She Poured Boiling Sugar Water on Him — Justice or Vengeance? | Corinna Smith

Every week we break down true crime cases where obsession or heartbreak ends in murder

Now part of the Darkcast Network. Welcome to Indie Podcasts with a Dark side. She had poured a diabolical mixture over her sleeping husband. Driven by a devastating secret that shattered everything she thought she knew, she then walked nine doors down in the dead of night, trembling with rage and grief, and confessed to something unthinkable. Today we talk about the devastating case of Corinna Smith. Right now on Love and murder. Some relationships are built on trust. Others hide secrets. And sometimes those secrets kill. Welcome, LaMs. Welcome to Love and Heartbreak. To Homicide, the podcast that takes you inside the darkest corners of love gone wrong. Every week we break down true crime cases where obsession, betrayal or heartbreak ends in murder. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss any more true crime cases. You can also subscribe to our Patreon for free where you do get some bonuses for being a free subscriber. Patreon.com loveandmurder but if you love what we do and you want More, join the LaM Fam on Patreon. For just $5 a month, you’ll get ad free episodes, bonus episodes every month. Case files help the victim in getting their stories told. And a of LaM lovers just like you head over to patreon.com loveandmurder and unlock the full story today. Now grab your butts, grab your glass of apple juice and let’s get into today’s case of love and murder.

Karina Smith allegedly poured boiling water over her husband, Michael Baines

Just after Midnight on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, a AH999 call came in from a neighborhood in Neston, Cheshire, UK. 59 year old Corinna Smith had run to her neighbor’s house nine doors down from hers. She pounded on the front door until someone answered. When the door opened, Corinna yelled, quote, I’ve hurt him really bad. I think I’ve killed him. Shocked, the neighbor immediately called the police and ambulance services arrived. Video footage later showed Corinna practically, quote, howling in grief and fear. When officers and paramedics got to Karina’s house, they found 81 year old Michael Baines lying in bed whimpering in agony. The skin on his right arm and hand was peeling off. He told them, I’m badly burned. I’m um, burned all over. She poured boiling water all over me. I just want to die. He was rushed to Whiston Hospital in Neston where he was treated in the burns unit for two weeks. He was in critical condition, undergoing surgeries and skin grafts. But his condition unfortunately deteriorated and uh, due to his age and Health, on August 18, 2020, more than a month after the attack. Michael died. Initially, Corinna was charged with grievous bodily harm. But after his death, the charge was upgraded to murder. Now, who are these people and, um, why this happened? Let’s get into that. Corinna Smith and Michael Baines had been married for 38 years. They married when Corinna was 21 and Michael was 42 years old. They had both been married before and each had children from previous relationships. And they had one son together named Craig Baines. The marriage was a happy one, and as Michael got older, Corinna became his caregiver. Their relationship on the surface seemed typical. A long term marriage going through the usual ups and downs, you know. But cracks had been forming beneath that surface for a long time. In 2007, at the age of 25, Craig had died by suicide. He had struggled mentally and had served prison time for a violent assault. Before his death, Craig had told his mother, mum, he’s a pedophile who had, quote, touched him sexually. Corinna assumed he was referring to the man he had assaulted. And when he seemed calmer the next day, she didn’t ask more questions. That day was the last time she saw her son alive. The guilt stayed with her. For 13 years. She carried it, wondering if she had missed something that could have saved her son. Now, back to the present. So, like I said, police had arrested Corinna During her interview, Corinna gave, uh, variant stories. But as time went on, she eventually admitted to pouring boiling sugar water over Michael. Diabolical, she said. That, quote, whole thing was a bit of a blur. I just lost it. I was so emotional. I wasn’t acting out of revenge. So she told them the entire story. She said that on Monday, July 13, 2020, she had spent the day with her daughter. It was a good day until she got a phone call from Michael. When Corinna told Michael she wanted to stay a bit longer with her daughter, he wasn’t happy about it at all. Which I don’t understand why she’s with her daughter. It’s not like she’s out with some other dude. She’s with her daughter. But anyways, he wasn’t happy about it. Noticing her mother’s reaction, Karina’s, uh, daughter said, quote, mom, I have something to tell you. And what she had to tell her was something about Michael. But she wasn’t sure if she should tell her mother. Corinna insisted, like any good mother, that she tell her what it was so they can handle it together. You know, you could tell me anything. And her daughter finally broke down. Through tears, her daughter Then delivered, quote, devastating allegations that Michael had committed sexual abuse against children, quote, for many years. She also said that part of the children included claims of child sexual abuse against Craig, his own son. She didn’t go into full detail because it was just way too painful for her. But she said it was, quote, so bad that she could not tell you. But she did say, this is why Craig had killed himself. Corinna who was in shock, found it all difficult to process as I can’t even even imagine. But now the pieces were suddenly fallen into place. Her precious son had said, quote, mom, he’s a pedophile. And now her daughter’s telling her this news. She was, to say the least, quote, very upset and also, once again, to say the least, quote, angry and very upset, quote, livid and fuming at the thought of what had allegedly been done to her children. Now, I say allegedly because Michael is dead and that case didn’t go to trial or anything like that. So according to the reports, I have to say, allegedly don’t want to be sued. She wanted to call the police right then and there, but her daughter begged her to wait, concerned about dividing the family. And she said she should just at least take a polygraph test so, you know, she could tell the family, look, I’m not, not lying. Her daughter and son in law calmed her down. They found a polygraph test that was like $60 and they scheduled it and then they took her home. But as these things do. As time passed, Karina’s anger started building again.

