ATHENS — The trial of Edrick Faust, accused of murder in the 2001 death of University of Georgia law student Tara Baker, has been pushed back until early next year.
Originally set for October, the trial instead will begin Jan. 26, Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott ruled Thursday. Faust, arrested in May 2024 after a decades-long investigation, faces charges including malice murder, felony murder, arson and aggravated assault.
During a status hearing, defense attorney Ahmad R. Crews asked for more time and additional resources to manage what he described as “voluminous” amounts of case files and evidence.
Faust, with Baker family members also present in the courtroom, mostly sat quietly, occasionally leaning in to listen as Crews whispered to him during the proceedings.
“My concern in this case is that we’re wildly unprepared,” Crews told the court. “Not for lack of effort — for lack of resources.”
Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Kalki Yalamanchili, leading the state’s case, did not oppose the delay.
“It’s the largest case file I’ve ever worked with,” he said.
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage
On Jan. 19, 2001, firefighters responding to a call at an off-campus rental home in Athens found Baker’s body. The Lovejoy native, a first-year law student at UGA, was one day shy of her 24th birthday.
For more than two decades, the case remained open. A break came in 2023 when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Cold Case Unit — established under the Coleman-Baker Act, named in part for Tara Baker — joined Athens-Clarke police to reexamine the evidence. New DNA and forensic testing led to Faust’s arrest.
Faust is alleged to have sexually assaulted Baker before setting her home on fire in an attempt to hide what he had done, according to warrants.
Baker’s mother, Virginia Baker, and sister, Meredith Schroeder, attended Thursday’s hearing.
Faust, 49, remains in custody without bond.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Crews also filed a motion asking for the district attorney’s office to provide paper copies of case files in addition to digital ones, arguing that Faust could not afford printing costs and his defense would be hampered without them.
Judge Lott denied the request, calling it “extraordinary” and “unprecedented.”
She did, however, order accommodations for Faust to review his case. During a break in Thursday’s hearing, Lott arranged for a computer to be made available at the Athens-Clarke County jail and coordinated with jail staff to provide him adequate time and space for case preparation.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
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