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An Irwin County jury returned "Not Guilty" verdicts on five of the six charges Ryan Duke faced related to the disappearance and death of former Irwin County teacher Tara Grinstead, acquitting him of her 2005 murder on Friday, May 20, 2022. On Monday, the state rested its case, but not before calling GBI agents and a forensic specialist to the stand. He lit her on fire. I can't imagine the loss of a child. Two years later, in March 2019, Bo was the first to go on trial. "It was built out in the area where there just should not have been a fire," Hudson said. My deepest condolences to my church family, may God give you all the strength and peace during your time of sorrow. In an exchange, the state asked Duke if he would lie when the stakes were high. Maria Woods Harber: She's been an inspiration. My condolences to the family. This DNA test was taken two years before defendant Ryan Dukes recorded confession. The weight of what McCullough says Bo told him became unbearable. Lets find out. And as they were driving around town, a billboard caught his eye. PROSECUTOR OPENING: This case is about Bo's lies it's about Bo's concealment that his best friend, Ryan, had killed Tara Grinstead and then they both burn the body. The alleged drug addict was arrested once for a DUI in 2010 but was released on bond. Prosecutors do not expect to file murder charges against Bo Dukes. Tara's alarm clock was under her bed, and a bedside lamp was broken. Mr. Dukes online guest book may be signed at www.shellhouseriversfuneralhome.com The family will receive friends from 6-8 PM Tuesday evening at SHELLHOUSE-RIVERS FUNERAL HOME, INC., 715 E. PINE LOG RD., AIKEN, SC Sign Guestbook Name: Rumors swirled about that cop whose card was found at Tara's house. Jannis Paulk: It was Bo Dukes and Ryan Duke. Maria Woods Harber: She was charismatic, determined, a beautiful personality. But if you're ready for this Bo had already been interviewed by the GBI a year earlier in 2016. Maria Woods Harber: Yes. Peter Van Sant: How did you and Bo Dukes meet? In March 2019, Dukes was convicted of helping conceal Grinsteads death andsentenced to 25 years in prison. "Ryan did not kill Ms. Grinstead. View The Obituary For Ryan Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina. Our prayer and sympathy are with the Dukes family ,may you find peace through pray, doing your time of grief. Greg Kaplan, Phillip J. Tangel and Marcus Balsam are the editors. Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. Tara Grinstead didnt show up for work on October 24, 2005. Maria Woods Harber: I've had to come to a conclusion that I'm just gonna have to live the rest of my life not knowing. I ran. GBI AGENT: So, you immediately see this and you're like "what in the hell did you do? In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Aiken SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare (www.letlovelive.org) or the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org). Prosecutors said Duke took law enforcement to the pecan orchard where he confessed to burning and dumping Grinstead's body. Maria Woods Harber: Tara had a boyfriend for a long time And during the summer of 2005, they broke up. And I was like, "yeah." Ryan Duke said he helped Bo Dukes load Grinstead's body onto a pile of wood, covered her with more wood and lit the pile on fire. Who you can trust with your life? 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. But in the same sense, I always thought, "Well, it has to be.". Another video shown shows Duke leading investigators to where he says he dumped and burned her body. She says the lawyers discussed pushing the trial into next March, but Judge Reinhardt hasn't signed an order confirming that. Rothwell said the GBI never followed up after their names appeared in an investigative summary. Call Call. "Its been a 17-year nightmare for them," Irwin County District Attorney Bryce Johnson said. The day after Bo's confession, his one-time friend Ryan Duke was arrested. he's very shut shut off emotions, feelings he doesn't talk about. He looked like a person who was ready to do the right thing, but his testimony on the witness stand only seemed coached, well-rehearsed and sought self-serving benefits. The state's witness called Grinstead's 79-year-old father, Billy Grinstead, to the stand, who broke down. Ocilla Police Chief Billy Hancock called theGeorgia Bureau of Investigationto help. Sign the Guest Book. Rothwell said the GBI never followed up after their names appeared in an investigative summary. Ryan Duke said he first started "hanging out" with Bo Dukes during his senior year of high school. DEFENSE: We know the State hasn't brought a single witness to tell you it was on the ground before Monday morning. Lawyers and the judge also met today in whats called a charging conference where they finalized the official charges that the jury will be presented. In 2005, the disappearance of beloved high-school teacher Tara Grinstead sent shockwaves through the town of Ocilla, Georgia. "Approximately 20 bone fragments that could be considered human bones.". It was somethin' I felt