TARA BAKER: Georgia vs. Edrick Faust for cold-case 2001 murder of UGA law student *GUILTY*

Watch as this 19 year old case is experiencing a resurgence by 2 very determined men who
remember the murder & seeing her burned home near their apartment.


TARA LOUISE BAKER

Tara was murdered in a heinous fashion on January 19, 2001 one day shy of her 24th birthday. The epitome of overkill: Tara was beaten, stabbed, and strangled. A sexual assault was not ruled out. The killer even went so far as to set her apartment on fire. Her laptop was stolen.

According to the Augusta Chronicle: "Investigators identified at least three possible suspects after the murder, including a man Baker was dating, a fellow law school student, and an attorney at a local firm Baker worked for. Authorities will not say if the men still are under suspicion or if there are new suspects."




Georgia Bureau of Investigation:
January 19, 2001, around 11:20 a.m., the body of Tara Louise Baker was found by Athens-Clarke County firefighters responding to a fire at her apartment located at 160 Fawn Drive, Athens. Subsequent investigation has determined that the fire was intentionally set and the manner of death is homicide. Tara was a first-year law school student at the University of Georgia (UGA). Tara, 23, was last seen alive by a friend around 7:30 p.m. on January 18 at the UGA Law School Library. The same friend received a call at 9:46 p.m. from Tara, who was still at the library. Tara phoned to make sure her friend arrived home safely and said she planned to leave the library around 10 p.m. Tara was born on January 20, 1977 in East Point, Georgia. She graduated Love Joy High School in 1995 and enrolled at Georgia College in Milledgeville. She graduated Cum Laude in 1998 with two bachelor's degrees. Classmates remember Tara as a caring person who would often champion the cause of the underdog and never allowed serious students to be excluded from study groups or class projects. Anyone who may have information about Tara's death should contact: The Athens-Clarke County Police Department at 706-613-3337 or the GBI's Athens Regional Office at 706-542-7901.

Unsolved Homicide: Tara Louise Baker

On January 19, 2001, around 11:20 a.m., the body of Tara Louise Baker was found by Athens-Clarke County firefighters responding to a fire at her apartment located at 160 Fawn Drive, Athens. Subsequent investigation has determined that the fire was intentionally set and the manner of death is...

gbi.georgia.gov

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

RECAP: Day 1 of State v. Edrick Faust, the Tara Baker murder trial

The first day of the State v. Edrick Faust trial began Monday at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse. Faust is being charged with the 2001 murder of Tara Baker, a first-year

www.redandblack.com

RECAP: Day 1 of State v. Edrick Faust, the Tara Baker murder trial​

The first day of the State v. Edrick Faust trial began Monday at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse. Faust is being charged with the 2001 murder of Tara Baker, a first-year law student at the University of Georgia, on 12 counts, including murder, rape, arson and aggravated sodomy.

The trial was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., although four jurors were absent until approximately 11:30 a.m., which is when the trial officially began. The prosecution and defense presented their opening statements and the day ended with two witnesses being called to the stand. All statements made by attorneys, including opening statements and closing statements, are not considered evidence.

The prosecution’s opening statement began with a description of Baker and described her murder. The 23-year-old law student was sexually assaulted, strangled and stabbed before her bed and house were set on fire.

During Baker’s autopsy, a sexual assault kit was taken and DNA samples were found. In April 2024, agents Jeremy Howell and Elizabeth Bigham from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation tested that kit with TrueAllele technology and found a likelihood ratio in the DNA that matched Edrick Faust’s.

The DNA found also contained DNA from Baker and her boyfriend at the time, Chris Melton. DNA can only be found in a sample for a short period of time.

The prosecution said in their opening statement that Baker and Melton’s relationship was a very normal one. They were long distance at the time of her murder, as he was living in his parents' house while she was in Athens studying at UGA’s Law School. They also stated that Melton’s coworker was with him all day on Jan. 19, 2001.

The defense maintains Faust's innocence, arguing that Melton is the perpetrator, based on testimonies from a neighbor and an interview from Melton saying he had not seen Baker for 10 days, even though his DNA was found in the sexual assault kit sample.

The defense also argued that law enforcement failed to fully investigate the case and did not follow up on Melton’s alibi for four months.

The defense was also held in contempt of the court and fined $1,000.

David Freeman and Doug Whitehead, firefighters stationed at Fire Station 5 on the night of Baker’s murder, were brought to the stand as witnesses to explain what they saw when they arrived at Tara’s house in January 2001.

