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 Ryan William Drakes, age 40, of DeSoto passed away on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Who is he and where is he now? My condolences to the family. Duke also admitted to taking her purse and keys and leaving a glove at the residence. Both men are awaiting trial in a neighboring county on charges related to burning Tara's body. He was a classic muscle car enthusiast with a passion for Chevy Impalas. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The family will receive friends Thursday morning, May 3rd beginning at 10 oclock at Shellhouse Rivers Funeral Home. He was a graduate of Aiken High School and received his bachelor's degree from USC Aiken. 5260 Daniel J. Enea, Manager. Shaheen Tokhi and David Dow are the associate producers. He had an alibi, but the whispers continued. LAWYER: It sounds like you're saying you assumed it was handled properly? However, the family eventually hired a private investigator. . But in the same sense, I always thought, "Well, it has to be.". A date was set to start Ryan Dukes trial, but a hitch came when his lawyers filed an emergency appeal to halt it. Not a one. Jannis Paulk also spoke to the GBI in 2008 as the agency was reviewing the case. Bo Dukes is serving 25 years for concealing her death, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and lying to investigators. Another former student, Bo Dukes, is now serving a 25-year prison sentence for lying to the GBI and helping Duke bury her body. The jury was left to decide if they believed what Ryan said in 2017, or his new version of events. We are not authorized to file an initial application for Veterans' Aid and Attendance benefits on your behalf, or to represent you before the Board of Veterans' Appeals within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in any proceeding on any matter, including an application for that benefits. 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. Bo Dukes who years earlier had sat in Tara Grinstead's class was arrested and charged not with murder, but with concealing a death, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and lying to investigators. And it wasn't the only one overlooked. Superior Courts, Cordele Judicial Circuit. 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. One witness, Heath Dykes, testified to having a relationship with Grinstead while his was married. BRAD RIGBY | PROSECUTOR: This case is about Bo's lies, lies that lasted from 2005 to 2016. Dana Wilder: She just took me underneath her wing She taught me the ins and outs of interviews, hair and makeup, wardrobe. Duane Ray Dukes, age 70, of Bryan, Ohio, passed away on Sunday, December 27, 2020, in his home, surrounded by family, following a ten-month battle with cancer. Your long suffering has been unimaginable. A "panicked" Bo Dukes woke him up the following morning, Ryan Duke testified. And the reason he knew she wasn't coming back, is because he had put load after load of wood on her body and burned her. And he said he threw his arms up just like this [shrugs her shoulders], "What are you gonna do?". 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?". BRYAN DUKES OBITUARY. Dana Wilder: As little girls, we looked up to her she was famous. They've lived so many years without being punished. I don't understand that, just a disregard of human life. Texas Residents: For additional information regarding prepaid funeral contracts, please visit the website www.prepaidfunerals.texas.gov which is maintained by the Texas Department of Banking. Duke's attorneys also focused on what they say is no evidence or DNA from their client found instead Grinstead's home. One of those always showing off and talking big and running his mouth. Sending condolences & deepest condolences to the Dukes Family. AIKEN, SC - KENNETH MICHAEL DUKES, 66, died Thursday, March 30, 2017 at his residence. we have made an arrest.". Looking at Ryans life, there isnt much of criminal history. She would never leave her kids. Send simple, comforting meals with Home Chef. Marcus was often overseas, and though they had broken up by the fall of 2005, friends say Tara was distraught about the relationship ending. And as they were driving around town, a billboard caught his eye. He was the owner operator of Dukes Tax Service and Taxxman Payroll Solutions. On the glove they not only identified Tara's DNA, but that of an unknown male. Leave a memory or share a photo below to show your support. In 2017, Brooke Sheridan came forward to the GBI saying that her boyfriend, Bo Dukes, told her that he had helped his friend, Ryan Duke, cover up Tara Grinstead's murder. He is preceded in death by his. This DNA test was taken two years before defendant Ryan Dukes recorded confession. 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). The defense was up first and focused on the inconsistencies in the state's presentation. With no hard evidence, authorities couldn't make an arrest. I can't live with myself. The two men drove about 200 yards up the road to where Tara Grinstead's body had been placed. 