like, you know, I had to do. Its a piece from the side here," Good said. Dukes invited McCullough to Ocilla to spend Christmas with his family. Ryan Duke's attorneys believe their client's testimony was key in this case. DEFENSE: What was his expression, his demeanor when that happened? That boyfriend was Marcus Harper, a former cop from Ocilla. Tara Faye Grinstead was the youngest child of Bill and Faye Grinstead, born in 1974. Anthropologist Dr. Ashley Gooding was brought in by the GBI in 2017 to help dig and identify possible human remains in the pecan orchard Duke claimed to have burned and buried Grinstead's body. The morning started with testimony from Bill Barrs with the Ocilla Police Department, who was tasked with checking Grinsteads home. so, I talk to him, tell him everything I know. Investigators said Grinsteads car was in the driveway when police arrived at the home. Duke said he never took Grinstead's belongings to police when he tried to return them. Maria Woods Harber: She was absolutely elegant onstage. We pray that people will remember that the defendant was not the victim. As Jannis recalls, early on, suspicion focused on the men in Tara's life. New Jersey Residents: N.J. Lic. He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash.". Peter Van Sant: This is the murder of Tara Grinstead and there seemed to be little interest, is that right? The talented signer was named Miss Tifton and competed in the Miss Georgia beauty pageant. For around 6 years, Tara Grinstead dated Marcus Harper, a former Ocilla cop who joined the Army Rangers. Before the sentencing, Connie Grinstead, Tara Grinstead's stepmother, told the judge that "for over 11 years we went to bed every night wondering where Tara was and every morning we woke up with the same question - where is she?". John McCullough: He was like, "yeah, do you remember that bulletin that you had asked me about with that girl on it?" But McCullough was determined to get the truth out. He is preceded in death by his. Brooke Sheridan [emotional]: I kept thinking about her family and I couldn't sleep at night. He testified that Bo Dukes told him he had killed Tara Grinstead but Ryan did not know how she died. That tip went nowhere. However, the family eventually hired a private investigator. Brooke Sheridan: It was something very dark and I I chalked it up to, you know, serving his time in the military. I'm not gonna shy away to the fact that I was I was bitter. I don't remember everything clearly. Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. LAWYER: Any doubt in your mind, however, that you heard these two people laughing about killing and burning Tara Grinstead's body? John McCullough: I have no idea. Peter Van Sant: The kind of guy you want to share a foxhole with, right? Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. GARLAN LOTT: I assumed it was handled by law enforcement, yes. A native of Concord, NC, Vicki was a daughter of the late David Leon and Mamie Rae. Oregan Residents: Please note that in the State of Oregon, Funeral Board Rule 830-040-0000(3) requires our trade name include the identification of our funeral activity or function. The state focused on Ryan Duke's 2017 recorded confession to GBI agents. Maria Woods Harber: So, when I came back out of the house, I saw right out from the front door, there was a latex glove. Tara's cell phone was charging inside the house. And he was like, 'I know what happened.". I am so sad to hear of the passing of John Dukes a co - worker and friend. Bo Dukes comes from a prominent family that owned a huge pecan orchard in the Ocilla area. Duke said he was on drugs at the time he broke into Grinstead's Ocilla home and doesnt remember how exactly he killed her. Receive a notification when services are updated. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael Dukes and Vicki Heilig Dukes. Jannis Paulk: She was dating, I think, more than people realized that she was dating. the judge said. And Bo Dukes himself spoke directly to Tara's family: BO DUKES: To the Tara Grinstead family, I'm truly sorry. Ryan Duke came into the picture of the Tara Grinstead case when he was charged with her murder in 2017, twelve years after her sudden disappearance. Produced by Alec Sirken and Lauren Clark. First published on January 2, 2021 / 11:05 PM. As for his alibi, Ryan claimed that he had been at his mobile home in Fitzgerald the entire night. The family of Tara Grinstead got a chance to address the jury before the judge gave Ryan Duke a maximum sentence after he was found guilty of concealing the body of Tara Grinstead. Search by Name. But again, as far as she knew, it went nowhere. Grief Support. "Mr. Dukes, do you plan to invoke your 5th amendment right to every question?" AIKEN, SC - MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. Ryan Dukes Aiken, - MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. John McCullough: Yeah and we were pretty close. Maria Woods Harper: They've had a really hard time. Bo was facing a maximum 25-year sentence. Brooke Sheridan: He has a beautiful mind. I don't understand that, just a disregard of human life. They think the community can heal, pointing