The trial will resume at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

RECAP: Day 2 of Tara Baker murder trial

The second day of the Tara Baker murder trial began Tuesday at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse.Faust is being charged with the 2001 murder of Tara Baker, a first-year law student

www.redandblack.com

RECAP: Day 2 of Tara Baker murder trial​

The second day of the Tara Baker murder trial began Tuesday at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse. Faust is being charged with the 2001 murder of Tara Baker, a first-year law student at the University of Georgia on 12 counts, including murder, rape, arson and aggravated sodomy.

The prosecution began by calling Dr. Andrew Falzon to the stand. Falzon was a consultant forensic pathologist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and conducted Baker’s autopsy in 2001.

Falzon outlined several injuries found during the autopsy. He noted neck bruises caused by strangulation and stab wounds on her arms. He also found blunt force injuries around her head, neck and below her waist, suggesting sexual activity. The prosecution used a prop knife to reenact a possible defensive struggle between Baker and her attacker to help the jury understand the attack.

The prosecution then presented several sets of photographs from Baker’s autopsy, prompting tears from one of the jurors.

During cross-examination, the defense raised concerns about an evidence bag marked as pubic hair, that they argued was empty, as well as potentially mislabeled vaginal swabs taken from the crime scene. The defense motioned for the evidence to be ruled inadmissible due to incorrect chain of custody management, which the judge swiftly denied.

The prosecution then called Baker’s law classmate and close friend Katherine Lahnstein to the stand. The two met at law school and quickly became close friends.

Lahnstein recalled her experiences during the days around Baker’s death. She said the pair had studied together the night before her death. The next day, Baker didn’t show up to their 9:30 a.m. property law class nor their planned meeting at a bar called The Winery. Lahnstein learned of Baker’s death the following day, Saturday, Jan. 20, when a friend called her about a news headline reading “Student Slain.”

The prosecution then asked Lahnstein about Baker’s relationship with her then boyfriend Chris Melton, leading to a long confrontation between the judge, prosecution and defense. In the previous court day, the defense had been prohibited from asking witnesses their opinion on Melton and Baker's relationship. Because of this restriction, the defense claimed they were “being handcuffed” and “walking on eggshells.”

The prosecution then called Athena Gray, an ACC911 office training coordinator, who read 911 call logs from Jan. 19, 2001, including a call from one of Baker’s neighbors reporting Baker’s house appearing to be on fire.

The prosecution also called Lt. David Leedahl, a retired ACC police officer who processed the crime scene of Baker’s murder. Leedahl reviewed dozens of photographs taken at Baker’s home and presented them to the jury. He testified about evidence collected during the investigation, including attempts to lift fingerprints from Baker’s body. He said it appeared as though certain areas had been wiped down before investigators could recover usable evidence.

The jury was presented with several pieces of evidence gathered from the scene, including the knife found beside Baker’s body and the printer cable wrapped around her neck.

Before being dismissed, Leedahl said he could still remember the smell of Baker’s shampoo years later.

The prosecution then introduced Brian Grove, a fire protection engineer.

Grove’s testimony will continue when the trial resumes at 9 a.m Wednesday.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

LIVE: Tara Baker murder trial continues after multiple mistrial requests

The Edrick Faust murder trial enters Day 4. Testimony on Wednesday focused on arson findings and 2001 police sketches of a "suspicious man" in an orange sweatshirt.

www.fox5atlanta.com

LIVE: Tara Baker murder trial continues after multiple mistrial requests​

Thursday marks day four of the trial against Edrick Faust, the man accused of killing University of Georgia law student Tara Baker in 2001.


On Wednesday, testimony began with a fire expert who concluded that the blaze in Baker’s apartment was intentionally set, likely starting on a bedroom mattress. The defense moved for a mistrial over a "demonstrative" photo of the burned building, but Chief Judge Lisa Lott denied the request.

Witnesses Karen Williams and Kelli Shroder also took the stand, describing a "suspicious" man in a bright orange sweatshirt seen near the neighborhood at the time of the crime. These descriptions led to the creation of two police sketches in 2001, which were presented to the jury. The defense attempted to impeach these witnesses by highlighting inconsistencies between their current recollections and the original sketches.

Tensions peaked when defense attorney Ahmad R. Crews requested another mistrial, comparing the proceedings to "practicing in communist Russia" after the judge blocked his line of questioning.

Forensic evidence followed as a former GBI criminologist discussed processing DNA from the sexual assault kit and knives found at the scene. She noted that while technology has significantly improved since 2001, the original evidence remained a focal point of the investigation. The defense centered its cross-examination on the chain of custody and the handling of samples over the last two decades. The trial is expected to continue into next week as the prosecution concludes its case.


