her main goal was to win Miss Georgia or at least to get to Miss Georgia, and she did. Gooding testified her team found finger, teeth and cranium bones in the area. Another former student, Bo Dukes, is now serving a 25-year prison sentence for lying to the GBI and helping Duke bury her body. Published by Mobile Register and Baldwin County from Feb. 15 to Feb. 17, 2023. And Bo Dukes himself spoke directly to Tara's family: BO DUKES: To the Tara Grinstead family, I'm truly sorry. He wasn't sure who said what. Tara Faye Grinstead was the youngest child of Bill and Faye Grinstead, born in 1974. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. Looking at Ryans life, there isnt much of criminal history. 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. Ryan Dukes said he started to see Bo Dukes more often after he was discharged from the Army for being AWOL. I don't like to come very often she loved this place. As Jannis recalls, early on, suspicion focused on the men in Tara's life. And Bo spent more than two years in federal prison. For those who loved Tara Grinstead, Bo Dukes' 25-year sentence for covering up her death was only partial justice. He is extremely intelligent. Search by Name. However, when it came to corroborating, Stephen testified in Bo Dukes trial that he couldnt confirm any of it. The state and defense attorneys wrapped up their closing arguments earlier in the day. "(Bo Dukes) reaches down, he grabs her arm and flips her over," Ryan Duke said. Peter Van Sant: What time did she go home? Ryan Duke, now clean-shaven and looking very different from his 2017 arrest, took the stand. Our prayer and sympathy are with the Dukes family ,may you find peace through pray, doing your time of grief. The state argues in 2017 Duke was swabbed, and his DNA positively matched that found on the glove. Zion Baptist Church, 1012 Adams St. View the obituary at www.BEBrownCo.com. I ran. | All testimonials are written by persons unlicensed and not qualified to make funeral arrangements, embalm or conduct a funeral. View Obituaries Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Inc. and Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory Ryan Dukes August 23, 1974 - April 26, 2018. Defense appeals delayed Ryan Dukes trial since the original 2019 start date. 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. She was radiant. Ryan Duke took the stand Tuesday and immediately denied murdering Grinstead, claiming he didn't know how she died. Maria Woods Harber: Yeah, she did. Bo Dukes comes from a prominent family that owned a huge pecan orchard in the Ocilla area. Maria Woods Harber:and then her bed was unmade, like she had been in the bed. And in this trial, Agent Gary Rothwell finally explained what happened with those tips. Additional Legal Information Regarding Veterans Offerings, CloseAdditional Legal Information Regarding Veterans Offerings, Subscribe to the 12 Weeks of Peace E-Newsletter, Subscribe to the Thinking Ahead E-Newsletter, A Guide to Cremation and Burial for Veterans, Unique Ways to Memorialize Cremation Ashes, A Complete Guide for When A Loved One Passes, The Essential Veteran Death Benefits and Memorialization Guide, California Residents Goods and Services Info. . Born on January 20, 1989 in Easton, Bryan is the son of Kathy Elburn Dukes . Ryan Duke alibi: Tara Grinstead murder suspect now says he was asleep Caption Continuing Coverage By Alexis Stevens, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution March 14, 2019 The man accused of killing a. They laid out the evidence collected at Grinsteads property just following her disappearance. 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. . Dana Wilder: I never thought it was somebody from our community. Both had been students at Tara's high school. The defense was up first and focused on the inconsistencies in the state's presentation. At the time, Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes were 21 years old. At one. John McCullough says he is still haunted by painful memories of being ignored by investigators. Marcus Harper: Somebody pulled me to the side, and they were like, "Listen, you know, there's been some things said bringin' up your military past, bringin' up how you're Trained to kill" . I can still see her standing at the door. The last witness in the case was GBI Agent Mitchell Posey, who was brought in to prove Duke wasnt lying in his 2017 recorded confession, "The question was How did you identify Tara? The answer was The pictures on the wall," Posey said, "Ryan is the one talking about the G&G in front of it. Brooke Sheridan [emotional]: I kept thinking about her family and I couldn't sleep at night. Ways to honor John Dukes's life and legacy. "He said he killed Tara," Ryan Duke said. BO DUKES [GBI interview]: He told me that he had killed Tara Grinstead. AGENT GARY ROTHWELL: It is something we should've followed up, but we we didn't. Brooke Sheridan: I had to tell some I had to tell. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael Dukes and Vicki Heilig Dukes. Mike Dukes. Make a life-giving gesture. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Dr. Fred W. Andrea III officiating. As their relationship evolved, Brooke sensed that something seemed to be eating away at Bo. Peter Van Sant: This was the man she thought she'd build a life with. Miriam Sealy, Tara Grinstead's school friend and childhood neighbor, fought back tears as she read a statement in front of the court. An interesting turn of events came when Ryans 11-page confession, where hed detailed everything thatd transpired on that fateful evening, came to light. As such, in the State of Oregon Preneed Crematory Sales and Services are conducted under the trade name Neptune Cremation Service. I didn't believe him. 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 If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. The defense argued Duke was on pain pills and not in his right mind when he made the confession. A jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of murder but guilty of concealing her body. The defense called a psychologist, Dr. Christopher Tillitski, who evaluated Ryan Duke in 2019. Marcus always maintained his innocence but remained under suspicion. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. "What happened in this orchard was senseless" says Woods Harber of her best friend. But if you're ready for this Bo had already been interviewed by the GBI a year earlier in 2016. The door was locked. It's kind of odd, isn't it? Visit our Support Center. But when questioned about her disappearance, he had an alibi and was never charged. And that was corroborated. 