- Edric Lamont Faust, 48, was arrested and charged with murder in the January 2001 killing of University of Georgia law student Tara Louise Baker.
- Tara Baker’s body was discovered by firefighters in a burning apartment in Athens.
- Faust faces multiple charges including malicious murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sodomy, tampering with evidence and arson.
More than 20 years after a University of Georgia law student was found dead in her burning home, authorities have arrested a man and charged him with murder in her death.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department announced Thursday that they have arrested Edric Lamont Faust, 48, in connection with the January 2001 murder of Tara Louise Baker. Firefighters responding to a fire at Baker’s apartment in Athens discovered the body of the 23-year-old first-year law student.
Investigators determined Baker was murdered and the fire was intentionally set, and police have been searching for Baker’s killer ever since. The GBI’s cold case unit partnered with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department in September to conduct a “thorough investigation and analysis” of the investigation, the GBI said in a news release.
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The statement did not say how investigators came to Faust or whether Faust and Baker knew each other or whether they knew each other. He was booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail late Thursday on charges including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sodomy, tampering with evidence and arson.
Park Hall is located on the campus of the University of Georgia. More than 20 years after a University of Georgia law student was found dead in her burning home, authorities have arrested a man and charged him with murder in her death. (Jon Graeme/LightRocket via Getty Images)
It was not immediately clear whether Faust had an attorney who could comment on the charges.
Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Salters, who was an officer at the scene of the crime on January 19, 2001, said in a news release that Baker’s family had long hoped to receive justice. Stated.
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“I remember being there during that horrible time,” he said. “Now that this case has come to a close, I am grateful for the hard work of our detectives then and now. I’m extremely proud of everyone.” ”
GBI Director Chris Hosey called Faust’s arrest “a first step in seeking justice for Tara.”
