Decades-old Murder Case Reopened: Suspect Denied Bond for 2001 Student Homicide
A 48-year-old Georgia man accused of killing 23-year-old first-year law student Tara Louise Baker and setting fire to her flat 23 years ago has been denied bond in Athens.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Edrick Lamont Faust has been charged with murder, two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, concealing another’s death, arson, possession of a knife while committing a felony, tampering with evidence, and one count of aggravated sodomy.
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He was booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail.
Baker was discovered dead in her flat on January 19, 2001, after first responders were summoned to investigate a fire that was later determined to be arson. In September, the GBI’s cold case unit worked with Athens-Clarke County police to “conduct an in-depth review and analysis of the ongoing investigation into Baker’s death.”
Faust was detained on Thursday.
“Tara Louise Baker was a hardworking student with a bright future ahead of her,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Tara’s life was taken from her in a brutal act of violence. While this arrest will not bring Hannah back to us, I hope it will provide closure for the Baker family as they continue their healing path.” Baker, who would have turned 24 the day she was discovered, graduated Cum Laude from Georgia College in Milledgeville in 1998 with two bachelor’s degrees, according to Fox 5.
She was last seen alive by friends in the University of Georgia Law School Library on the evening of January 18, and she later called a friend to ensure they had returned home safely, according to the station.
“For many years, I hoped the Baker family would find justice for Tara’s death,” stated Jerry Saulters, the current Chief of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, in a statement. “This case has stayed with me throughout my time at ACCPD. I recall being present during that horrible moment. As I look back on this case, I admire the investigators’ efforts both then and now. Knowing that the evidence gathered at the time led to the current arrest makes me extremely proud of all the cops who worked on this case over the years.”
Saulters had been an officer on the site in 2001.
Governor Brian Kemp thanked investigators for prosecuting a suspect in the case this week. “Last year, I signed the Coleman-Baker Act so that we can bring closure and justice, long overdue, to families like this,” he wrote on X on Thursday, following Faust’s arrest. “May Tara’s memory live on through the good work of this Unit.”