[Narrator / Host (Mike Boudet)]

It's unbelievable. But Baron is still fighting for custody. For control, for peace. Sharon is behind bars for literal murder. But not forever. One day she'll walk free. And as co parents, their paths will cross again. Can you imagine? They share a child. Not just any child, but Eric. A nonverbal, vulnerable boy who'll need care for the rest of his life. Will he ever say he wants to see his mother? Will she even care now that the money's gone? Sharon Kelly was evil. Not misguided, just plain evil. Munchausen by proxy. Delusions of grandeur. Abusing a medically fragile child. She was dangerous and calculated. And for years she had Eric all to herself. Barron still lies awake wondering what she did during that Time. The early years shape a child forever. And if she left him in filth when they were married, threw him on the police station floor in front of strangers, then what actually happened? Behind closed doors, when she was alone, when she could get away with anything. But Baron can't live in those shadows. Not anymore. This isn't just about Sharon's twisted plan to kill Baron. It's about the man who survived it. To be a father. That should have been the end of it. But it wasn't. It was the start of something bigger. A second chance for Barron. Now he's on the advisory board of a non profit organization for foster children called Route 21. And he's fighting to change the system, pushing laws to protect fathers and family court, including one bill in the house and another in the senate. And at home with his wife Dede and his kids, he's building the life Sharon tried to destroy. Baron didn't just survive by luck. He survived for a reason. For Eric. Everything he does is for his son. What a great dad. The shooting didn't ruin him. It revealed the truth. Sharon is a threat. And in 2036, she'll be out. Free to roam, free to plot. Baron knows she's not done after 13 years in a cell to stew on vengeance. So maybe he'll move to another state, another country, whatever it takes. Because in 313 years, he'll need to disappear before she finds him again and does even worse. Who knows what that bitch is capable of? Well, that episode was produced by Mish Barbara Way, one of our. One of our longtime producers. We've had producers here for, I don't know, what, six, seven, eight years now, so it's hard to keep track of how long they've been around. She's very talented, though. Very talented lady. Always puts out great stuff. I'm your host, Mike Boudet. In case you're lost just browsing through the Apple catalog, if you like this show, you can help support it. You can go find a lot more of [e-mail] or download our app on iOS and Android.

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