The reputed leader of the Bandidos motorcycle club in Fort Worth was sentenced to 45 years in prison Tuesday in the murder of a rival gang member two years ago.
Howard Baker, 62, was sentenced to 40 years for murder, 45 years for directing a criminal street gang and 40 years for engaging in organized crime.
Judge George Gallagher ordered that Baker serve the time concurrently, which effectively means 45 years.
After a week-long trial, a jury found Baker participated in the murder of Geoff Brady, a member of the rival Ghost Riders, at a Fort Worth bar in December 2014.
The jury also found that Baker directed other Bandidos to storm the bar in a show of force.
Baker was taken into custody after the guilty verdicts Friday.
The trial shined a spotlight on the inner-workings of the Bandidos, which law enforcement experts consider a criminal street gang.
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Defense attorneys had argued that Baker had a steady job working at Will Rogers Coliseum, wasn’t involved in Brady’s murder, and that prosecutors proved only that Baker was a member of a motorcycle club.
