Death of first-year law student was mystery for 23 years, cops say. Now, arrest made
After 23 years, a suspect has been arrested in the cold case death of a University of Georgia law student, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Edrick Lamont Faust, 48, of Athens, is charged with murder and other offenses following a decades-long investigation into the death of Tara Louise Baker, the agency said in a May 9 news release. She was 23 at the time.
“Tara Louise Baker was a hardworking student with a bright future ahead of her,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said in the release. “Tara’s life was stolen from her in a horrific act of violence.”
Faust’s arrest comes more than two decades after Baker, a first-year law student at UGA, was found dead in her burning apartment in Athens, according to investigators. Crews responded to the fire on Jan. 19, 2001, and determined it was intentionally set.
A friend last saw Baker around 7:30 the night before at the UGA Law School Library, the GBI said. The friend told investigators that Baker, who was still at the library, called her at about 9:46 p.m. to see if she made it home safely and to say she was planning to leave the library around 10 p.m.
State investigators, with help from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and other agencies, spent more than 20 years examining the circumstances surrounding Baker’s death.
Authorities didn’t disclose how or if Faust and Baker knew each other. It’s also unclear what led to Faust’s arrest.
Faust is charged with:
Murder
Felony murder (two counts)
Aggravated assault
Concealing the death of another person
Arson
Possession of a knife during commission of a felony
Tampering with evidence
Aggravated sodomy
“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,” Hosey said.
Authorities said they plan to hold a news conference in the coming days.
Athens is about a 70-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.
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