The Murder of Tara Louise Baker in Athens Georgia

On January 19, 2001, the quiet student community of Athens, Georgia, woke to a tragedy that would linger for more than two decades. The life of twenty three year old law student Tara Louise Baker ended inside her small apartment, and with it ended a future that seemed filled with promise, service, and dedication to the law.

Tara was in her first year at the University of Georgia School of Law. Friends and professors remembered her as serious about her studies yet kind and approachable, the sort of person who made room for others at the study table and in life. She came from a close family and had worked hard to reach Athens, carrying with her a strong academic record and a reputation for resilience and determination.

Law school is demanding, especially for first year students. Tara threw herself into casebooks, briefing, and outlining, shaping the foundation of a legal career she hoped would allow her to stand up for people who needed an advocate. Those who knew her say that she talked about using her degree to help others rather than simply to chase prestige or money. That sense of purpose makes what happened to her even more devastating.

Life in Athens and a Relentless Work Ethic

Athens is a college town with a mix of classic brick buildings, student filled sidewalks, and neighborhoods where many students rent modest apartments. Tara lived in such a place, an off campus apartment on Fawn Drive. It was not far from campus but far enough to feel like a small retreat after long days and late nights at the law library.

Classmates recall that Tara was often seen studying late, carrying thick textbooks and binders that seemed almost as big as she was. She had come into law school after already proving herself in college, completing her undergraduate work with distinction. That pace did not slow when she arrived in Athens. She knew the stakes and treated her education as both an opportunity and a responsibility.

The culture of first year law study is intense. Students form study groups, race to keep up with reading in multiple doctrinal courses, and prepare for high pressure exams that can determine scholarships and futures. Tara embraced that challenge. She was seen not only as smart but as generous with her time, sharing notes and helping classmates understand difficult material. That blend of drive and compassion would become a recurring theme in the way people spoke about her after her death.

The Final Night at the Law Library

The last known hours of Tara’s life followed a pattern that felt familiar for a student in her position. On the evening of January 18, 2001, Tara was at the University of Georgia Law Library. It was the kind of winter night when the glow of fluorescent lights and computer screens spill out through tall windows, a small world of focused students separate from the rest of town.

Friends later recalled seeing her there working on assignments and reviewing material. At some point that evening she spoke with a friend by phone, mentioning her plan to leave the library around ten that night and return home. There was nothing unusual in that plan. It was exactly what she had done countless times before, walking or driving back to her apartment after another long study session.

Somewhere between leaving the structured quiet of the library and the next morning, everything changed. The timeline that once simply described a routine night of study and rest became the frame of a crime that investigators would struggle to solve for many years.

Fire on Fawn Drive

Late on the morning of January 19, 2001, emergency calls went out about a fire at an apartment on Fawn Drive in Athens. Firefighters arrived to see smoke and flames coming from the unit where Tara lived. To neighbors, it first appeared to be an unfortunate accident, the kind of apartment fire that sometimes occurs in older buildings with crowded electrical outlets and busy student lives.

Fire crews worked to put out the flames and make the space safe enough to enter. Once inside, they found what no one expected. The young woman who lived there was dead, and it quickly became clear that this was not simply a tragic fire. The discovery transformed the scene from one of disaster to one of suspected crime.

Authorities soon concluded that the fire had been intentionally set. Rather than being the cause of Tara’s death, the flames appeared to be an attempt to destroy evidence and mask what had already happened inside that apartment. In a matter of hours, the site on Fawn Drive changed from a burned residence to a homicide scene.

Inside the Crime Scene

Investigators moved through the charred yet still telling space of the apartment. Even with fire damage, there were enough indicators to show that Tara had suffered a violent attack before the fire began. The blaze had been used as a cover, a way to confuse the picture and hide forensic traces that might identify the person responsible.

The apartment was the home of a hardworking student, with textbooks, papers, and notes that spoke to long hours of legal study. Those ordinary details of a young life in progress contrasted sharply with the violence that had taken place there. The juxtaposition only deepened the sense of shock felt by everyone involved in the case.

As investigators collected evidence, they began building a timeline. They looked at when Tara had last been seen at the law library, when the fire was reported, and what signs inside the apartment suggested about the sequence of events. They interviewed neighbors, classmates, and anyone who might have seen or heard something unusual in the hours between Tara’s return home and the discovery of the fire.

Early Investigation and Unanswered Questions

From the beginning, the murder of a law student in a college town drew intense attention. Athens Clarke County authorities, working with state investigators, poured resources into the matter. A young woman at the start of a legal career had been killed in what appeared to be a targeted and brutal crime. The community wanted answers.

Investigators considered various possibilities. They examined the people in Tara’s life, from classmates to acquaintances. They tried to determine whether the killer was someone she knew or a stranger who had crossed her path that night. The deliberate setting of the fire implied planning and a desire to avoid detection, which only raised more questions about motive and opportunity.

Despite sustained work, the case did not yield a quick solution. For every lead that seemed promising, there were others that led nowhere. Tips came in, but none delivered the decisive breakthrough that detectives needed. For the public, information was limited. Authorities had to protect the integrity of the investigation, which meant that rumors sometimes filled the gaps where facts were not yet ready to be shared.

A Campus and Community in Mourning

The death of Tara Louise Baker reverberated across the University of Georgia campus and the wider community. Students who had seen her in class or shared study tables with her faced the sudden reality that one of their own had been violently taken. Faculty and staff mourned the loss of a bright student who had shown great potential.

