Man found guilty in UGA law student cold case murder trial

Atlanta News First ^ | February 17, 2026 | Tim Darnell

[TheDon]

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A verdict has been reached in the case of a Georgia woman who was murdered more than 25 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.

...

In January 2001, Tara Baker, a 23-year-old UGA law student, was killed in her apartment in Athens.

Baker was last seen by friends around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 18, 2001, at the UGA Law School Library. A friend called Baker around 9:46 p.m., and she said she planned to leave the library around 10 p.m. That was the last time anyone heard from Baker alive.

According to arrest warrants, Baker was killed sometime between 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 18 and 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2001. She was subjected to strangulation with an instrument, a knife wound to the neck, blunt force trauma to her head and sexual assault.

Baker’s body was discovered by Athens-Clarke County firefighters around 11:20 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2001. She was found in her burning apartment on Fawn Drive in Athens.

The murder remained unsolved for over 23 years.

...

In May 2024, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Cold Case Unit arrested Faust, who was 50 at the time, after new DNA science and biological evidence allegedly linked him to the murder.

...

[TheDon]

DNA has come along way as a tool for solving crimes.

I guess execution is not on the table. Pity that.

[LouAvul]

Black man murdered pretty white girl. I’ll be surprised if some black activist judge doesn’t commute his sentence.

[V_TWIN]

This is why, as aggravated as it makes my wife......I rarely allow her to go off alone, even just to the grocery store.

Blacks these days are capable of doing just about anything to White people at any time.....usually in an ambush scenario.

I know how that sounds but these attacks by black people on Whites is all to common now.

[SharpenedEdge]

But his cousin Tijuana Dubose says he’s innocent! Doesn’t that count for something?

Fry him.

[Gay State Conservative]

DNA is great! Genetic genealogy is also great. Your second cousin gives a sample to Ancestry.com and then *you* are arrested for a murder 30 years ago!

[TheDon]

That’s the beauty of genetic genealogy. They can determine who DNA belongs to even from the DNA of people you’ve never met.

[Chewbarkah]

I wonder how many victims Edrick attacked in the last 30 years.

[Bon of Babble]

No Statute of Limitations on Murder.

Thank God for genetic genealogy.

I hope the killer of this beautiful, young girl is executed.

[Chickensoup]

Pattern recognition.

All.

[Signalman]

I’m confused. Multiple murder counts but just one victim...?

[SharpRightTurn]

Yes, execution. The taxpayers should not have to pick up the expense of room and board for this monster the rest of his miserable life.

[Flavious_Maximus]

Now-a-days, whenever a White girl is murdered, you just know it was caused by a savage cannibal or filthy illegal alien. In other words, by a democrat. /spit

[wardaddy]

They are not savages because they are democrats
They are democrats because they are savages inherently

[wardaddy]

Some black guys crave and I mean crave a blonde woman

By any means

[ridesthemiles]

LET’S HOPE THAT SAME TECHNOLOGY CAN LEAD TO NANCY GUTHRIE KIDNAPPERS.

SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BY HOUR 12

[ridesthemiles]

I HOPE HOS DNA IS BEING CROSSED AGAINST ANY OPEN CASES ANYWHERE

[budj]

I’d be OK with “life in prison, not to exceed two weeks.”

[Pete Dovgan]

The family blamed someone else. Did the defendant ever say why his DNA was in the apartment, or did his family explain?

[Twotone]

Can someone explain how there can be multiple counts of the same charge? Four felony murder counts with one victim? I’m confused.

[Valpal1]

1 malice murder count for the actual killing and 4 Felony Murder counts for causing a death in the commission of other felony crimes, rape, burglary, arson and I don’t remember the 4th one. But that’s how you get multiple counts of murder.