Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Tara Louise Baker was a 23-year-old UGA law student who was found dead in her home in Athens, Georgia. Athens-Clarke County firefighters found Tara Baker in her home on January 19, 2001, at around 11:20 a.m. when they were responding to a fire at her apartment. An investigation revealed that the fire was intentionally set, and an elaborate investigation ensued. However, the case went cold, and no significant progress was made in the case until authorities announced on May 9, 2024, that an arrest was made in relation to the cold case.
CNN reported that Tara Baker was last seen on January 18, 2001, at around 7:30 p.m. by a friend at the UGA Law School Library. She claimed that she left the library first and was on a call with her at around 9:45 p.m. when Baker told her she planned to leave the library at 10 p.m. The next day, firefighters responded to flames and smoke from the rear corner of Baker’s apartment. They kicked the front door open as it appeared to be dead-bolted and locked, WSAV reported.
While on the search for the source of the fire, firefighters arrived at the kitchen. They found out that all four burners on the electric range were high. A bedroom in the back corner also had heavy flames coming out of it and was locked. An adjacent bathroom door was also locked and had to be kicked open. Tara Baker was found lying dead on the floor of her bedroom. The death was ruled a homicide. An autopsy revealed that she was beaten, stabbed, strangled, and might have been sexually assaulted. Baker’s 1996 Dodge Neon was parked in front of the apartment.
Who is charged with Tara Baker’s murder?
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, 48-year-old Edrick Lamont Faust has been charged with Tara Baker’s murder nearly 23 years after the killing. He was arrested and charged with two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, arson, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, concealing the death of another, tampering with evidence, and one count of aggravated sodomy.
Edrick Faust reportedly has several arrests documented in Athens-Clarke County. Fox 5 reported that less than a month after Tara Baker was killed, Faust was arrested. He then pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after cutting someone’s neck. His arrest warrant in relation to Baker’s killing suggested that the victim died of strangulation, blunt force trauma to the head, and stab wounds to the neck.
Special GBI Cold Case Unit Agents reportedly partnered with the Athens-Clarke County investigators in September 2023. They did an in-depth review and analysis of the investigation that had been done by then into Tara Baker’s murder. The information gathered from the investigation was combined with DNA science and biological evidence to narrow down a suspect pool and arrest Edrick Faust.
CBS News reported that the Coleman-Baker Act played an important role in furthering the investigation into Tara Baker’s homicide. The act led to the establishment of a new department within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. This department was to be dedicated to solving cold cases entirely. The legislation was named after another University of Georgia student, Sue Coleman and Tara Baker.
