"I have talked to other agents and reviewed the documents and come to a recollection of what happened, and that is not an excuse for what happened.". Nearly 12 years after Tara's disappearance, on February 23, 2017, Ryan Duke appeared in court, charged with Tara's murder. Prosecutors called two witnesses before dismissing the jury a lunchtime to debate how much of the Duke's confession could be shown. Ryan Duke testified he "passed out" after a night of drinking before Tara Grinstead allegedly died. "(Bo Dukes) reaches down, he grabs her arm and flips her over," Ryan Duke said. The judge dismissed one of the jurors he says was sleeping throughout the trial. Maria Woods Harber: This is where Tara Grinstead lived in 2005. Ryan Duke testified he saw Tara. Tara's car was parked in the driveway. A native of Concord, NC, Vicki was a daughter of the late David Leon and Mamie Rae. Peter Van Sant: This really affects you, though, talking about this. I know who killed Tara Grinstead or had a part of it. ", GBI AGENT to BO DUKES: I'm gonna just kinda leave it open the floor to you, and just tell me about you knowing about Tara . At the time, Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes were 21 years old. In an exchange, the state asked Duke if he would lie when the stakes were high. Jannis Paulk: So, Bo was known in the community for being a little over the top, unfiltered. Brooke says she was studying in Savannah to become a pharmacist when, in 2015, she came face-to-face with her online date. Rothwell said the GBI never followed up after their names appeared in an investigative summary. Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. Lets find out. Read More Published In Last Name "Dixon". He said they had talked about getting together that Sunday, but Tara never answered her phone. 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. And she was very distraught. And what she had to say implicated a man whose name had repeatedly been given to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. Alfred A. Dukes NORTH AUGUSTA, SC - Memorial Services for Mr. Alfred A. Dukes, 75, who entered into rest January 4, 2015, will be conducted Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock in the Posey Funeral Chape Maria Woods Harber: They've gotten away with it for this many years anyway. Please contact your local Neptune Society office for cremation prices, and to learn more about our cremation service. His former roommate and close friend was Ryan Duke. I'm not gonna shy away to the fact that I was I was bitter. Duke said he left the home in a panic but came back to remove the body. I can still see her standing at the door. That tip went nowhere. Maria Woods Harber: Yeah, she did. Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. Both had been students at Tara's high school. Maria says Tara was determined to live her dreams from a young age, competing in beauty pageants to help earn scholarship money for college. The defense argued the prosecution has no evidence tying Duke to the house that night and Duke's confession was made under the influence of medication. If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. Jannis Paulk, who knows the family, paints a different picture of Bo. The state and defense attorneys wrapped up their closing arguments earlier in the day. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as: names, dates, place of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. Receive a notification when services are updated. Back then, hardly anyone thought this case would ever be solved. I'm so sick of this stealing from her purse. No. 2023 Neptune Society. BRYAN DUKES OBITUARY. 1449 N Claiborne Ave New Orleans, LA KARLIN DUKES OBITUARY Karlin C. Dukes Sr., age 83, peacefully passed away surrounded by family on Monday, November 7, 2016. Weeks later she called the GBI to turn in the boyfriend she loved. Bryan Samuel Dukes, 30, passed away on November 22, 2019 as a result of a work-related accident. BO DUKES [GBI interview]: Again, I didn't believe him he asked me to come with him out to to the pecan orchard. A native of Concord, NC, Vicki was a daughter of the late David Leon and Mam . Maria Woods Harber: She would never do that. Funeral homes; Help and advice. SHELLHOUSE RIVERS FUNERAL HOME, 715 EAST PINE LOG RD., AIKEN, SC, Share your thoughts and memories with family and friends of Ryan, Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Inc. and Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory, Shellhouse Funeral Home/Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home/Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory. Obituary. "Any reason to continue this?" And remember that latex glove found at the crime scene? He was a family friend married, with kids who would later testify that he and Tara were having an affair. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. On Friday, two key witnesses took the stand: the forensic biologist who tested the glove found at Tara Grinstead's home and the forensic anthropologist brought in who helped find Grinstead's buried remains. Ryan Duke took the stand Tuesday and immediately denied murdering Grinstead, claiming he didn't know how she died. Police found her car seat in position for someone taller, and police said they found an envelope with $100 in cash on the dashboard. This event is not sponsored by, or affiliated with, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the California Department of Veterans Affairs, or any other congressionally chartered or recognized organization of honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces of the United States, or any of their auxiliaries. BO DUKES: As far as I know, he didn't know her. My truck was Luminoled photographs were taken. Her colleagues at the school where she