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.". Maria says Tara was determined to live her dreams from a young age, competing in beauty pageants to help earn scholarship money for college. We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time. Following his wishes, there will be no. Maria Woods Harber: Well, it's very emotional. Somebody has abducted her and holding her somewhere hostage. and that's nobody's business, but in this case, it made it tough. In 2012 he was charged and convicted of stealing more than $150,000 worth of military supplies. The state and defense attorneys wrapped up their closing arguments earlier in the day. He said he lied to the GBI agent that interviewed him about breaking into Grinstead's house and fatal striking and choking her. "He actually made the motion in the interview and put his hands up like this mimicking how he held her body," GBI Agent Jason Shoudel said. Bo says Ryan then repeated that a couple of days later. 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. ", BO DUKES: Yeah. Grinstead, an Irwin County High School teacher, went missing in October 2005. Maria Woods Harber: Yes. Sign up for service and obituary updates. 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. He lived most his life in Aiken and worked as a procedures writer at the Savannah River . He was a family friend married, with kids who would later testify that he and Tara were having an affair. Therefore, on May 20, 2022, the jury only found him guilty of concealing a death he was acquitted of every other count. "We believe in Ryan and we believed in him the entire time.". He returned to the trailer, according to testimony, where Bo Dukes said he'd show him where Tara Grinstead's body was. She says the lawyers discussed pushing the trial into next March, but Judge Reinhardt hasn't signed an order confirming that. . So that gave us a stronger indication that something bad had happened. Thanks to the loyal support of generations of families, we've now grown to 45 locations nationwide with continued expansion in the future. The defense questioned Duke about his life and relationship with Bo Dukes. There was no other option. Maria Woods Harber: Tara had a boyfriend for a long time And during the summer of 2005, they broke up. The defense also called neighbors who provided testimony that supported a theory that Grinstead may have voluntarily left the home. Brooke Sheridan: He has a beautiful mind. It would be illegal for me to accept a fee for preparing that application on your behalf. Two years later, in March 2019, he was the first to go on trial. Sometime in the night, Bo and Ben left while he and Stephen were sleeping. Ryan Duke had told investigators in 2017 he killed Tara Grinstead and helped burn her body. Marcus Harper: What they're sayin' at the local grocery store, and at the local restaurants They don't think that it's gettin' to someone who's my family or my friend? More than an hour into his testimony, Ryan Duke described the moment Bo Dukes led him to Grinstead's body. Find an Obituary. Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. In an interview with the GBI, Bo Dukes said he was ready to end the secret he had kept for years, and went into detail. It was reactionary. Then, in 2017, a woman came forward with a remarkable story about her boyfriend but could it be trusted? He then allegedly struck her with his fist and ran away. I'm so sick of this stealing from her purse. 2023 Neptune Society. And he asked me to help him get rid of her body. Both had been students at. Visitation: Saturday, Feb. 18th from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral hour at Mt. 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. JOHN MCCULLOUGH: The exact location, he didn't tell me, but had made the comment of, you know, we took her to the middle of the pecan orchard and burned her body. "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. You need to own what you've done and confess," Sheridan told "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant in 2017. An Irwin County Probate judge declared Grinstead dead in absentia in December 2010. 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. That tip went nowhere. And she told them about her employee's tip three years earlier regarding Bo Dukes and Ryan Duke. TROY - Penny A. Ryan, 64 . Interment will follow in Southlawn Cemetery. 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. I didn't believe him. "I cant lie. Ryan Duke said he drove toward a pecan orchard, owned by a relative of Bo Dukes. 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. To plant trees in memory, please visit the. It was in 2017 when Bo Dukes came out about his involvement in the case and even pointed the finger at Ryan. GBI Agent Shoudel testified Duke knew what he was doing, and that Duke told investigators he was mentally and physically cognitive. Brooke says she kept encouraging Bo to open up to talk about this dark subject that was destroying him. The defense had previously asked the judge to dismiss the case, an action that was quickly declined. After college, Tara got a job at Ocilla's Irwin County high school, teaching 11th grade history. Greg Kaplan, Phillip J. Tangel and Marcus Balsam are the editors. I just got off the phone with another department that had didn't do sh.". "There were some days that the heartache was so great we could barely even