ATHENS, Ga. — The man who was convicted for the murder of University of Georgia law student Tara Baker learned his sentence Thursday.
Edrick Faust was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison, as well as 45 years of other charges.
Faust was found guilty Monday of malice murder, felony murder, rape, arson and all other charges in her death.
Baker, a 23-year-old University of Georgia law student, was found dead in her burned East Athens home in January 2001.
Baker’s family gave victim statements before the sentencing was announced. Among those who provided statements were Baker’s brothers, one of whom described missing his sister “every Christmas, every family gathering.”
One of Faust’s family members addressed the judge and said he’s “no monster. He’s a human being.”
The state asked the judge for maximum sentences, including life, while the defense asked for leniency. Judge Lisa Lott had a couple of brief recesses as the lawyers looked at legal issues regarding the rape sentencing and other issues.
The case remained unsolved for more than two decades before being reopened by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Faust was arrested and charged in 2024 with raping and killing Baker.
Prosecutors said he set the UGA law student’s apartment on fire on the way out.
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