Man accused of murdering UGA law student ordered to appear in court

A man accused of killing a University of Georgia student 23 years ago must face a judge.

An arraignment against Edrick Faust is scheduled for Tuesday morning in Clarke County.

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Faust in May for the 2001 murder of Tara Baker. Police found Baker dead after a fire broke out in her apartment that investigators believe was intentionally set.

Investigators said Baker did not know Faust.

Baker graduated from Lovejoy High School in 1995 and was a first-year law student at the University of Georgia at the time of her murder.

“Tara Louise Baker was a hardworking student with a bright future ahead of her,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said in May. “Tara's life was taken from her in a horrific act of violence. While this arrest will not bring her back to us, I pray it will help the Baker family find closure as they continue their path to healing.”

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The GBI said a new law named after Baker gave the agency the tools to keep its case alive. The new look at the evidence led investigators to Faust.

Baker's mother thanked the GBI at a press conference in May for providing her family with closure.

“I want people to know that prayers work. Never stop praying. Never stop having hope in your heart because it can happen,” she said.

The GBI has charged 48-year-old Edrick Lamont Faust with murder, two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, covering up the death of another person, arson, possession of a knife during the commission of a serious crime, tampering with evidence and aggravated sodomy in connection with Baker's death.

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