GBI makes arrest in 23-year-old cold case murder of UGA law student

ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has announced the arrest of an Athens man in a 23-year-old cold case.

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Tara Louise Baker, 23, was found dead after a fire at her apartment in 2001. Investigators determined that the fire was set intentionally.

The GBI has charged Edrick Lamont Faust, 48, with murder, two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, arson, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, tampering with evidence, and one count of aggravated sodomy in connection with Baker’s death.

In 2023, the GBI Cold Case Unit partnered with ACCCPD to conduct and in-depth review and analysis of the investigation.

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Baker was a first-year law student at the University of Georgia at the time. She graduated from Lovejoy High School in 1995 and enrolled at Georgia College in Milledgeville.

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“Tara Louise Baker was a hardworking student with a bright future ahead of her,” says GBI Director Chris Hosey. “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.

The GBI did not say if Baker knew her killer.

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to submit a tip. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

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