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. In March 2019, in a county courthouse about 30 miles from where beloved teacher and beauty pageant mentor Tara Grinstead was murdered, Bo Dukes went on trial on charges relating to covering up her death. Both men are awaiting trial in a neighboring county on charges related to burning Tara's body. There was a 34-hour gap between when someone last saw her and when officers performed that welfare check on Monday morning. Dukes is in prison for concealing Grinstead's death. Bo got in big trouble while in the Army. . There were billboards. Sign up for service and obituary updates. Send a gift to a service or familys home. John McCullough: Yeah and we were pretty close. Tara Grinstead's father was in the courtroom on Tuesday while Ryan Duke was questioned. "It's like he wasn't there," Ryan Duke said when asked about Bo Dukes' demeanor while the body burned. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. AIKEN, SC MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. TROY - Penny A. Ryan, 64 . Connie Grinstead argued that the family pleaded and begged for any news about Tara for years and that Duke's "silence was deafening.". So, he went to trial hoping jurors might show mercy for a man who had already confessed to his role in the crime. Another video shown portrayed Duke leading investigators to the pecan orchard he claims he took the lifeless body. McCullough said he called authorities but they never followed up. she was seeing other people. In 2017, more than 11 years after Tara vanished, Brooke Sheridan came forward with a potential answer. An Irwin County jury read not guilty verdicts on five o the six charges against Duke: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary. Just weeks after Tara vanished at a party in a pecan orchard, one of Jannis Paulk's employees told her that he had overheard two young men tell a disturbing story. She would never leave her kids. Send a Card. Sometime in the night, Bo and Ben left while he and Stephen were sleeping. "It was built out in the area where there just should not have been a fire," Hudson said. The couple broke things off but stayed in touch. Yet both these demands were denied by the court. I didn't mean to.". "I cant lie. Maria Woods Harber: And the next morning I got a call saying that I need to get to Ocilla. In addition to his parents, Ryan was preceded in death by his brother, Kenneth Jason Dukes, paternal grandfather, E. Kenneth Dukes; maternal grandparents, David Leon and Mamie Rae Lundsford Heilig and an aunt, Cindy Dukes Darr. Witness Randy Hudson owned the pecan orchard where Grinstead's body was allegedly disposed. Need help? We had search efforts like nothing you've ever seen. However, we had a glove, a latex glove that we couldn't explain. To plant trees in memory, please visit the. He was a . Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. Ryan testified he had never even gone to Tara's house, and the glove was only discovered there on Monday by Tara's neighbors over a day after she went missing. Ryan Duke at his first court hearing after his arrest in February 2017, charged with Tara Grinstead's murder. This DNA test was taken two years before defendant Ryan Dukes recorded confession. Tuesday, the witness list focused on the investigators who have worked the case over the years. He later not only confided his secret to Bo but also asked for help to burn the body. DEFENSE: Mr. Duke, did you murder Tara Grinstead? 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. A unique and . Interment will follow in Southlawn Cemetery. I didnt know what else to do," Ryan said. 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. Jannis Paulk, who knows the family, paints a different picture of Bo. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. Brooke Sheridan: He said, "That's something that only God and Ryan know." Expand the Memories and Condolences form. Bones that were so degraded, no official cause of death could be determined. 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. Ryan Duke said he first started "hanging out" with Bo Dukes during his senior year of high school. So that gave us a stronger indication that something bad had happened. They think the community can heal, pointing the finger at Bo Dukes for the murder. But again, as far as she knew, it went nowhere. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Ryan then allegedly went back to her house to move her remains to the orchard using Bos truck. He lived most his life in Aiken and worked as a procedures writer at the Savannah River . While it might have not been explosive "smoking gun" testimony, it did paint a picture of the scene police officers were met with during a welfare check at the high school teachers home 17 years ago when she failed to show up to work on a particular Monday in October 2005. 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. Read More Published In Last Name "Dixon". They argued Duke was not responsible for her death but solely helped Bo Dukes dispose of the body, alleging that Bo Dukes was the mastermind behind the crime. Q: Did you see Miss Grinstead's body after she died? She did not want to end it. He said Bo Dukes admitted to killing her. This program is not financed by or connected in any manner with any governmental agency or veteran's or other organization. Then, more than 11 years after Tara disappeared, Brooke Sheridan came out of nowhere with her account about not only Bo Dukes but his friend Ryan Duke. Ryan Duke took the stand Tuesday and immediately denied murdering Grinstead, claiming he didn't know how she died. Soon after his arrest, Ryan Duke was indicted on the charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and concealing the death of another, to all of which he pleaded not guilty. Grinstead's best friend, sister, and step mother took to the stand to describe the pain they have felt since her 2005 disappearance. Speaking in court before Ryan Dukes' sentencing, Anita Gattis said her sister's disappearance threw her family into ''an out-of-control spiral'' that they've never escaped. On March 1, 1969, he met Sandra Hageman on a . It was told to me when I was in Georgia. RYAN DUKE: He starts laughing at me. The funeral will follow at 11 oclock in the chapel with The Rev. Ryan Duke has been sentenced to spend the next five years in prison for his part in concealing the death of Georgia teacher and former beauty queen Tara Grinstead. Now the man accused of murdering Tara Ryan Duke would go on trial for murder almost 17 years after she went missing. Peter Van Sant: One said she had clothes on, the other said she did not. Rumors swirled about that cop whose card was found at Tara's house. Several agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also took the stand. LAWYER: Any doubt in your mind, however, that you heard these two people laughing about killing and burning Tara Grinstead's body? 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