GA GA - Tara Baker, 23, Athens, 19 Jan 2001 *Arrest*

[concernedcitizen706]

11Alive Presser

 

[concernedcitizen706]

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.

 

[dotr]

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...

www.iheart.com

''Tara Baker Cold Case Murder SOLVED After 23 YEARS​

May 22, 2024 • 45 mins
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]

https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2011/01/19/uga-students-death-decade-old-mystery/14561795007/

Link. 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 -

 

[concernedcitizen706]

https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2011/01/19/uga-students-death-decade-old-mystery/14561795007/

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 -

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.

 

[ifindedout]

https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2011/01/19/uga-students-death-decade-old-mystery/14561795007/

SBM
The link doesn't work unless it's copied and pasted into a new tab, because text went where the URL should go, and vice versa. This should work straight away:
UGA student's death a decade-old mystery

 

[concernedcitizen706]

SBM
The link doesn't work unless it's copied and pasted into a new tab, because text went where the URL should go, and vice versa. This should work straight away:
UGA student's death a decade-old mystery

Okay yes thanks, I had trouble getting that link symbol thing to work, so I just pasted the link on there. Thanks for linking it for me. I hope that link in another comment passes muster for me with the mods here.
Edit- Okay, I think I fixed the link above, thanks for your tip again.

 

[concernedcitizen706]

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]

UGA cold case: Man arrested for student's murder has long criminal history

The man accused of killing a University of Georgia law student 23 years ago appears to have a lengthy criminal history.

www.fox5atlanta.com

Link above:

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.