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. And he asked me to help him get rid of her body. He recalled that moment. I don't understand that, just a disregard of human life. "Ryan did not kill Ms. Grinstead. . Maria Woods Harber: They've gotten away with it for this many years anyway. 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. The defense argued Duke was on pain pills and not in his right mind when he made the confession. Wide open space so the woods wouldnt catch on fire," Duke said while trying to find the location. She did not want to end it. For around 6 years, Tara Grinstead dated Marcus Harper, a former Ocilla cop who joined the Army Rangers. RYAN DUKE: He starts laughing at me. It was part of town gossip that they had gotten into an argument after Marcus had come back to town earlier than expected that October. "Its been a 17-year nightmare for them," Irwin County District Attorney Bryce Johnson said. The 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead beloved teacher and local beauty queen mystified the people of Ocilla, Georgia, like Jannis Paulk, who lived just around the corner from Tara. Peter Van Sant: What did you see when you walked into her house? However, his lawyers, who are working pro-bono, claimed that even in that situation, he should get his due of the funds to ensure a fair trial. 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. Since then, Duke's trial has been moved back several times. PROSECUTION: The man in THAT chair, confessed to the murder of Tara Grinstead. Gooding testified her team found finger, teeth and cranium bones in the area. He's the uncle of Bo Dukes. No. 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: Show Your Sympathy to the Family. In March 2019, Dukes was convicted of helping conceal Grinsteads death andsentenced to 25 years in prison. The defense had previously asked the judge to dismiss the case, an action that was quickly declined. Grief researchers say holding that missing funeral service, even a year or more later, can still help us heal. Several agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also took the stand. View The Obituary For Ryan Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina. Grinstead's best friend, sister, and step mother took to the stand to describe the pain they have felt since her 2005 disappearance. Make a life-giving gesture. 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. Brooke Sheridan: I said, "You need to confess. The state says DNA later showed the glove did have his DNA on it. "Its a portion of the human cranium. Over the past 47+ years, our experienced team has assisted families, their loved ones, and caregivers in carrying out final wishes more affordably, with dignity and respect. Leave a memory or share a photo below to show your support. Peter Van Sant: Did he have names of who these two men were who claimed they had killed Tara? John K. Dukes, Jr. Mar. I can still see her standing at the door. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael. This is your truck, and this is your family's land," basically that was interpreted by Bo as a threat that we're partners now in this? Her colleagues at the school where she worked called the Ocilla Police Department to check on the 11th-grade teachers home. AGENT GARY ROTHWELL: We thought that that lead had been addressed by local law enforcement as unfounded and did not follow up. And why the f- would you do it here on my family's pecan orchard? I didn't mean to.". And I was like, "Yeah." He was a . According to it, he broke into Taras house to steal money to buy drugs but was surprised by her when she suddenly came home. So, it's kind of crappy right now. Ohio Residents: Neptune Society is affiliated with Okerwall Funeral Home. But back then, Bo denied everything. 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?". Both men were surprising suspects to the cops, who claimed that theyd never came up on the radar. Bo told them that he and Ryan had burned Taras body at the Hudson Pecan Company pecan orchard, and when the area was searched, some human bone fragments were found. I didnt know what else to do," Ryan said. I thought he was out of his mind. last opportunity to present witnesses as a rebuttal. Please contact your local Neptune Society office for cremation prices, and to learn more about our cremation service. Brooke Sheridan: He said, "That's something that only God and Ryan know." Ryan admitted he was asked by Bo to help dispose of Tara's body in the orchard and moved her to the burn pile. He was a graduate of Aiken High School and received his bachelors degree from USC Aiken. Authorities couldn't explain either, and collected them as evidence the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, known as the GBI, was called in. Jannis Paulk's former employee, Garlan Lott, told the court he had overheard that 2005 conversation between Ryan and Bo at a party in the same pecan orchard where Tara's body had been burned. ", BO DUKES: Yeah. "It's like he wasn't there," Ryan Duke said when asked about Bo Dukes' demeanor while the body burned. Grief Support. According to Bo Dukes, the two men took Bo's pickup truck and drove out of town onto a highway and pulled off onto a dirt road leading to the pecan orchard that's owned by Bo Dukes' family. And that's where she wanted to stay and where she wanted to be. He returned to the trailer, according to testimony, where Bo Dukes said he'd show him where Tara Grinstead's body was. AGENT GARY ROTHWELL: It is something we should've followed up, but we we didn't. TROY - Penny A. Ryan, 64 . Ryan Duke said he drove toward a pecan orchard, owned by a relative of Bo Dukes. | All testimonials are written by persons unlicensed and not qualified to make funeral arrangements, embalm or conduct a funeral. 