concernedcitizen706
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GA GA - Tara Baker, 23, Athens, 19 Jan 2001 *Arrest*
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concernedcitizen706
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11Alive Presser, link above. Around 21:58
Reporter- ... In other words,... could you have used existing technology back then, the way you used it now, to get... (the DNA results)
LE - I'll answer it this way, and I've kind of already answered it the best way I know how at this point in time. In this case, like many out there, are required a review of fresh eyes to reevaluate everything in the, in the investigation, whether it be interviews or evidence. And new technology plays into that. We're working in our crime labs across the state and utilizing that every way that we can, to help solve these cases. And I'll say to you before we stop, is I apologize if I'm not answering the questions, the way and the importance and the magnitude of this investigation,.. and there's a lot of work left to be done in this by all agencies involved. And uh we appreciate again you being here.
Reporter- ... In other words,... could you have used existing technology back then, the way you used it now, to get... (the DNA results)
LE - I'll answer it this way, and I've kind of already answered it the best way I know how at this point in time. In this case, like many out there, are required a review of fresh eyes to reevaluate everything in the, in the investigation, whether it be interviews or evidence. And new technology plays into that. We're working in our crime labs across the state and utilizing that every way that we can, to help solve these cases. And I'll say to you before we stop, is I apologize if I'm not answering the questions, the way and the importance and the magnitude of this investigation,.. and there's a lot of work left to be done in this by all agencies involved. And uh we appreciate again you being here.
Tara Baker Cold Case Murder SOLVED After 23 YEARS - Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan | iHeart
<p>On January 19, 2001, Tara Baker was murdered in her apartment. The perpetrator sexually assaulted her then lit the apartment on fire. The case went cold in the town of Athens, Georgia for over 20 years. On this episode of Body Bags Joseph Scott Morgan will break down the science of solving a...
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''Tara Baker Cold Case Murder SOLVED After 23 YEARS
May 22, 2024 • 45 minsTara Baker Cold Case Murder SOLVED After 23 YEARS - Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan | iHeart
<p>On January 19, 2001, Tara Baker was murdered in her apartment. The perpetrator sexually assaulted her then lit the apartment on fire. The case went cold in the town of Athens, Georgia for over 20 years. On this episode of Body Bags Joseph Scott Morgan will break down the science of solving a...
On January 19, 2001, Tara Baker was murdered in her apartment. The perpetrator sexually assaulted her then lit the apartment on fire. The case went cold in the town of Athens, Georgia for over 20 years. On this episode of Body Bags Joseph Scott Morgan will break down the science of solving a cold case and Dave Mack will fill in the blanks of the story that shocked Northern Georgia for over 20 years. Recently the murder of Laken Riley brought the Tara Baker homicide back into the conversation and with great detective work and with biological evidence and DNA science, the cold case became hot again, as hot as the fire the suspect set to destroy evidence of the horror he created. ''
concernedcitizen706
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UGA student's death a decade-old mystery
ATHENS, Ga. -- Tara Louise Baker's parents are resigned to the stark and disturbing fact that they may never know who murdered their pretty blond daughter 10 years ago today, while she was a student …
www.augustachronicle.com
And they believe that Athens-Clarke police ought to release their daughter's death certificate, a decade after a murderer took the 23-year-old's life.
Police are withholding the certificate because they don't want to publicize the cause of death, which only the killer knows, they say.
Witnesses reported seeing a white man in a T-shirt and jeans run from Baker's backyard that morning before the fire was reported, police said.
Athens-Clarke police will not discuss details of the crime, and several officers who assisted early on with the case have since retired; most talked about the murder only on the condition of anonymity.
The first-year UGA law student had been beaten, stabbed, strangled and possibly sexually assaulted, sources said, an indication that Baker may have known her killer -
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concernedcitizen706
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Okay so a few questions from the article linked above in the Augusta Chronicle.
Where is the WHITE man police said that they were looking for, running from the house, as a suspect? This article was a decade after the crime, and they were still telling people about a white suspect. And the current arrested suspect does not look like a white man. So I'm wondering about the mismatch there from police for all those years.
Also where is the unusual cause of death, that only the killer would know? Which was given as a reason by police, that the case files were closed and no death certificate was issued to the family for 11 YEARS
Because from this recent arrest, there's not does not seem to be more information given, that there is a very unusual cause of death, other than the already mentioned beating strangling and stabbing, which unfortunately is not a very unusual cause of death in murders in this country. My question is, since they generally told the public about those causes of death before anyway, why couldn't they have put that information on the death certificate after the murder, so that they could release the death certificate to the family right after the murder as is proscribed by law? Something doesn't seem to match there.
