EXCLUSIVE
A woman allegedly murdered by a man who has told a court he is confined to a wheelchair can finally be identified after 18 long months.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal Autumn Baker, 40, of Darley – about 60km north-west of Melbourne – was allegedly murdered by Hoppers Crossing man Mark Graham Ludbrook on August 3, 2023.
Ms Baker’s identity had been kept a close secret by Victoria Police, friends and her family, but can finally be revealed as Ludbrook attempts to be released into the community on bail.
The alleged killer, 52, appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday in bizarre circumstances that saw him provide evidence while sprawled flat on his back in a custom-built wheelchair.
He is set to face trial in August, but launched a preemptive bid for freedom on the basis that exceptional circumstances exist to justify his bail due to a combination of factors, including his medical condition and claims he poses no risk to the community.
It remains unclear how police put their case against the alleged killer, with details of the allegations handed to Justice John Champion, but not read into open court.
Several of Ms Baker’s family members were present in court, with some tuning in via a video link to watch the hearing.
Ms Baker’s body had been found inside a house on Grevillea Crescent in Hoppers Crossing, west of Melbourne.
Autumn Baker was allegedly murdered by Mark Graham Ludbrook on August 3, 2023
Autumn Baker had strong views about the Covid-19 lockdowns
Ludbrook had allegedly been found ‘seriously injured’ at the house and was taken to hospital under police guard.
Police at the time claimed Ludbrook had been known to Ms Baker, but the circumstances of that relationship remain unknown.
Ms Baker had made a name for herself during Victoria’s record-breaking Covid-19 lockdowns, which she vehemently opposed.
Videos captured from the time show Ms Baker participated in numerous anti-vaccination protests across Victoria.
At the time, Victorians who refused to receive the Covid-19 vaccinations at least three times were being sacked, with the remainder of the state facing endless lockdowns if they did not comply.
On January 15, 2022, Ms Baker took control of a microphone at a large protest in support of tennis ace Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic had been detained and then booted from the Australian Open after taking a stance against the Covid jab.
Standing before the mob of frustrated Melburnians, Ms Baker chanted: ‘The people united will never be defeated’,’Hey Pfizer leave our kids alone’, ‘Hands off our kids they are not your Guinea Pigs’, ‘Free Victoria’ and ‘No more vax pass’.
Mark Graham Ludbrook is accused of murdering Autumn Baker in 2023
Autumn Baker during a ‘freedom protest’ while Victorians were trapped within the world’s longest Covid-19 lockdowns
Autumn Baker at an anti-lockdown protest in 2022
‘Autumn Baker was committed for working for Melbourne’s freedom and health rights from 2020 til her [alleged] murder in August 2023,’ an online tribute stated.
In applying for bail, the court was told Ludbrook suffers from a rare condition known as Transverse Myelitis – a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord.
Ludbrook told the court he was diagnosed in 2022 when he said he had been paralysed from the chest down.
Autumn Baker
‘I could move my hands but they were locked in claws and my diaphragm um, I found it difficult to breath towards the end, and that was about after three or four months of hospitalisation,’ he told the court.
Ludbrook claimed he could only stand for about two minutes at a time leading up to the moment he is accused of murdering Ms Baker.
The court heard Ludbrook had been estranged from his wife and had been living with a friend.
‘The wife decided to move on, so I was fortunate to have a friend um let me stay at his place,’ he told the court.
The court heard Ludbrook had been able to move about more freely at the time of the alleged murder with the use of ketamine – a powerful painkiller routinely used as an horse anaesthetic.
Tennis champ Novak Djokovic rides in car as he leaves a government detention facility on January 16, 2022
Ms Baker’s body was found inside a house on Grevillea Crescent in Hoppers Crossing (pictured)
Autum Baker travelled around Victoria protesting against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations
However his illicit use of the drug may have played a significant role in the alleged murder, the court heard.
‘It’s not something that he could have had the foresight to know that that particular substance was going to cause him to act in that way, having used ketamine in hospital settings, it had been administered to him, with no adverse effects,’ his barrister said.
The court heard Ludbrook hoped to be released into a house aided with two carers throughout the duration of his upcoming trial.
In opposing bail, Crown prosecutor Nadia Kaddeche warned Ludbrook was at risk of sourcing more illicit drugs and offending if not caged behind bars.
‘In terms of the proposed bail conditions that’s why I make the submissions that as they stand are woefully inadequate,’ she said.
Justice Champion will hand down his decision at a date to be fixed.