worked called the Ocilla Police Department to check on the 11th-grade teachers home. He said Bo Dukes admitted to killing her. Texas FD #3523, #5075, #3185, #3349, #3705 Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://www.nationalcremation.com/location/irving- for the Drakes family. None of the insurance products promoted at this sales event are endorsed by those organizations, all of which offer free advice to veterans about how to qualify and apply for benefits. Jannis Paulk: That they had been at a party bragging about their involvement in Tara's disappearance and that ultimately, they had taken her body out to a pecan orchard and burn it in a firepit. "Approximately 20 bone fragments that could be considered human bones.". May the holy spirit comfort you in this time of bereavement. He was a graduate of A I didn't believe him. It was very hard to grasp. "Ryan did not kill Ms. Grinstead. So, he went to trial hoping jurors might show mercy for a man who had already confessed to his role in the crime. 2023 FOX Television Stations, jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary, state and defense attorneys wrapped up their closing arguments. And she snuck up on me and I hit her. More than an hour into his testimony, Ryan Duke described the moment Bo Dukes led him to Grinstead's body. Duke said he never took Grinstead's belongings to police when he tried to return them. And I was like, "Yeah." Since then, Duke's trial has been moved back several times. A jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of murder but guilty of concealing her body. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified at apretrial hearing that Duke "spontaneously and unsolicited" confessedto killing Grinstead after breaking into her home to steal money for drugs. But some things stuck out to Maria. Of the six charges, Duke was found guilty of one count of concealing Grinstead's death. Tara's cell phone was charging inside the house. A search of Grinsteads home revealed some oddities: her cellphone was still connected to a charger by the nightstand, her keys and purse were missing and her bedside clock was on the floor and was six hours off. I didn't know who he was. The trial comes after Bo Dukes, a high school friend of Ryan Duke, was convicted of concealing Grinstead's death, which led investigators to Ryan Duke. John McCullough: Yeah, Tara Grinstead, and said, you know, "missing.". A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael. But there was more Brooke says Bo then admitted his own involvement in the crime, saying: Brooke Sheridan: "And I helped him burn her body.". Tara didn't bring home the Miss Georgia crown, but just competing was a huge achievement says Dana Wilder, who grew up in Ocilla. Peter Van Sant: What would anyone's motive be to kill Tara Grinstead? Maria Woods Harber: Tara had a boyfriend for a long time And during the summer of 2005, they broke up. Maria Woods Harber: She was an excellent teacher. The morning started with testimony from Bill Barrs with the Ocilla Police Department, who was tasked with checking Grinsteads home. OBITUARY Ryan William Drakes April 23, 1981 - August 4, 2021. Michelle Feuer is the development producer. Duke said he was on drugs at the time he broke into Grinstead's Ocilla home and doesnt remember how exactly he killed her. I built a message board because I thought that there was a good chance that whoever knew what had happened to her would potentially come and say something. 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. her main goal was to win Miss Georgia or at least to get to Miss Georgia, and she did. Send a Card. If convicted of murder, Duke faces an automatic sentence of life in prison. 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. But what about that latex glove with Ryan's DNA on it found in Tara's front yard? Make a life-giving gesture. He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash.". And everybody has to live with that," Superior Court Judge Bill Reinhardt said before giving out his sentence. And for the first time, everyone heard Bo's own account when his GBI interview was played in court: BO DUKES [GBI video interview]: He told me he had killed Tara Grinstead. He claims he realized this after she was dead. Jannis Paulk: There were people who believed she ran away. Let others know about your loved one's death. Another former student, Bo Dukes, is now serving a 25-year prison sentence for lying to the GBI and helping Duke bury her body. It would be illegal for me to accept a fee for preparing that application on your behalf. Defense attorneys began to call witnesses of their own Monday when the state prosecutors rested their case after over a week of arguments. "Its been a 17-year nightmare for them," Irwin County District Attorney Bryce Johnson said. LAWYER: Any doubt in your mind, however, that you heard these two people laughing about killing and burning Tara Grinstead's body? But if you're ready for this Bo had already been interviewed by the GBI a year earlier in 2016. Brooke Sheridan: He said, "That's something that only God and Ryan know." Grinstead's best friend, sister, and step mother took to the stand to describe the pain they have felt since her 2005 disappearance. The two who were friends had similar sounding names but weren't related. He said he lied to the GBI agent that interviewed him about breaking into Grinstead's house and fatal striking and choking her. One witness called to the stand was Garlan Latt, who they hoped would disprove Ryan Duke's testimony that he was not the killer and Bo Dukes was the mastermind. That Sunday, but Tara never answered her phone fact that I was I was I was bitter, was. A lunchtime to debate how much of the six charges, Duke found. 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