Karina says she intended to hurt her son Michael, who was asleep

Now, LaMs, I’m, um, asking you, after you found this information out, and you’re sitting at home with the man who caused your son, uh, to take himself out, and your daughter is telling you he’s done this multiple times, and you’re sitting there watching this dude, what do you think is going to happen? You think you’re going to stay calm? She started calling other relatives to tell them about what she had heard. So maybe she’s trying to calm herself down, maybe she’s trying to rationalize it, I don’t know. But she started calling her relatives just to talk to them. So remember, she’s talking to police. This is her telling the police what’s going on. So she told police that the intent to hurt Michael had started later on that night while she was, quote, dwelling on what you had been told. And sometime later that night or early the next morning, Corinna snapped. Sometime after midnight, Corinna went outside to the garden and grabbed a bucket. She boiled, uh, two kettlefuls of water. Then she Added three kilos, which is about seven pounds of sugar, which is about, like, three bags of sugar. She stirred that into the boiling water. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hughes later explained adding sugar makes the water vicious. It becomes thicker and stickier and sticks into the skin better. It stays on the skin and causes greater damage. Corinna stood there for about 13 minutes, preparing the scalding sticky mixture. Then she walked into the bedroom where Michael was asleep. Ah. Uh. And poured the entire bucket over his arms and torso. Now, I understand. I can sympathize with Corinna I 100. Look, I could. I could honestly understand where she’s coming from. However, you kind of should have walked out instead of doing this. I. Look, I’m the last one to talk, but I understand her. I understand where she’s coming from and why she did what she did and how it happened and everything like that. Just the thought of somebody hurting your child, uh, anyways. But she should have just walked out instead of her letting this anger build. She shouldn’t even gone back home. Like, I know I wouldn’t have gone back home because I know I would have ended up on an episode of Love and Murder, my own show. So I know I wouldn’t have gone back home because I can’t see in any world that it would have ended good if I went back home. So I would have made the rational choice to not go back home. M. And then I’d have called the police. That’s what I would have done personally. And then we could hash this out in court and figure it out, and that’s what I would have done. Um, with that being said, like I said, I can understand. I could completely understand her not saying it’s right, but I can understand her. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Karina’s trial started in 2021 and ended in June 2021

