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Jury Convicts Edrick Faust in 2001 Killing of UGA Law Student Tara Baker

DNA reanalysis of evidence preserved since 2001 identified Faust, with sentencing scheduled Thursday.

Overview

  • A Clarke County jury returned guilty verdicts on all 12 counts Tuesday after resuming deliberations.
  • Convictions include malice and felony murder, aggravated sodomy, burglary, first-degree arson, and tampering with evidence.
  • Prosecutors said DNA collected in 2001 tied Faust to the crime, and jurors reexamined DNA reports and heard a 2024 interview confronting him with the match.
  • Baker, 23, was found dead in her Athens apartment on Jan. 19, 2001, in a fire investigators determined was intentionally set.
  • The cold case advanced after a 2024 arrest following a GBI-led review supported by a 2023 law creating a DNA-focused unit, and sentencing is set for 3 p.m. Thursday.