The tensions have been rising since day one of the trial when defense attorney Ahmad Crews was held in contempt after several objections by the prosecution during his opening statements.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Defense calls for another mistrial in seventh day of Tara Baker murder trial

The seventh day of the Tara Baker murder trial began with the prosecution calling William Ricketts, an Athens-Clarke County Police Department officer at the time of Baker’s death, to the

www.redandblack.com

Defense calls for another mistrial in seventh day of Tara Baker murder trial​

The seventh day of the Tara Baker murder trial began with the prosecution calling William Ricketts, an Athens-Clarke County Police Department officer at the time of Baker’s death, to the stand.

Ricketts confirmed that he was working on the day of Baker’s murder in the robbery and homicide unit. He testified that once arriving on the scene that day, he talked to Baker’s neighbors including Matthew Owens and Tiffany Schroeder, who both testified last week.

Ricketts was also asked about his interviews with Chris Melton, Baker’s then-boyfriend, on Jan. 19, 2001 and Jan. 21, 2001.

Prosecution asked Ricketts to describe the content of these conversations, leading to a long confrontation between the defense, prosecution and judge.

The defense continued to object during the prosecution’s examination, calling “hearsay” whenever Ricketts was asked about his conversations with Owens, Schroeder or Melton.

“The state is attempting to use this officer to change the testimonies of other witnesses,” the defense argued.



The prosecution then called agent Elizabeth Bigham from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to the stand. Bigham worked in the GBI’s Special Investigations Cold Case unit when Baker’s case was re-opened in 2024, and was assigned her case. This unit was established in 2023 as part of the Coleman-Baker act.

Before her testimony, the defense called for a mistrial against information that the prosecution wanted to introduce, including where Faust lived around the time that Baker was killed. The judge denied the motion.

Bigham noted that there was an “extremely large case file” for Baker’s case, recalling it to be about 20,000 pages. Bigham said they interviewed around 20 to 30 people and conducted over 100 interviews throughout their investigation.

Bigham testified that Faust and Melton’s DNA matched DNA found in the sexual assault kit conducted on Baker at the time of her autopsy. Bigham reinterviewed Melton in May of 2024 and Faust was arrested four days later.

During cross-examination the defense noted that Bigham was present in the courtroom throughout the entirety of the trial, seeing the testimony of every witness, as well as the opening statements of both the defense and prosecution.

Bigham told the defense that Faust was arrested over Melton because Melton had an alibi.

The defense went back and forth with Bigham about whether Melton was under pressure from the agents to change his timeline of when he last saw Baker before her death. In his 2001 interviews, Melton said he had seen Baker six days prior. In his 2024 interviews, he claimed it was 10 days prior. The defense used audio recordings to show that Melton reaffirmed that claim multiple times. Once DNA evidence came out falsifying that claim, Melton agreed that he had seen Baker sexually six days prior.

The defense continued to claim that Melton lied for 23 years, to which Bigham said she did not agree with.

Bigham also continued to testify that Melton had an alibi that would have made it impossible for him to kill Baker.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/courts/2026/02/12/tara-baker-murder-trial-prosecution-rests-dna-evidence-key/88624698007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z118930p118950c118950v118930&gca-ft=111&gca-ds=sophi

Prosecution rests in Tara Baker murder trial; DNA evidence central to cold case​

The prosecution rested its case Wednesday against the man accused of killing University of Georgia Law School student Tara Baker 25 years ago, while the court awaits a decision by the defendant on whether he will testify on his own behalf.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday with a decision from the defense on whether it will present further evidence.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Tara Baker murder trial interrupted by medical emergency

By Joe Johnson Following a full week of testimony, the trial of the man accused of murdering University of Georgia law student Tara Baker came to a halt after the wife of the defense attorney was reportedly hospitalized.The prosecution rested its case on Wednesday and the wife of attorney Ahmad...

www.classiccitynews.com

Tara Baker murder trial interrupted by medical emergency​

Following a full week of testimony, the trial of the man accused of murdering University of Georgia law student Tara Baker came to a halt after the wife of the defense attorney was reportedly hospitalized.

The prosecution rested its case on Wednesday and the wife of attorney Ahmad Crews was hospitalized as he was preparing to present his case in defense of Edrick Faust.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/courts/2026/02/14/jury-to-deliberate-in-2001-tara-baker-murder-trial-in-athens/88670520007/

A jury of eight men and four women will begin deliberations Monday on the murder and rape charges against an Athens man accused of the 2001 slaying of University of Georgia law school student Tara Baker.

