Andrea Canning

Prosecutors say DNA evidence proves Edrick Fost is the killer, but he says he's innocent.

And in a blistering cross-examination this week, Fost's defense attorney confronted the person he alleges is the real murderer.

Here to bring us up to speed is Dateline producer Dorothy Newell, who has been inside the courtroom.

Hey, Dorothy.

Hey, Andrea.

Dorothy, let's start with just a quick recap of the case.

Remind us, who was Tara Baker and what happened to her in 2001?

So awful.

Dorothy, you and Dateline Field producer Justin Ratchford have spent a lot of time in Athens covering this case.

What struck you the most about the location of this crime?

I mean, this is a place where parents send their children off to college, hoping that they're safe.

She had her whole life in front of her.

That's what makes this really hard to hear.

So what did investigators learn in those early days as they were investigating this off-campus crime?

as it so often does in these cases when they go unsolved, because in this case, 25 years later, investigators finally made an arrest.

This was such a long time coming, Dorothy.

So the prosecution, of course, Dorothy, focused its opening statement on that DNA match, which jurors, they like to hear about DNA.

But so, okay, there's an unusual twist.

The defense is not disputing this.

So Chris was Tara's boyfriend, as you said.