In total, there were more than 40 witnesses and 300 pieces of evidence presented in the case. I don't like to come very often she loved this place. And Bo Dukes himself spoke directly to Tara's family: BO DUKES: To the Tara Grinstead family, I'm truly sorry. Maria Woods Harber: Yeah, she did. AGENT GARY ROTHWELL: We thought that that lead had been addressed by local law enforcement as unfounded and did not follow up. 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. What to do during a tornado: Where is your safe spot. Tara Grinstead didnt show up for work on October 24, 2005. Ryan steeled himself before the verdict was read. John McCullough: And it had this very, you know, attractive woman on it. As their relationship evolved, Brooke sensed that something seemed to be eating away at Bo. The defense argued the case is about power and influence, which their client lacks. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. 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. Bo Dukes is serving 25 years for concealing her death, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and lying to investigators. Maria Woods Harber grew up with Tara. 83 Peacefully passed away on February 23, 2023. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Sign up for service and obituary updates. DEFENSE: Mr. Duke, did you murder Tara Grinstead? Investigators chased down dozens of leads across the country, but tips emerged that led right back to the high school where Tara was a teacher and perhaps someone who had sat in her classroom. Send simple, comforting meals with Home Chef. Ryan was thus sentenced to 10 years behind bars, which he currently seems to be serving. He was a graduate of Aiken High School and received his bachelors degree from USC Aiken. 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. GBI AGENT: So, you immediately see this and you're like "what in the hell did you do? 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. "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'm so sick of this stealing from her purse. Share. Your long suffering has been unimaginable. No services are scheduled at this time. Find service information, send flowers, and leave memories and thoughts in the Guestbook for your loved one. I didn't believe him. We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time. 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. Defense attorneys began to call witnesses of their own Monday when the state prosecutors rested their case after over a week of arguments. SMITHLAND -- D.V. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. "Its been a 17-year nightmare for them," Irwin County District Attorney Bryce Johnson said. Jannis Paulk, who knows the family, paints a different picture of Bo. 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? Maria says Tara was determined to live her dreams from a young age, competing in beauty pageants to help earn scholarship money for college. But there is no question that in her short and impactful life, Tara Grinstead touched people in rare ways even those who never met her, like John McCullough. Tuesday, the witness list focused on the investigators who have worked the case over the years. Ryan Duke took the stand Tuesday and immediately denied murdering Grinstead, claiming he didn't know how she died. Peter Van Sant: One said she had clothes on, the other said she did not. But again, as far as she knew, it went nowhere. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. He was a graduate of A Maria Woods Harber: She was such a good person She just didn't deserve it. Duke said he never took Grinstead's belongings to police when he tried to return them. Year after year passed with no arrests. Jannis Paulk: there were several people, several men, who got a lot of scrutiny for a long time . Another former student, Bo Dukes, is now serving a 25-year prison sentence for lying to the GBI and helping Duke bury her body. Marcus Harper: It was like a calling. 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. After college, Tara got a job at Ocilla's Irwin County high school, teaching 11th grade history. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Maria Woods Harber: Tara had a boyfriend for a long time And during the summer of 2005, they broke up. Both had been students at Tara's high school. But McCullough wasn't the only witness who gave details about Tara's death. He was a family friend married, with kids who would later testify that he and Tara were having an affair. BO DUKES: As far as I know, he didn't know her. Somebody has abducted her and holding her somewhere hostage. As for his alibi, Ryan claimed that he had been at his mobile home in Fitzgerald the entire night. More than a decade later, the GBI charged Duke -- her former student -- with killing her and hiding her body in a pecan orchard. Tara Grinstead's father was in the courtroom on Tuesday while Ryan Duke was questioned. State and defense teams made their pitches to jurors and began examining witnesses. My deepest condolences to my church family, may God give you all the strength and peace during your time of sorrow. Peter Van Sant: The kind of guy you want to share a foxhole with, right? Duke's attorneys also focused on what they say is no evidence or DNA from their client found instead Grinstead's home. 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. DEFENSE [closing arguments]: Bo Dukes should be on trial for the murder of Tara Grinstead, not Ryan. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. He testified he could tell the body was a woman's, wearing a t-shirt and some type of jogging pants. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://www.nationalcremation.com/location/irving- for the Drakes family. Lets find out. She and her older sister Anita grew up in the Georgia town of Hawkinsville. Browse Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. Produced by Alec Sirken and Lauren Clark. In 1999, Tara Grinstead won the Miss Tifton pageant, which landed her a spot at the 1999 Miss Georgia competition. McCullough, now a manager at a water company in Texas, had met Bo Dukes at Army boot camp in 2006. Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. 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. And that was corroborated. Brooke Sheridan: Ryan looked at Bo and said, "It's your truck. It was very hard to grasp. Grinstead graduated from Middle Georgia College and began teaching at Irwin County High School in Ocilla in 1998. Back then, hardly anyone thought this case would ever be solved. Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. Ryan Duke said he wouldn't have recognized who it was if Bo Dukes hadn't told him. 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?". It was somethin' I felt like, you know, I had to do. 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. Make a Memorial Donation . Prosecutors asked Rothwell why no one followed up on a tip naming Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes as suspects. 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. Maria Woods Harber: She was charismatic, determined, a beautiful personality. He denied that, but when asked why he lied to the GBI about killing Grinstead, Duke said, "I'm trying to make that right.". April 26, 2018 Aiken, South Carolina Set a Reminder for the Anniversary of Ryan's Passing. 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. 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. 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. "There was a profile that matched a toothbrush of Tara Grinstead and there was an unknown male profile," Hinkle said. This program is not financed by or connected in any manner with any governmental agency or veteran's or other organization. I am so sorry. Dana Wilder: I never thought it was somebody from our community. It was a year after Tara's disappearance. He was the owner operator of Dukes Tax Service and Taxxman Payroll Solutions. 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