Ahmad Crews, the Atlanta attorney for suspect Edrick Faust, did not present any evidence Friday to culminate two weeks of testimony in Clarke County Superior Court.

The closing arguments and charge of the law to the jury did not end Friday until almost 6:45 p.m., at which point Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott asked the jury to return Monday to start its deliberations.

 

[Kimster]

I'm seeing quite a few posts on X stating they think this will be a hung jury, based on DNA presentation.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/courts/2026/02/16/tara-baker-murder-trial-jury-deliberations-continue-tuesday/88702701007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z113022p118250c118250v113022d--30--b--30--&gca-ft=194&gca-ds=sophi

Tara Baker murder trial jury unable to reach verdict; restarts Tuesday​

The jury in the Tara Baker murder trial was unable to reach a decision on Monday, but will return to its deliberations on Tuesday morning.

The jury began working on the case about 12:30 p.m. and sent a note about 8 p.m. to Clarke County Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott that it wished to adjourn for the night.

Jury deliberates, no verdict reached in third week of Tara Baker murder trial

The third week of the Tara Baker murder trial began early afternoon Monday with jury deliberation. The jury stayed until 8 p.m. but did not reach a verdict.

www.redandblack.com

Jury deliberates, no verdict reached in third week of Tara Baker murder trial​

The third week of the Tara Baker murder trial began early afternoon Monday with jury deliberation. The jury stayed until 8 p.m. but did not reach a verdict.


On Monday, the trial consisted of the jury re-watching William Ricketts’ testimony, which prompted them to request to look at DNA reports again.

Around 6 p.m., the jury decided to stay late to deliberate more and potentially reach a verdict; however, one of the jurors had to leave by 8 p.m.

The trial will resume Tuesday at 9 a.m., and deliberation will be ongoing until the jury reaches a verdict.

 

[Kimster]

Wow, I guess those watching the trial had it right. They really felt it would be a hung jury.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Man found guilty in UGA law student cold case murder trial

Edrick Faust faced 12 felony charges in UGA law student’s violent murder 25 years ago.

www.atlantanewsfirst.com

Man found guilty in UGA law student cold case murder trial​

A verdict has been reached in the case of a Georgia woman who was murdered more than 20 years ago.

Edrick Faust faced 12 felony charges related to the murder of UGA law student Tara Baker in January 2001 in Athens, Georgia.

On Tuesday, Faust was convicted on the following charges:

• Count one - malice murder: GUILTY
• Count two - felony murder: GUILTY
• Count three - felony murder: GUILTY
• Count four - felony murder: GUILTY
• Count five - felony murder: GUILTY
• Count six - burglary: GUILTY
• Count seven - aggravated sodomy: GUILTY
• Count eight - rape: GUILTY
• Count nine - aggravated assault: GUILTY
• Count 10 - aggravated sodomy: GUILTY
• Count 11 - arson in the first degree: GUILTY
• Count 12 - possession of a knife during commission of a felony: GUILTY

Faust’s sentencing is set for 3 p.m. Thursday.

“Today’s verdict does not restore Tara’s future. It does not erase the years of grief. But it does represent accountability through the legal system she believed in so strongly,” Baker’s family said in a statement. “Throughout this process, we have trusted the legal system to follow the evidence wherever it led. Today, that process has resulted in a verdict.”

“Tara believed justice required courage and patience. In this moment, that principle has been honored. We also know that through the Coleman-Baker Act, named in her honor, families will continue to get justice that has been delayed for far too long. Her life mattered. Her pursuit of justice mattered. And both continue to matter. We are grateful for this resolution after more than 25 years of searching for the truth.”

 

[Kimster]

The jury came together! That’s great news!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Man convicted of murdering UGA law student Tara Baker sentenced to life in prison

Edrick Faust, the man convicted for the 2001 murder of University of Georgia law student Tara Louise Baker will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

www.cbsnews.com

Man convicted of murdering UGA law student Tara Baker sentenced to life in prison​

The man convicted for the 2001 murder of University of Georgia law student Tara Louise Baker will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

On Tuesday, a Clarke County jury found Edrick Lamont Faust guilty of the 12 charges he faced, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sodomy, burglary, tampering with evidence, and first-degree arson.


After hearing statements from Baker's family and friends as well as Faust's relatives, Western Circuit Chief Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott sentenced him to two life sentences as well as decades in prison to serve consecutively.

"Based upon the evidence presented at trial and the jury's verdict that a sentence involving rehabilitation is not appropriate in this case," Lott said.