Tara Baker's murder trial: Edrick Faust sentenced in killing

ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. - Edrick Faust, the convicted killer of University of Georgia law student Tara Baker, was sentenced in an Athens-Clarke County courtroom on Thursday afternoon. 

What we know:

Faust was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison, along with an additional 45 years in confinement.

He was found guilty on Tuesday of 12 charges in the 2001 rape and murder of Baker.

What they're saying:

The courtroom heard emotional victim impact statements from Baker's family and Faust's family before sentencing was announced. 

Baker's mother, Virginia Baker, had her son-in-law read a statement on her behalf. 

"Members of the court, there are no words to fully express the horror of what this monster did to my daughter, Tara. For weeks, I have sat in this courtroom, forced to look at evil, to hear details I never wanted to know. I have endured it only for her sake. January 19th, 2001 was the collision of pure good and incomprehensible evil. Over these 25 years, the truth has emerged slowly, each new piece more terrible than the last. The question that never leaves me is why I have asked God this question thousands of times. I still have no complete answer, and the pain remains. As
a mother, I cannot bear the image of Tara dying alone, frightened, calling for help that never came. Night after night I dream of carrying her burned and broken body, walking endless roads, trying desperately to find someone who could help. Someone who could bring her back. I have begged God to trade my life for hers," she said. 

The other side:

Faust's family members pleaded with the court, many reinforcing that Faust did not kill Baker despite the guilty convictions. After the sentencing, family members who spoke to FOX 5 said they do plan to appeal the case. 

"Dealing with having the wrong person, that makes it really hard because you have a lot of people in this community, nationwide, who know that they have the wrong person," said Tijuana Dubose, Faust's family member. 

Dig deeper:

Jurors deliberated for two days following a two-week trial where they heard how advanced DNA technology linked Faust to Baker’s killing over two decades after the crime.

While deliberating, jurors asked to review Faust’s interview with GBI agents, where he was pressed to explain why his DNA was found on Baker.

The defense maintained there was no physical evidence linking Faust to the crime scene and said evidence suggested Baker’s killer may have been someone who knew her, like her boyfriend at the time.  

The backstory:

Baker was found dead at her burned apartment off Fawn Drive on Jan. 19, 2001, just one day before her 24th birthday. 

Faust was arrested in 2004 after the re-testing of DNA evidence using updated technology. 

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