The death of University of Georgia law student Tara Louise Baker had remained a mystery since 2001.
Late Thursday, the GBI announced that an arrest had been made in the cold case.
An Athens man with a lengthy criminal history, 48-year-old Edrick Lamont Faust, has been charged in Baker’s slaying, bringing some closure to her family and the community after more than two decades. But no details on a motive were released.
“Tara Louise Baker was a hardworking student with a bright future ahead of her,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said in a statement. “Tara’s life was stolen from her in a horrific act of violence. While this arrest does not bring her back to us, I pray that it helps bring closure to the Baker family as they continue their healing journey.”
Faust was arrested Thursday night and is also charged with aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, arson, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, tampering with evidence and aggravated sodomy. He was booked into the Clarke County jail. Faust was denied bond at a Friday morning hearing.
Details about the specific evidence that linked Faust to the case were not released. In September, the GBI Cold Case Unit partnered with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department to conduct a review and analysis of the investigation into Baker’s death. By late April, Faust was a suspect, according to his arrest warrants.
Investigators had not previously discussed how Baker was killed. But the warrants accuse Faust of strangling her, stabbing her in the neck and causing blunt force trauma to her head. He is also accused of sexually assaulting her before setting her home on fire in an attempt to hide what he had done, the warrants state. Faust was 25 at the time.
On Jan. 19, 2001, firefighters found Baker’s body at her off-campus rental home along Fawn Drive in Athens after responding to a blaze. Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set and then spent 23 years seeking answers, the GBI said.
“For many years, I have hoped the Baker family would find justice for the loss of Tara,” said Athens-Clarke police Chief Jerry Saulters, who was an officer at the crime scene when the incident happened. “This is a case that has lived with me throughout my career at ACCPD. I remember being there during that horrific time.”
Officials did not provide a motive or explain if Faust and Baker knew each other. Since early in the investigation, the fire was suspected as arson. Police confirmed a day after the incident that they were “certain that the fire was started to conceal the homicide.”
The Lovejoy native was one day shy of her 24th birthday when she died. She was a first-year law student at UGA and had earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia College & State University. In 2004, the university awarded Baker a law degree.
In January 2011, on the 10th anniversary of Baker’s death, her family received her death certificate. The coroner had previously declined to release it because the suspect remained on the loose. Investigators feared that releasing the details of Baker’s death could hinder the search for her killer.
In a statement released Thursday evening, Baker’s family said they are grateful an arrest was made and that officials remained on the case for so long.
“While this is a day we have long prayed for, it is not a day without grief and unanswered questions,” the statement read.
Though the arrest brought some closure to the family, investigators and the university community, questions remain regarding why Faust targeted Baker, and how he avoided capture in the case for more than two decades.
By the time Faust is accused of killing Baker, he had already served time in prison, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. Court records show Faust has a lengthy criminal history dating to when he was a teenager.
It includes several cases in both Clarke and Oglethorpe counties, according to court records. He served his first stint in prison from August 1997 until July 1999 for crimes including aggravated assault, robbery, simple battery and fleeing police, his DOC profile states.
On Feb. 8, 2001, just weeks after Baker was killed, Faust was charged with aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to probation, court records show.
But in May 2001, Faust returned to state prison, serving an additional two years on a separate case, records show.
Most recently, Faust was indicted last July on charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and violation of the open container law in Oglethorpe County, court records show.
At the time of his arrest this week, Faust was working for Athens’ Finest Pressure Washing and Mobile Detail, his warrant states. He previously ran a lawn care business, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.
On Monday, the GBI plans to release additional details about the case, the agency said Friday.
In recent years, there were only occasional mentions of Baker’s case. Interest rose, however, after the death of nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed near UGA’s intramural fields Feb. 22. Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was indicted Tuesday on charges of murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault with intent to rape, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and tampering with evidence.
Another cold case in the area remains unsolved. In 2003, the body of Kelvin McDuffie, a UGA student, was found in a remote part of Clarke County.
In April 2023, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Coleman-Baker Act, which allows families to request law enforcement agencies to review and reinvestigate homicides that have gone cold, according to the GBI. It states that law enforcement agencies across the state should develop procedures to ensure compliance by July of this year.
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
