KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — In the wake of the stabbing death of 14-year-old Serenity Baker at Roy J. Smith Middle School on March 10, investigative journalist Angela Lim is working to ensure the story reaches beyond Central Texas. Writing for The Barbed Wire, an Austin-based digital publication aimed at Texans, Lim uncovered a troubling reality: despite the severity of the incident, few media outlets outside of Killeen have reported on it.
“We overall wanted to bring more awareness to this issue, just because, again, the impact that the stabbing had—it’s huge,” Lim explained.
With several editors in her newsroom having ties to Killeen, Yim said her team knew they needed to prioritize coverage of Baker’s death and the ongoing investigation. “Killeen was on our radar, and as a publication, we really wanted to expand our coverage beyond the major cities like Houston, Dallas, Austin,” she said. “These areas are very much under-covered.”
However, what shocked Lim most was the lack of attention on the case beyond Central Texas—especially in comparison to other recent incidents of school violence across the state. She pointed to the recent Karmelo Anthony stabbing incident in Frisco that quickly gained national media attention from outlets like NBC despite similarities between the two cases. “I personally noticed that the Killeen stabbing did not receive the same attention,” Lim said.
As she continues her reporting, Lim believes her piece will help shine a brighter light on the issue—one she feels Killeen’s parents deserve. “Since this issue hasn’t been widely covered outside of Killeen, we do anticipate more media outlets across the state to look at it more,” she noted.
Beyond media coverage, Lim sees a growing acknowledgment from local parents that Baker’s death was not an isolated incident. “Just from what I’ve seen online, I think that a lot of them can agree that the stabbing on March 10 wasn’t an isolated incident,” she said.
With KISD’s investigation ongoing, Lim plans to follow up with an in-depth investigative piece in the coming weeks, keeping the focus on accountability, school safety, and the broader implications of violence in Texas communities.
