New bill based on Baker case unveiled in Atlanta

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the still unsolved murder of University of Georgia law school student Tara Baker. Legislation introduced Wednesday at the Capitol in Atlanta is designed to enhance the ability of law enforcement to review cold cases in Georgia. The bill is sponsored by Athens state Rep Houston Gaines.

From WSB TV…

On Wednesday, the Baker family as well as the family of another cold case murder victim and Georgia lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to take over or assist in reopening these cases.

The bill would also create a cold case database and allow families to get death certificates even if the case hasn’t been solved.

Channel 2′s Richard Elliot was with families who lost loved ones on Wednesday as the bill was introduced.

Tara Baker, who was a law student at the University of Georgia, died in 2021 after someone broke into her off-campus apartment, killed her and then set the house on fire to cover up the murder.

Since then, Elliot has visited with the Bakers at Tara’s gravesite, and when they brought flowers to UGA’s arch

“When Tara was killed, I thought I was going to die, but I was given very good advice to not let the monster that took Tara to take the mother from the other children,” Virginia Baker said.

Virginia Baker prays for the day her daughter’s murder is finally solved.

“It won’t bring her back, but it will give us some answers,” Baker said. “And we need answers after this long. We need answers, too.”

State Senator Randy Robertson is a retired sheriff’s deputy and one of the bill’s sponsors.

“We feel our lives are the failure if we don’t bring every family that suffers from a crime justice,” Robertson said. “With this legislation, we’re taking another step forward in doing that.”.

The other family at the State Capitol Wednesday was the family of Rhonda Coleman, who was murdered 33 years ago in Hazelhurst. Her mother said that Thursday would have been her 51st birthday.

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