Michael suffered 36% burns to his body after the attack. She didn’t stay to help him. That’s when she, you know, ran from the house and ran to the neighbor’s door. That was like, nine doors down. So. Corinna’s trial started in 2021 at the Chester Crown Court and lasted five days and ended in June 2021. The defense, led by Mary Lorem QC, argued for a conviction of manslaughter due to loss of control stemming from the sudden and devastating allegations about her husband. Attorney Lorem described how Corinna had brought Michael into the family, a much older partner, and how his alleged actions had, quote, destroyed her family. So they pushed for manslaughter. However, the prosecution, led by Mark Ryan qc, refused to accept the manslaughter plea, the Crowd Prosecution Service CPS argued that her actions were, quote, deliberate and considered. Prosecutor Ryan said that, quote, she was in control and acted in anger and to extract vengeance for what she believed that Michael had done. CPS Mercy Cheshire’s Gein, uh, Morris agreed, saying, quote, the evidence demonstrated that she was in control and acted in anger when she poured the lethal mixture over her husband and wanted to extract vengeance. The prosecution also argued that her argument of loss of control was weakened by the planning involved, specifically pointing out the 13 minutes it took to boil the water and to fill the bucket. The prosecution said that she intended either to kill Michael or to cause him really serious harm. Basically, what they’re saying is she knew what she was doing. They also pointed out what Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hughes had said when she’d wasted valuable time by going to a neighbor she barely even knew instead of calling for help herself. Now, side note, in the reports, I did see that there were some rumors that Corinna targeted Michael’s genitals, but there was no evidence to support. So I do want to put that out there. The judge, the Honorable Ms. Justice Amanda Yip, DBE, accepted that Corinna believed what her daughter said. She told the court that these revelations were, quote, truly shocking for Corinna and acknowledged clear evidence of her distress before and after the attack. However, the judge also pointed out that the trial could not and did not explore the truth of the allegations made against Michael. On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, after hearing the evidence the judge found Corinna guilty of. On Friday, July 9, 2021, Justice Yip sentenced her to life in prison with a minimum of 12 years before being considered for parole. In her sentencing remark, Justin Yip said that she sentenced Corinna on the basis that her intention was to cause serious harm rather than to kill, and that this intention was formed while Corinna was in a state of distress. She accepted that it was not a long held, carefully formed plan and that Karina’s initial reaction had been to call the police. However, the judge pointed out several aggravating factors. Number one, Michael was an elderly man and vulnerable and Corinna was his carer. What caregiver? They say I guess in the reports they called it a carer. So I guess in the UK they call it a carer. In the US we call it a caregiver. Number two, he was asleep at the time of the attack, so, you know, he couldn’t defend himself. And number three, the deliberate mixing of the sugar solution involved a degree of planning and sustained action. Justice Yip said Quote, Although the background provides some explanation as to why you did what you did, I am sure you know that it cannot provide an excuse. Your actions cannot begin to be justified. Whatever you believed your husband had done, you have taken Mr. Baines life and caused terrible grief and shock for his children and for those who loved him. Killing Mr. Baines also took away any opportunity for the allegations to be tested. That took away his right to a fair trial, bearing in mind that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. It also took away the right of your daughter to have her allegations heard and deprived other family members of the chance to establish the truth. The allegations are left hanging, but unproven. The judge also discussed the impact of Carina’s actions on the family, particularly Michael’s children. Quote set against this. I, uh, sentenced you on the basis that your intention was to cause serious harm rather than to kill. Further, that intention was formed while you were in a state of distress. This was not a long held and carefully formed plan. You made use of materials you already had at home. I accept that your initial reaction had been to call the police and that the intent to harm your husband only developed later when you were home and dwell in on what you had been told. On that basis, I am prepared to accept that you were in an acute stress state at the time of the attack and that you have displayed symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder as a result of all that happened on 13 July. However, the Central factual issue for the jury was whether you had lost control. And I am satisfied that their verdict reflects their findings that you had not. I consider that you remember more than you were prepared to tell the jury. Although it would not be surprising if you had blocked some of the details of the traumatic events of that day. It is possible to have sympathy for the situation you found yourself in while condemning your actions. On the one hand, the shocking revelations made by your daughter undoubtedly led to your uncharacteristic violence. Against that, you made the deliberate choice to inflict horrific injury and took calculated action just to do that. Aside from the dreadful physical pain you caused Mr. Baines, your actions have caused yet more pain and suffering to your families. This is perhaps best summed up by your son, who has struggled to make sense of what happened. He concluded that your actions, although very wrong, were an emotional reaction to the devastating information you had just received. I cannot put it any more eloquently than that. Corinna Smith, for the murder of Michael Baines, I sentence you to life imprisonment. The minimum term will be one of 12 years. Less than 166 days that you have spent on remand in custody and 96 days credit for the time spent on a qualifying curfew. And that was the, uh, quote from the judge. And also, you know, she said, your son, remember, she had children from a previous marriage. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hugh of the Cheshire Constably Major Crime Directorate. Major Crime Directorate. Wow. That is a long title. Detective Chief Inspector. Then his name, Paul Hughes. And then of, uh, the Cheshire Constabulary, Major Crime Directorate. Wow. Described the killing as, quote, a painful and cruel way. He said, quote, to throw boiling water over someone when they were sleeping is absolutely horrific. To also mix three bags of sugar with water showed the determination she had to cause serious harm. Like I said, Corinna was given credit for the time she had already spent in custody. And she will be eligible for parole on June, uh, 3rd, 2032, and will be on probation for the rest of her life if and when she is released. This case tells you that sometimes vengeance doesn’t heal old wounds. Sometimes it just leaves deeper ones behind.

This episode is coming out late because I’m already late with this episode

Now, lambs, how do we feel about this case? I totally want to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Now, I did plan on reading, uh, your comments today because, you know, I read them in various episodes. I don’t read them in every episode. And I did plan on reading them today, but I’m already late with this episode. My weekend was bl. My day was bl. And by bleh, I mean in busy, so very busy. So I’m already late with the episode. So I’m not going to read your comments today. Um, I do apologize that it is coming out so late, but better late than never. So you’re still getting your Monday full episode. Also, May is mental health awareness month, so I do have some things coming out this month in recognition of mental health awareness. So I’ll keep you all up to date when that happens. So that is all I have for you.

Poll question: Should emotional trauma be considered a valid reason to reduce murder

Let me get this episode out so you can hear it. I’m going to go ahead and put a poll out on this episode because I have a feeling a lot of people are going to understand what was going on with Corinna So the poll question I’m going to have for you, and this is based on, I guess, UK law and US law, because I know every country has their own laws. So should a history of emotional trauma or something like shocking revelations be considered a valid reason to reduce a murder charge to manslaughter? So basically the answers will be yes, no, or you don’t know. So go ahead and head on over to our Spotify. The poll question is going to be in there. If you don’t listen to this on Spotify, you can also head on over to our Patreon. You can sign up for free and our poll question will be over there too. Patreon.com loveandmurder and as I end each full episode that we do, I want to remind you that it’s say it with me now. All, uh, love and no murder, y’all.