Memorial gatherings gave friends and family a chance to tell stories about Tara. They remembered her sense of humor, her patience in helping others study, and her commitment to the idea that the law could be used to protect vulnerable people. For her family, the grief was compounded by the distance between home and the town where their daughter died, and by the many questions that still did not have answers.

The law school chose not to let her memory fade. Over time, they established a memorial scholarship in her name and later awarded her a law degree posthumously. Those gestures acknowledged both the life she lived and the career she never had the chance to begin. Each year, new students entering the school would see her name and learn at least a little about who she was and what had happened.

From Active Case to Cold Case

As months turned into years, the investigation into Tara’s murder remained open but unresolved. Detectives changed, technology evolved, and leads grew colder. Files and evidence stayed preserved, but without a clear suspect who could be connected to the scene and the crime beyond reasonable doubt, the case could not move to trial.

Eventually, the case took on the label that every family fears in these circumstances. It became a cold case. That term does not mean that investigators no longer care. Instead, it reflects the lack of active leads and the reality that the passage of time makes evidence harder to interpret and witnesses more difficult to locate or rely upon.

For Tara’s family, the wait was agonizing. They continued to honor her memory, share her story, and ask that anyone with information come forward. In time, journalists, documentarians, and podcasters would take interest in the case, bringing renewed attention and keeping the details alive in the public consciousness. That sustained focus mattered. It helped ensure that Tara’s name did not disappear from view.

New Technology and Renewed Attention

Over the years, forensic science advanced significantly. Techniques for analyzing biological evidence became more sensitive and more reliable. DNA testing that had been cutting edge at the time of Tara’s murder became standard practice, and new methods allowed old evidence to be reexamined with fresh eyes and more powerful tools.

At the same time, there was growing national recognition of the importance of systematic cold case review. Families and advocates pushed for reforms that would require or encourage law enforcement agencies to revisit unsolved homicides on a regular basis. In Georgia, efforts like these led to new approaches and structures for reviewing old cases, including the creation of units focused specifically on cold cases.

Tara’s murder became one of the cases revisited under this new framework. Investigators returned to preserved evidence, applying modern techniques to items that had been collected decades earlier. They built on work done by earlier generations of detectives while bringing in new perspectives and tools. It was not a simple or quick process, but it reflected a renewed commitment to finding answers.

The Arrest of a Suspect More Than Two Decades Later

More than twenty years after the fire on Fawn Drive, authorities announced a major development. In 2024, investigators revealed that they had identified a suspect in the murder of Tara Louise Baker and had taken him into custody. The announcement stated that forensic analysis and an intensive review of the case had led them to this person, who had ties to the Athens area.

The suspect, a man named Edrick Lamont Faust, was formally charged in connection with Tara’s death. The charges include multiple serious counts, among them murder, felony murder, and arson, reflecting both the killing itself and the deliberate setting of the fire in the apartment. Additional charges related to assault and other offenses underscore the gravity of what investigators believe happened in that small residence on Fawn Drive.

It is important to note that, under the law, he remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The charges represent the state’s allegations, built upon the evidence investigators say they have gathered, but a jury must still determine whether that evidence meets the standard required for conviction.

For Tara’s family and friends, the arrest brought a mixture of relief and renewed pain. Relief, because they had waited so long for someone to be held accountable. Pain, because the details of the case had to be revisited, discussed, and examined all over again. Court hearings, pretrial motions, and preparations for trial keep the case in public view and in the family’s daily life in ways that are both hopeful and exhausting.

Legacy of a Young Woman Lost Too Soon

Even as legal proceedings move forward, Tara’s legacy continues to grow beyond the details of the case file. At the University of Georgia School of Law, the scholarship in her name helps support students who share something of her spirit and ambition. Her posthumously awarded degree stands as a testament to both her work and the respect she earned among faculty and peers.

Beyond the campus, Tara’s case helped inspire broader conversations about cold cases and victims’ rights. The persistence of her family, advocates, and community members contributed to efforts aimed at improving how unsolved homicides are reviewed and prioritized. Those efforts have the potential to affect not only her case but many others across the state.

In the world of true crime discussion, Tara’s story is often presented not only as a tragic mystery but also as a reminder that behind every case file is a person with dreams, relationships, and a life that mattered. She was more than a victim of a violent crime. She was a daughter, a friend, a student, and someone who chose a path in the law because she believed in fairness and justice.

The Continuing Quest for Justice

The murder of Tara Louise Baker on January 19, 2001, in Athens, Georgia, changed many lives and cast a long shadow over a community. From the morning that firefighters stepped into a burning apartment and found a young law student dead, through years of uncertainty and grief, to the modern era of renewed investigation and the arrest of a suspect, the story has unfolded over decades rather than days.

As court proceedings continue, there is hope that a full and fair trial will answer at least some of the questions that have haunted Tara’s family and friends for so long. Whatever the outcome, the work that has been done to remember her, to honor her aspirations, and to push for better treatment of cold cases ensures that her story will not simply fade into the background.

Ultimately, Tara’s life and death stand as a call to value the individuals behind every case. She was a young woman who wanted to use the law to make a difference for others. The ongoing pursuit of justice in her name is one way her community strives to honor that vision.