He was a graduate of Aiken High School and received his bachelors degree from USC Aiken. Two years later, in March 2019, he was the first to go on trial. 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. 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. PROSECUTION: The man in THAT chair, confessed to the murder of Tara Grinstead. He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash.". Here's my number I'll do whatever has to happen for y'all to take me serious. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. Peter Van Sant: This really affects you, though, talking about this. They wanted the state to fund the expenses for people like private investigators and expert witnesses for Ryan. Nearly 12 years after Tara's disappearance, on February 23, 2017, Ryan Duke appeared in court, charged with Tara's murder. "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. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. Finally, he cracked. It was told to me when I was in Georgia. They found him guilty of one charge: concealing Grinstead's death. But again, as far as she knew, it went nowhere. Stephen S. Dukes, 61, of York Haven died Sunday, November 21, 2021 at Select Specialty Hospital, Camp Hill. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The jury saw pictures from Fitzgerald Farms, where agents searched for Grinstead's remains in 2017. A unique and . The day after Bo's confession, his one-time friend Ryan Duke was arrested. Ryan, Penny A. GBI agents have also said DNA matching both Duke and Grinstead was found on a latex glove discovered in her yard. Prosecutors played that videotape of Bo's interview with the GBI. DEFENSE [closing arguments]: Bo Dukes should be on trial for the murder of Tara Grinstead, not Ryan. John McCullough: He had told me that his friend accidentally strangled her and he needed help getting rid of the body so that way there was nothing to find. However, we had a glove, a latex glove that we couldn't explain. Bo then gave his account of moving and then burning her body, which began on a Wednesday and took two days. Year after year passed with no arrests. The couple broke things off but stayed in touch. Maria Woods Harper: They've had a really hard time. Tara's alarm clock was under her bed, and a bedside lamp was broken. On Sunday, Tara's mom called her several times, but Tara didn't answer. Visitation: Saturday, Feb. 18th from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral hour at Mt. Superior Courts, Cordele Judicial Circuit. That was the last time Ryan Duke said he saw Tara Grinstead's body. Tillitski testified that Duke was sleep-deprived and there were drugs in his system when he confessed in 2017. But some things stuck out to Maria. 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? The defense questioned Duke about his life and relationship with Bo Dukes. But police noted that her purse and keys were missing. In cross-examination, Rothwell added that he takes responsibility for the GBI lapse. I don't understand that, just a disregard of human life. But back in 2005, authorities either missed or ignored a tip that may have solved the case. But what about that latex glove with Ryan's DNA on it found in Tara's front yard? 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: He called the state's top law enforcement agency heading the investigation, the GBI. Funeral Home Services for Ray are being provided by Alexander Funeral Home, Inc. - Charlotte. ", Duke's attorney's argued that he had been a "model prisoner" for five years while "waiting patiently for his day in court.". Ryan William Drakes, age 40, of DeSoto passed away on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. He said he lied to the GBI agent that interviewed him about breaking into Grinstead's house and fatal striking and choking her. "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.". Ryan Dukes. BRYAN DUKES OBITUARY. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. For years, Marcus Harper lived under a cloud some might say a thunderstorm of suspicion. "Two men who had no regard for a beautiful, loving person took her life. Ways to honor John Dukes's life and legacy. View Obituaries Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Inc. and Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory Ryan Dukes August 23, 1974 - April 26, 2018. Roland & Karol Kay Hoffman. He lit her on fire. "As hes doing that he started getting emotional and said, She was so small, referring to the size of her in his arms,". May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow. Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment. The defense questioned him about increasing drug use and alcohol consumption leading up to the time Grinstead went missing. 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. Dana Wilder: I never thought it was somebody from our community. Jannis Paulk [emotional]: It just brings up a lot. AIKEN, SC - Kenneth Michael Dukes, 66, died Thursday, March 30, 2017 at his residence. Ryan Duke said he wouldn't have recognized who it was if Bo Dukes hadn't told him. Brooke Sheridan: He said, "You've heard of the Tara Grinstead case?" They burned her body. Visitation: Saturday, Feb. 18th from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral hour at Mt. View The Obituary For Ryan Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina. 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. The agent asks Bo his first reaction when he went to the orchard with Ryan. But after he broke down to Brooke, she told Bo it was time to tell the truth. Marcus Harper: It was like a calling. The defense said Bo Dukes' attorney indicated his client would invoke the 5th Amendment if called to testify. Ryan was born April 23, 1981. Dukes attorneys have said he made a false confession under the influence of drugs. Our prayer and sympathy are with the Dukes family ,may you find peace through pray, doing your time of grief. Ryan Duke is standing trial for Grinsteads murder. Following his wishes, there will be no. The family will receive friends Thursday morning, May 3rd beginning at 10 oclock at Shellhouse Rivers Funeral Home. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. 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. 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. They believe Ryan Duke was the killer. Ashley Hinkle, a forensic biologist with the State Crime Lab testified she swabbed the glove in June 2015. TROY - Penny A. Ryan, 64 . He could have at least told us that, but he didn't. And what she had to say implicated a man whose name had repeatedly been given to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. By her front door, they found a business card from a police officer in a nearby town. My truck was Luminoled photographs were taken. Rothwell said the GBI never followed up after their names appeared in an investigative summary. 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. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael Dukes and Vicki Heilig Dukes. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. 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. AIKEN, SC - KENNETH MICHAEL DUKES, 66, died Thursday, March 30, 2017 at his residence. They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael Dukes and Vicki Heilig Dukes. Brooke Sheridan: Ryan Woke him up and said, "I killed Tara Grinstead.". It took a jury less than an hour to convict Bo Dukes on all charges. Brooke Sheridan: He has a beautiful mind. Mobile Register and Baldwin County Homepage. 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. and that's nobody's business, but in this case, it made it tough. The state's line of questioning tried to show the jury that Ryan Duke is capable of lying. More than an hour into his testimony, Ryan Duke described the moment Bo Dukes led him to Grinstead's body. In 2017, more than 11 years after Tara vanished, Brooke Sheridan came forward with a potential answer. Jannis Paulk: FindTara.com. Marcus Harper: She obviously wanted to get married. Bo confessed all of this to Brooke, who stuck with him. ", 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 . She did not want to end it. 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 wasn't wearing shoes. It was very hard to grasp. It was somethin' I felt like, you know, I had to do. Funeral homes; Help and advice. AIKEN, SC MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. Jannis Paulk even created a website to help authorities collect information. Call Call. He was a graduate of A "I said, 'You need to confess. After the defense rested their case, the state got the last opportunity to present witnesses as a rebuttal. As their relationship evolved, Brooke sensed that something seemed to be eating away at Bo. In total, there were more than 40 witnesses and 300 pieces of evidence presented in the case. The Ocilla police were called and entered Tara's home, and right behind them was Maria. I didn't know who I was staring at. Cindy Susan Dukes Darr June 10, 1959 - October 9, 2011. Jurors also heard from a latent fingerprint examiner who came in 2017 to try to identify and confirm the prints found on a glove in Grinstead's yard. Browning had been the last . He testified that Bo Dukes told him he had killed Tara Grinstead but Ryan did not know how she died. And I was like, "yeah." DEFENSE: What was his expression, his demeanor when that happened? Visit our Support Center. John 3:16 Sending love and prayers for the Duke family! Age. Maria Woods Harber: I've had to come to a conclusion that I'm just gonna have to live the rest of my life not knowing. Send Flowers. I didn't mean to.". Peter Van Sant: How did you and Bo Dukes meet? 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. Could he betray his friend? But when he took the witness stand during his trial, he insisted he was innocent. Tara Grinstead was a 30-year-old history teacher at the Irwin County High School in Ocilla, Georgia, when she was reported missing on October 24, 2005. A man named Ryan Duke was accused of the crime. I don't remember everything clearly I was stealing from her purse. In Ryan's interview with the GBI, he said he had hit Tara, but Bo said Ryan told him otherwise: BO DUKES [GBI interview]: He jumped on her, while he was she was in bed and strangled her right there in her bed. Brooke Sheridan: Ryan looked at Bo and said, "It's your truck. I mean. The defense was up first and focused on the inconsistencies in the state's presentation. Ryan then allegedly went back to her house to move her remains to the orchard using Bos truck. And he was like, 'I know what happened.". 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. Receive a notification when services are updated. "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. Sign up for service and obituary updates. he's very shut shut off emotions, feelings he doesn't talk about. I don't like to come very often she loved this place. 28, 1957 - Feb. 10, 2023 Mr. John K. Dukes, Jr. entered into eternal rest on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. I am so sad to hear of the passing of John Dukes a co - worker and friend. GARLAN LOTT: The statement that I recall was, 'We killed and burned her body.". We pray that people will remember that the defendant was not the victim. Brooke says she kept encouraging Bo to open up to talk about this dark subject that was destroying him. While Reinhardt acknowledged that Duke seemed remorseful on the stand, he pointed out Dukes' decision to not tell anyone had an impact on Grinstead's family and friends. Jannis Paulk: Ocilla is a big family. John McCullough: He was like, "yeah, do you remember that bulletin that you had asked me about with that girl on it?" 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. A native of Concord, NC, Vicki was a daughter of the late David Leon and Mam . Share. On Monday, the state rested its case, but not before calling GBI agents and a forensic specialist to the stand. Grinstead, an Irwin County High School teacher, went missing in October 2005. 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