And also from this recent arrest, they mentioned DNA from the crime scene from an assault. The suspect was arrested in May of 2001, not long after the murder for a felony crime. The suspects arrested also lived right near the victim. As well as arrested many times after that, for other felony crimes.( See previous links here.) Why did police not think to check his DNA before? Reporters at the above linked 11 Alive presser asked police at the conference, if they could not match the DNA with technology before, but LE declined to give a specific answer. I'm kind of wondering why they could not answer that question, as I don't see why or how answering a technical question like that about DNA processing would hurt the prosecution.
So a lot of unanswered questions still.
concernedcitizen706
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My hope is, police don't just focus on the black suspect they arrested for the Tara Baker murder, but are also still looking for the white suspect that was seen running from the scene of the crime. Justice is not complete until all participants are apprehended.
concernedcitizen706
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UGA cold case: Man arrested for student's murder has long criminal history | FOX 5 Atlanta
The man accused of killing a University of Georgia law student 23 years ago appears to have a lengthy criminal history.
In 2001, Faust was arrested for aggravated assault after allegedly attacking another man with a knife. Initially pleading not guilty and demanding a speedy trial, he eventually accepted a plea deal on Sept. 6, 2001, and was sentenced to six years of probation with 1 year of confinement.
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Man denied bond in 2001 murder of UGA law student after character witnesses take the stand
His fiancée took the stand to defend his character. The prosecution painted a different picture, citing his criminal history.
I am watching courtv and hearing her sister speak for the family. God bless her.
The defendant has two tear drop tattoos cascading down his eyes, and his attorney makes various objections while she speaks at the defendants request for bond. The judge denies the defendants request for bond.
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concernedcitizen706
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That's interesting that he pled not guilty. That means there's not going to be a plea deal. Because don't they usually get those reached before they plead?And so that means there's going to be an actual trial. And we will hear some of the evidence for once. That should be interesting.
A judge denied bond for the man accused of killing University of Georgia law student Tara Baker. Edrick Faust pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday. Faust allegedly murdered and raped Baker then set her apartment on fire. Baker was just 23 years old when she was killed in January 2001.
Tara Baker, a law school student at UGA, was killed in 2001
48-year-old Edrick Faust was arrested in May in the 2001 killing of Tara Baker.
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concernedcitizen706
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Here's another article from the old days.
If I were the defense lawyer for this Faust guy, I would say that, for years, police reported a WHITE guy running from the scene. Police also interviewed many white people as suspects, like classmates and ex-boyfriends etc. From article:
"Here is what they said:
- A witness spotted a white male wearing jeans and a T-shirt running from the scene the morning of Jan. 19.
- A Compaq Presario Model 1200 XL 1800 laptop was the only item missing from the scene.
As of now, that is the extent of all leads released by police."
<modsnip - off topic>
If I were the defense lawyer for this Faust guy, I would say that, for years, police reported a WHITE guy running from the scene. Police also interviewed many white people as suspects, like classmates and ex-boyfriends etc. From article:
"Here is what they said:
- A witness spotted a white male wearing jeans and a T-shirt running from the scene the morning of Jan. 19.
- A Compaq Presario Model 1200 XL 1800 laptop was the only item missing from the scene.
As of now, that is the extent of all leads released by police."
<modsnip - off topic>
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<modsnip - response to snipped post> "ACC Coroner Bobby Tribble said he has not received requests to release Tara's death certificate since he took the post in November 2004."Here's another article from the old days.
If I were the defense lawyer for this Faust guy, I would say that, for years, police reported a WHITE guy running from the scene. Police also interviewed many white people as suspects, like classmates and ex-boyfriends etc. From article:
"Here is what they said:
- A witness spotted a white male wearing jeans and a T-shirt running from the scene the morning of Jan. 19.
- A Compaq Presario Model 1200 XL 1800 laptop was the only item missing from the scene.
As of now, that is the extent of all leads released by police."
<modsnip - off topic>
<modsnip - response to snipped post>
Faust did live close to her but that alone wouldn't fulfill the probable cause required to test his DNA if he didn't provide it voluntary.
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@concernedcitizen706 (sorry, I meant to reply to your comment!)
Randy Garrett.
From the article above.
"Athens-Clarke police Sgt. Randy Garrett, who was Clarke County coroner at the time, defended withholding the document.