the finger at Bo Dukes for the murder. Sometime in the night, Bo and Ben left while he and Stephen were sleeping. A wonderful man to know and to work with ,he told me about a month ago that he was enjoying taking care of his grand children God Bless. They believe Ryan Duke was the killer. Prosecutors asked Rothwell why no one followed up on a tip naming Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes as suspects. He went looking for her the night she disappeared and sparked the search for the woman when he alerted authorities the next day. In May 2022, at the Ocilla courthouse just up the road from Tara's home, Ryan Duke's attorneys argued that the state had the wrong man. View Obituaries Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Inc. and Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory Ryan Dukes August 23, 1974 - April 26, 2018. I definitely didn't wanna settle down in small town America. Ryan Duke, now clean-shaven and looking very different from his 2017 arrest, took the stand. He lived most his life in Aiken and worked as a procedures writer at the Savannah River Site. Investigators say Ryan confessed to killing Grinstead. He said, "My roommate killed her.". The state argues in 2017 Duke was swabbed, and his DNA positively matched that found on the glove. Ryan Duke at his first court hearing after his arrest in February 2017, charged with Tara Grinstead's murder. An Irwin County jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of murdering Georgia teacher and beauty queen Tara Grinstead. Now, it was Brooke's turn to be tormented by a terrible secret. Neptune Society is the largest provider of affordable cremation services in the nation. The document claims that later, he used a payphone to see if shed pick up, and when she didnt, he was convinced that she was dead. Marcus Harper: I received a phone call And the voice on the other end of the phone said, you know, "Brother, your 12 years of hell is over. They burned her body. Vicki Heilig Dukes AIKEN, SC - Vicki Heilig Dukes, 65, died Thursday, September 15, 2016 at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Michael Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina April 10, 1950 - March 30, 2017. He said he lied to the GBI agent that interviewed him about breaking into Grinstead's house and fatal striking and choking her. April 26, 2018 Aiken, South Carolina Set a Reminder for the Anniversary of Ryan's Passing. Ryan Duke testified he saw Tara Grinstead's body at the pecan orchard, where the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found her remains years later. The defense had previously asked the judge to dismiss the case, an action that was quickly declined. She could tell you anything to make you feel better. BO DUKES [GBI interview]: Again, I didn't believe him he asked me to come with him out to to the pecan orchard. What to do during a tornado: Where is your safe spot. John K. Dukes, Jr. Mar. Eventually, a breakthrough tip came around, and two men were arrested in relation to the Tara case. And the one we didn't want to think about was somebody killed her. Zion Baptist Church, 1012 Adams St. View the obituary at www.BEBrownCo.com. Marcus Harper: I was swabbed for DNA. Peter Van Sant: One said she had clothes on, the other said she did not. Peter Van Sant: Was it an emotional moment for you to realize someone had been arrested after all that time? Bo Dukes shares details of what happened to Tara Grinstead with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. DEFENSE [closing arguments]: Bo Dukes should be on trial for the murder of Tara Grinstead, not Ryan. GBI AGENT: Of all the people, why Tara, what's the connection? "We believe in Ryan and we believed in him the entire time.". Both had been students at Tara's high school. Maria Woods Harber: And the next morning I got a call saying that I need to get to Ocilla. Dana Wilder: As little girls, we looked up to her she was famous. BO DUKES: As far as I know, he didn't know her. She was a member of Millbrook Baptist Church. Witness Randy Hudson owned the pecan orchard where Grinstead's body was allegedly disposed. At night, Tara studied for a specialist degree in school administration, but other parts of her life hadn't come together as she'd hoped. Duke says he didnt know Grinstead other than the fact that she was a teacher at the high school. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. Universal. Ryan Duke's murder trial was scheduled to start Oct 4 in Irwin County, Georgia, but lawyers in the case met with Judge Bill Reinhardt Wednesday and agreed to delay the case due to rising COVID-19 numbers. And he said he threw his arms up just like this [shrugs her shoulders], "What are you gonna do?". Duke is to be sentenced Monday. The defense called a psychologist, Dr. Christopher Tillitski, who evaluated Ryan Duke in 2019. And the next month, Bo Dukes, who years earlier had sat in Tara's class was arrested and charged not with murder, but with concealing a death, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and lying to investigators in is original GBI interview. 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