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. Jannis Paulk: We shared that tip with the local sheriff's department. Bo told Brooke that Ryan stole his pickup truck that night and used it to transport Tara's body to a remote part of a pecan orchard farmed by Bo's family. GBI AGENT: So, you immediately see this and you're like "what in the hell did you do? He said they had talked about getting together that Sunday, but Tara never answered her phone. She brought great things to Irwin County High School And I would hope that eventually the word Tara Grinstead will be a bright spot because she did bring a lot of good things to Ocilla. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken County, Cindy was a daughter of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. Brooke Sheridan: Ryan Woke him up and said, "I killed Tara Grinstead.". Brooke Sheridan: It was love at first sight. . Of the six charges, Duke was found guilty of one count of concealing Grinstead's death. Zion Baptist Church, 1012 Adams St. View the obituary at www.BEBrownCo.com. What to do during a tornado: Where is your safe spot. OBITUARY Ryan William Drakes April 23, 1981 - August 4, 2021. Maria Woods Harber: She was such a good person She just didn't deserve it. The defense said Bo Dukes' attorney indicated his client would invoke the 5th Amendment if called to testify. 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). In his own recorded words, Duke walked GBI investigators through how he killed, burned and buried Tara Grinstead. Ryan Duke said he was afraid of Bo Dukes, who repeatedly told him not to talk about Tara Grinstead. She had a lot of life ahead of her. To plant trees in memory, please visit the. Bo got in big trouble while in the Army. To the Dukes family, please know I am praying for you. Q: Did you see Miss Grinstead's body after she died? As Jannis recalls, early on, suspicion focused on the men in Tara's life. DEFENSE: What was his expression, his demeanor when that happened? Ryan Duke testified he drove from Fitzgerald to Ocilla in an unsuccessful attempt to return Grinstead's wallet, and he left Bo Dukes in the trailer. Dr. Fred W. Andrea III officiating. However, the family eventually hired a private investigator. He called the state's top law enforcement agency heading the investigation, the GBI. Prosecutors played that videotape of Bo's interview with the GBI. We pray that people will remember that the defendant was not the victim. The defense called him to the stand and, with his attorney standing next to him, he responded to each question with, "Under the advice of my council, I will be invoking my 5th Amendment right not to provide testimony today.". This DNA test was taken two years before defendant Ryan Dukes recorded confession. View Obituaries Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Inc. and Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory Ryan Dukes August 23, 1974 - April 26, 2018. "You should be punished according - not for murder, not for burglary, not for aggravated assault, because that's the way the system works. Shaheen Tokhi and David Dow are the associate producers. Mike Dukes. I mean, she had the biggest smile. The two men drove about 200 yards up the road to where Tara Grinstead's body had been placed. Funeral Home Services for Ray are being provided by Alexander Funeral Home, Inc. - Charlotte. But what about that latex glove with Ryan's DNA on it found in Tara's front yard? In 2005, the disappearance of beloved high-school teacher Tara Grinstead sent shockwaves through the town of Ocilla, Georgia. In closing, as Tara's family looked on, the prosecution held to their argument that Ryan had told the truth back in 2017. By her front door, they found a business card from a police officer in a nearby town. Survivors include his grandmother, Vera Ballentine Dukes; aunts, Cheri McGee (Wayne), Debbie Wallace (David), all of Aiken, Linda Tinney (Mel), Pepin, WI, Pamela Clark (Rick), Ridgeville, SC; uncle, Jeff Dukes (Debbie), Aiken. Another video shown shows Duke leading investigators to where he says he dumped and burned her body. The agent asks Bo his first reaction when he went to the orchard with Ryan. Back then, hardly anyone thought this case would ever be solved. There was no other option. As their relationship evolved, Brooke sensed that something seemed to be eating away at Bo. 