"We sat down and decided it would not be in the best interest of the investigation if I signed the death certificate," Garrett said Tuesday. "Once it's signed the exact manner in which (Baker) died is going to be out in the public, and that's information only the suspect would know."
Randy Garrett.
UGA student's death a decade-old mystery
ATHENS, Ga. -- Tara Louise Baker's parents are resigned to the stark and disturbing fact that they may never know who murdered their pretty blond daughter 10 years ago today, while she was a student …
www.augustachronicle.com
From the article above.
"Athens-Clarke police Sgt. Randy Garrett, who was Clarke County coroner at the time, defended withholding the document.
"We sat down and decided it would not be in the best interest of the investigation if I signed the death certificate," Garrett said Tuesday. "Once it's signed the exact manner in which (Baker) died is going to be out in the public, and that's information only the suspect would know."
concernedcitizen706
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Yes I just googled it I saw Randy Garrett too. Interesting I never saw his name mentioned in the older articles. So he was the one who decided not to release the cause of death.
concernedcitizen706
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<modsnip - off topic>@concernedcitizen706 (sorry, I meant to reply to your comment!)
Randy Garrett.
UGA student's death a decade-old mystery
ATHENS, Ga. -- Tara Louise Baker's parents are resigned to the stark and disturbing fact that they may never know who murdered their pretty blond daughter 10 years ago today, while she was a student …www.augustachronicle.com
From the article above.
"Athens-Clarke police Sgt. Randy Garrett, who was Clarke County coroner at the time, defended withholding the document.
"We sat down and decided it would not be in the best interest of the investigation if I signed the death certificate," Garrett said Tuesday. "Once it's signed the exact manner in which (Baker) died is going to be out in the public, and that's information only the suspect would know."
For example, if they had any connection to a different perp, theoretically the real one, could they have gone and tampered with the DNA evidence back then to protect themselves. What kind of access would he have with his position.
My point is, a defense lawyer could make some real hay with this point. If all they have is pretty much DNA evidence, can they defend the chain of custody of the DNA evidence, with a coroner arrested for felonies?
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concernedcitizen706
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<modsnip - quoted post was snipped>
Well yeah, let's see what kind of DNA they have. You know for years, they claimed there was no DNA and no evidence of sexual assault. Now they have DNA and there was sexual assault. I don't see what the point of lying about that was. When did they find this DNA, ... years later? Just when they figured out they saw a black guy at the scene? That would be slightly suspicious. They talk about sodomy. Sodomy could be oral sex or anal sex. And that's a lot of combinations of DNA other than semen.
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Prosecutors say 48-year-old Edrick Lamont Faust randomly attacked, raped and killed University of Georgia law student Tara Louise Baker back in 2001. The case went cold until DNA evidence pointed the finger at Faust, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges.'
concernedcitizen706
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"Not like the others | News | redandblack.com" Not like the others
You know it was interesting, I was just reading this article above from 2008 again. And it's almost like the Tara Baker case was two different cases. If you read the older articles before like, I don't know, maybe 2014, you get one version. And if you read something newer than like 2014, you get another version.
In this article in 2008, it talks about an anonymous source that said it was an unforced entry. In fact I think I even saw that in some other articles from before that date too. Yet later on, when I spoke about the idea that there was an unforced entry in this case, everyone acted like I was saying something really unheard of and outrageous. These were people like police or other people familiar with the case. They challenged me as to how I would even think that. And in fact people almost acted like I had inside knowledge of the case or something, when I said that lol. And in fact, after that, I tried to Google something about that subject and I didn't see anything about it again. So then I kind of wondered if I ever even did read that.
Well I just happened to Google this article, luckily, and now I see that it's in there, so yes, I did read about that before. It was public knowledge in 2008, and it had been public knowledge for years. But for some reason, more recently, people knowledgeable about the case tried to make me think that it wasn't.
That's what I mean about this case, it has gone through so many changes. First, it was a white guy, with no DNA, and no sexual assault. Mentions of an unforced entry. And a very unusual style of killing.
Then it became a black guy, 'with' DNA, a sexual assault, a commonplace method of killing, and no mentions of unforced entry.
Interesting how the information about this case basically went 180° in the time it's been unsolved. Of course, the information that I heard earlier on, made me think one way about the case, and now the new information makes me think a whole different way about the case. In terms of suspect, motive, etc.
You know it was interesting, I was just reading this article above from 2008 again. And it's almost like the Tara Baker case was two different cases. If you read the older articles before like, I don't know, maybe 2014, you get one version. And if you read something newer than like 2014, you get another version.