function," she said. Jannis Paulk: We shared that tip with the local sheriff's department. Went to Elementary to high School with John sending Condolences to the Family in my Prayers. View Obituaries Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Inc. and Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory Ryan Dukes August 23, 1974 - April 26, 2018. Peter Van Sant: What would anyone's motive be to kill Tara Grinstead? This program is not financed by or connected in any manner with any governmental agency or veteran's or other organization. John McCullough: And it had this very, you know, attractive woman on it. Garlan says after he reported this to Jannis Paulk, he was never formally interviewed by anyone from law enforcement. Ryan Duke testified he saw Tara Grinstead's body at the pecan orchard, where the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found her remains years later. It was now time at the trial for Bo's one-time Army buddy, John McCullough, to finally tell his story of Bo's confession. "Ryan did not kill Ms. Grinstead. Peter Van Sant: Why do you think investigators ignored you? But McCullough wasn't the only witness who gave details about Tara's death. He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash.". And what she had to say implicated a man whose name had repeatedly been given to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Here's my number I'll do whatever has to happen for y'all to take me serious. Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. He wasn't sure who said what. "Approximately 20 bone fragments that could be considered human bones.". In 2017, more than 11 years after Tara vanished, Brooke Sheridan came forward with a potential answer. He said they had talked about getting together that Sunday, but Tara never answered her phone. He said Bo Dukes was "almost excited, cheerful," when they went to move Grinstead's body. Peter Van Sant: How many times did you call the GBI over what period of time and you still didn't get any . I was high. And this time, the whole world seemed to be listening. Nearly 12 years after Tara's disappearance, on February 23, 2017, Ryan Duke appeared in court, charged with Tara's murder. To the Dukes family, please know I am praying for you. Born on January 20, 1989 in Easton, Bryan is the son of Kathy Elburn Dukes . That was the last time Ryan Duke said he saw Tara Grinstead's body. Marcus Harper: It was like a calling. The GBI was overwhelmed with tips at the time and this one slipped through the cracks. so, I talk to him, tell him everything I know. Search by Name. What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative? Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. 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. He was a graduate of Aiken High School and received his bachelors degree from USC Aiken. 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. It was updated on August 20, 2022.]. However, we had a glove, a latex glove that we couldn't explain. 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. A unique and . 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. 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. Brooke Sheridan: I had to tell some I had to tell. Your family's land." "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.". May the holy spirit comfort you in this time of bereavement. But police noted that her purse and keys were missing. The weight of what McCullough says Bo told him became unbearable. Universal. Back in 2008 Van Sant spoke with Special Agent Gary Rothwell. Bo Dukes comes from a prominent family that owned a huge pecan orchard in the Ocilla area. Rothwell took the blame for the GBI assuming local law enforcement determined information indicating Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes as persons of interest were "unfounded." PROSECUTION: The man in THAT chair, confessed to the murder of Tara Grinstead. Maybe because I'm a nobody. You have funeral questions, we have answers. That boyfriend was Marcus Harper, a former cop from Ocilla. Duke says he didnt know Grinstead other than the fact that she was a teacher at the high school. At his sentencing hearing, Tara's stepmother, Connie, expressed how Tara's family felt about Ryan Duke. GBI Agent Jason Shoudel was on the stand to testify. GBI agents have also said DNA matching both Duke and Grinstead was found on a latex glove discovered in her yard. GBI agent Gary Rothwell said GBI agents' reports included the names Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes in 2005. 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. Updated on: May 24, 2022 / 10:33 AM In an exchange, the state asked Duke if he would lie when the stakes were high. Ryan, Penny A. Brooke Sheridan: Ryan looked at Bo and said, "It's your truck. And why the f- would you do it here on my family's pecan orchard? Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. No. Brooke Sheridan: He said, "You've heard of the Tara Grinstead case?" He pleaded not guilty. He recognized her from Irwin County High School, where he was a student, and she was teaching at the time. "(Bo Dukes) reaches down, he grabs her arm and flips her over," Ryan Duke said. 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