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. Bo Dukes stayed in a bedroom in a trailer they rented in Fitzgerald, Ryan Duke testified. Michael Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina April 10, 1950 - March 30, 2017. Ricou Browning, the stunt man who played the title character in underwater sequences of the 1954 classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon," died Monday at 93. Peter Van Sant: The kind of guy you want to share a foxhole with, right? You need to own what you've done and confess," Sheridan told "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant in 2017. SMITHLAND -- D.V. Ryan Duke at his first court hearing after his arrest in February 2017, charged with Tara Grinstead's murder. Worried, he went to her house Sunday night and left the card after Tara didn't answer the doorbell. Peter Van Sant: How many times did you call the GBI over what period of time and you still didn't get any . Maria Woods Harber: Tara really did want to get back with Marcus. IRWIN COUNTY, Ga. - An emotionaltrial in Irwin Countyconcluded Monday with a judge sentencing Ryan Duke to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison - with five years already served. "Over the course of the last three weeks reliving this heinous act that Ryan Alexander Duke committed ripped open the wounds," Gattis told the court before calling Duke "evil," "sneaky dangerous," and a "vile human. I was a drug addict I'd been drinking. Both men are awaiting trial in a neighboring county on charges related to burning Tara's body. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Finally, he cracked. Neptune Society is the largest provider of affordable cremation services in the nation. It turned out that he had completed his education from the Irwin County High School, which is where Tara used to work, three years before she went missing, and they might have come in contact there. The couple broke things off but stayed in touch. He said he lied to the GBI agent that interviewed him about breaking into Grinstead's house and fatal striking and choking her. I ran. Visitation: Saturday, Feb. 18th from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral hour at Mt. 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. GBI Agent Shoudel testified Duke knew what he was doing, and that Duke told investigators he was mentally and physically cognitive. Gary Rothwell [2008]: It is one of the most extensive investigations undertaken by the GBI. Neighbors knocked on her door but got no response. The weight of what McCullough says Bo told him became unbearable. Friday, a jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary connected to the death of Georgia beauty queen and teacher Tara Grinstead. On Monday, the state rested its case, but not before calling GBI agents and a forensic specialist to the stand. Peter Van Sant: One said she had clothes on, the other said she did not. Ryan worked at a plastics manufacturing plant, while Bo would occasionally work at his family's pecan farm. ", Duke's attorney's argued that he had been a "model prisoner" for five years while "waiting patiently for his day in court.". He could have at least told us that, but he didn't. I can't live with myself. Outside, in front of Tara's house, authorities found something that didn't seem to belong a latex glove. They believe Ryan Duke was the killer. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael Dukes and Vicki Heilig Dukes. But if you're ready for this Bo had already been interviewed by the GBI a year earlier in 2016. JOHN DUKES OBITUARY John Lewis Dukes John Lewis Dukes, 64 of Monroe, Louisiana, an automotive service writer, passed away Sunday, April 19, 2015. He was the talk of Ocilla, Georgia, and none of it was good. ", 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 . Grinstead graduated from Middle Georgia College and began teaching at Irwin County High School in Ocilla in 1998. . Following his wishes, there will be no. Send a gift to a service or familys home. I didn't know who I was staring at. An interesting turn of events came when Ryans 11-page confession, where hed detailed everything thatd transpired on that fateful evening, came to light. Sending condolences & deepest condolences to the Dukes Family. A native of Concord, NC, Vicki was a daughter of the late David Leon and Mam . Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. They burned her body. There are reports of him being put under suicide watch a few times, yet nothing too serious came out of the incidents. Ryan William Drakes, age 40, of DeSoto passed away on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Bo began with what he says Ryan told him the day after Tara disappeared. He went looking for her the night she disappeared and sparked the search for the woman when he alerted authorities the next day. It was a year after Tara's disappearance. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. Another was a former student who claimed he and Tara been secretly seeing each other. "I cant lie. Ryan Duke said he decided to take the blame for Tara Grinstead's death in 2017 because he didn't think Bo Dukes would tell the truth. Ryan Duke testified he went to help Bo Dukes load wood into his truck and move Grinstead's body. Here's my number I'll do whatever has to happen for y'all to take me serious. John McCullough: I can't explain it [emotional]. Food has always been a go-to for people in mourning. Bo confessed all of this to Brooke, who stuck with him. The GBI was overwhelmed with tips at the time and this one slipped through the cracks. He said Bo Dukes admitted to killing her. It was in 2017 when Bo Dukes came out about his involvement in the case and even pointed the finger at Ryan. Maria says Tara was determined to live her dreams from a young age, competing in beauty pageants to help earn scholarship money for college. And I think she was just trying to move on in a small town of Ocilla, everyone knew their situation. Investigators said Grinsteads car was in the driveway when police arrived at the home. Rested Its case, but we we did n't know who I was staring.. 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