Tara Baker's murder trial: Opening statements given in trial of Edrick Faust
Trial begins for man accused of murdering UGA student
The long-awaited trial of a man accused in the 2001 killing of a University of Georgia law student finally got underway on Monday morning in Athens.
ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. - The long-awaited trial of a man accused in the 2001 killing of a University of Georgia law student finally got underway on Monday morning in Athens.
Opening statements underway in Tara Baker trial
Opening statements were underway at noon Monday for the man accused of killing University of Georgia student Tara Baker 20 years ago.
What we know:
Edrick Faust was arrested in 2024 in connection with the death of Tara Baker, a first-year law student whose killing remained unsolved for more than two decades.
Baker, who was 23 years old, was found dead inside her burned apartment off Fawn Drive on Jan. 19, 2001 — one day before her 24th birthday. Investigators later determined the fire had been intentionally set and ruled her death a homicide.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Baker was last seen by a friend outside a library around 7:30 p.m. the night before her body was discovered. That friend later received a phone call from Baker, who said she planned to leave the library around 10 p.m. Authorities said that call was the last time anyone heard from her.
No arrests were made for years until Faust was taken into custody in 2023.
What they're saying:
In opening statements, the prosecution said the trial is the final chapter in the long, sad saga of the Baker family and the Athens community.
The prosecutor said for decades, everyone who loved Tara wanted to know who killed her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Edrick Faust killed Tara Baker," the prosecutor told the jury. "Edrick Faust sexually assaulted Tara Baker. Edrick Faust set her house on fire."
The state emphasized that the jury now holds the responsibility of closing a case that has remained open for decades.
"And now the final chapter begins today, but the last few pages of the story are not written," the prosecutor said. "At the end of the trial, you have the pen, and you the jury write the last few pages. When you do, you'll have the evidence to write the correct ending to this horrible saga."
The defense, however, maintained Faust's innocence, arguing that investigators needed a break in the case and overlooked other possibilities.
The defense poked holes into law enforcement's investigation, questioning the evidence. Faust's attorney suggested that the state's evidence is insufficient to place him at the crime scene.
"At the end of the case, when you go home and you are sitting around the dinner table and someone says to you, 'Why did you find Mr. Faust not guilty?' you will say, 'Well, I was fed a wealth of information, but it bogged down to one thing,'" the defense attorney said. "The state couldn't prove Edrick Faust was the person that killed Tara Baker. The state could not prove or present evidence that Faust was in Miss Baker's home."
The defense also argued that someone else close to Baker committed the crime. We are not naming that person because that individual has never been charged in the case.
Testimony is expected to continue through the week.
PREVIOUS STORIES
- UGA cold case murder: Jury selection underway in Tara Baker murder trial
- Tara Baker murder judge stays on case as defense outlines strategy
- Tara Baker murder: Edrick Faust trial faces delay
- Trial date set for suspect in murder of UGA law student Tara Baker
- Athens man denied bond in murder in 2001 death of UGA law student Tara Louise Baker
- UGA cold case: GBI talk about arrest in law student's death 23 years ago