In this article in 2008, it talks about an anonymous source that said it was an unforced entry. In fact I think I even saw that in some other articles from before that date too. Yet later on, when I spoke about the idea that there was an unforced entry in this case, everyone acted like I was saying something really unheard of and outrageous. These were people like police or other people familiar with the case. They challenged me as to how I would even think that. And in fact people almost acted like I had inside knowledge of the case or something, when I said that lol. And in fact, after that, I tried to Google something about that subject and I didn't see anything about it again. So then I kind of wondered if I ever even did read that.
Well I just happened to Google this article, luckily, and now I see that it's in there, so yes, I did read about that before. It was public knowledge in 2008, and it had been public knowledge for years. But for some reason, more recently, people knowledgeable about the case tried to make me think that it wasn't.
That's what I mean about this case, it has gone through so many changes. First, it was a white guy, with no DNA, and no sexual assault. Mentions of an unforced entry. And a very unusual style of killing.
Then it became a black guy, 'with' DNA, a sexual assault, a commonplace method of killing, and no mentions of unforced entry.
Interesting how the information about this case basically went 180° in the time it's been unsolved. Of course, the information that I heard earlier on, made me think one way about the case, and now the new information makes me think a whole different way about the case. In terms of suspect, motive, etc.
concernedcitizen706
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In my opinion, if the suspect has a real lawyer, who puts on a strong defense, the suspect is going to walk.
With one of the coroners convicted of a felony, and also accused of other shady issues on the job, they cannot guarantee chain of custody for the DNA. He might not have been the coroner at the time of the murder, however he was a top police officer during that time. And if he engaged in improper behavior on the job, the question can be asked, were there other top police that he associated with, some of whom were associated in processing the crime scene, who were also engaged in this improper behavior with him. It's usually not just one.
So a defense attorney worth his salt, would bring up all this information to the jury. He can also bring up the unusual story of how a white suspect was claimed by police for many years in the media, and then somehow it became a black suspect. And then the defense lawyer can claim that this crime scene information cannot be well checked, because all the case records were closed for over 20 years, so only very few people knew the real information. He can ask, can we trust this small group of people who held all the records, to tell us truth? The defense lawyer can ask the jury, well did this same LE group tell the truth in front of a judge, under oath, when they got these case records closed to everyone else, so that only they could have access to it, when they said that they had to do it, because the cause of death was so unusual? Well we see the autopsy now. Is that true? Is it very unusual for a murder case? Did this small group of law enforcement officers tell the truth then? Can you trust them to tell the truth now?
One important consideration would be, when did LE first notate this DNA. Before or after the arrest of the suspect a few months later, for one of his crimes. If it's after, that's not going to be good for the prosecution. Especially if the DNA is saliva. We'll have to wait and see what the evidence is. But from the first press conferences so far, it does not sound like they have much. Or I think they would have said something.
So yeah we'll have to wait and see what the evidence is, but so far, I don't know if it's going to work. My guess is they'll plead with him, to avoid any public information getting out.
With one of the coroners convicted of a felony, and also accused of other shady issues on the job, they cannot guarantee chain of custody for the DNA. He might not have been the coroner at the time of the murder, however he was a top police officer during that time. And if he engaged in improper behavior on the job, the question can be asked, were there other top police that he associated with, some of whom were associated in processing the crime scene, who were also engaged in this improper behavior with him. It's usually not just one.
So a defense attorney worth his salt, would bring up all this information to the jury. He can also bring up the unusual story of how a white suspect was claimed by police for many years in the media, and then somehow it became a black suspect. And then the defense lawyer can claim that this crime scene information cannot be well checked, because all the case records were closed for over 20 years, so only very few people knew the real information. He can ask, can we trust this small group of people who held all the records, to tell us truth? The defense lawyer can ask the jury, well did this same LE group tell the truth in front of a judge, under oath, when they got these case records closed to everyone else, so that only they could have access to it, when they said that they had to do it, because the cause of death was so unusual? Well we see the autopsy now. Is that true? Is it very unusual for a murder case? Did this small group of law enforcement officers tell the truth then? Can you trust them to tell the truth now?
One important consideration would be, when did LE first notate this DNA. Before or after the arrest of the suspect a few months later, for one of his crimes. If it's after, that's not going to be good for the prosecution. Especially if the DNA is saliva. We'll have to wait and see what the evidence is. But from the first press conferences so far, it does not sound like they have much. Or I think they would have said something.
So yeah we'll have to wait and see what the evidence is, but so far, I don't know if it's going to work. My guess is they'll plead with him, to avoid any public information getting out.
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