New attorney takes over representation of suspect charged in Tara Baker death

The suspect in the 2001 slaying of University of Georgia law school student Tara Baker made an appearance in Clarke County Superior Court on Thursday where he was granted a continuance in a hearing for bail.

The continuance was made because the suspect, Edrick Lamont Faust, 48, of Athens, has a new attorney after he was previously represented by lawyers in the Western Circuit Public Defender’s Office.

Ahmad R. Crews, a criminal defense lawyer from Atlanta, announced he was taking over the legal representation of Faust, who is charged with murdering the 23-year-old first-year law student in January 2001 at her home on Fawn Drive in east Athens.

Faust faces numerous charges including murder, aggravated sodomy and arson.

Faust was dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit and in shackles, as he sat at the defense table with his lawyer. Seven deputies were stationed throughout the courtroom, where Chief Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott conducted the brief hearing.

Numerous friends of Baker, along with her family, were in attendance for the hearing which was over in less than 10 minutes.

No evidence was presented due to the defendant’s attorney waving the hearing for a bail status.

The slaying of Baker went unsolved for 23 years. In May, officials said a cold case unit of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation developed new information that led to the identification of Faust. The GBI has declined to describe how that evidence was generated.

The GBI reported Baker was killed by strangulation with stab wounds to her neck and blunt force to her head. Officers also say the apartment was set on fire to destroy evidence.

Faust has a long criminal record dating back to the time of Baker's death with convictions for various charges, including aggravated assault, attempted robbery and cocaine distribution in Clarke and Oglethorpe counties, according to court documents.

He has been on probation for years and in 2019 his supervision level by the probation office was described in court documents as “high.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Bond hearing for suspect in 2001 death of Tara Baker is delayed