The trial of a man accused of killing a University of Georgia law student more than two decades ago is set to continue Friday morning after a one-day pause prompted by a medical emergency.
Proceedings in the case against Edrick Faust were halted Thursday at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse after defense attorney Ahmad Crews informed Western Circuit Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott that his wife had been hospitalized. The judge agreed to delay testimony and reconvene the court Friday.
Faust, 50, faces 12 charges, including murder, rape, arson and aggravated sodomy, in the January 2001 death of 23-year-old Tara Baker. Baker, a first-year law student, was found dead inside her burning home in the Deer Park neighborhood of east Athens. Investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set.
The case remained unsolved for years before authorities announced in 2024 that DNA evidence linked Faust to the crime. Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday after presenting testimony from Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and forensic experts who detailed the forensic analysis central to the state’s case.
Defense attorneys have sought to undermine that evidence and have questioned the thoroughness of the original investigation, including scrutiny of Baker’s then-boyfriend, who testified earlier this week.
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When court resumes Friday, the defense is expected to continue presenting its case.
