A verdict is possible any time now as jurors deliberate in the murder trial against Edrick Faust, the man accused of killing University of Georgia law student Tara Baker 25 years ago. Closing statements in the closely watched trial concluded Friday, after 10 days of evidence-packed testimonies, feuding between the defense, prosecution and judge, and multiple calls for a mistrial.
Edrick Faust faces multiple counts in the murder of the then 23-year-old Tara Baker, who was found dead in her off-campus home in January 2001 after emergency crews responded to a fire. Authorities confirmed the cause of the blaze was arson. Baker suffered from strangulation, a knife wound to the neck, blunt force trauma to the head and sexual assault, investigators confirmed.
The case remained unsolved for years before the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Faust in May 2024, citing newer forensic testing.
In Friday’s closing statements, prosecutors revisited each charge in the indictment, arguing that the evidence presented throughout the trial established beyond a reasonable doubt that Faust was responsible for every offense alleged.
The defense concluded their argument that the state failed to prove that the presence of Faust’s DNA equated to guilt for murder, rape, burglary, arson, or any of the other crimes listed in the indictment.
As of 3 p.m Monday, jurors have requested to revisit DNA reports and a transcript of one of the investigators on the case and have yet to reach a verdict.
