Athens, GA: A 48-year-old man from Georgia has been refused bond in Athens on charges that he killed 23-year-old first-year law student Tara Louise Baker and set fire to her flat 23 years ago.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) says Edrick Lamont Faust is facing murder, two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, hide the death of another, arson, having a knife while committing a felony, tampering with evidence, and one count of aggravated sodomy.
Athens-Clarke County Jail took him into custody.
The police were called to Baker’s flat on January 19, 2001, because of a fire that turned out to be intentional. She was found dead inside.
The GBI’s cold case unit worked with Athens-Clarke County police in September to “conduct an in-depth review and analysis of the ongoing investigation into Baker’s death.”
The police caught Faust on Thursday.
“Tara Louise Baker worked hard in school and had a bright future ahead of her,” said Chris Hosey, director of the GBI. “A horrible act of violence took Tara’s life.” This arrest does not bring her back to us, but I pray that it helps the Baker family find peace as they continue to heal.
FOX 5 says Baker finished Cum Laude from Georgia College in Milledgeville in 1998 with two bachelor’s degrees. The day after she was found, she would have been 24 years old.
On the evening of January 18, friends last saw her living at the University of Georgia Law School Library. She later called a friend to make sure they were safe at home, the station said.
“For many years, I have hoped that the Baker family would find justice for Tara’s death,” said Jerry Saulters, who is now the chief of police in Athens-Clarke County.
“This case has stuck with me all through my time at ACCPD.” I remember that terrible time when I was there. Now that I see this case in its entirety, I value the agents’ hard work, both back then and now. I’m very proud of all the police officers who worked on this case over the years because the evidence they gathered back then helped lead to the arrest today.
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