Ways to honor John Dukes's life and legacy. Ryan William Drakes Obituary. He graduated from Aiken High School in 1968 and was a . Brooke Sheridan: I said, "You have to talk to me. He's the uncle of Bo Dukes. For twelve years, the cops and private investigators tried to uncover the truth and bring the case to its deserved conclusion, but nothing came of it. 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. By her front door, they found a business card from a police officer in a nearby town. And in this trial, Agent Gary Rothwell finally explained what happened with those tips. So, he went to trial hoping jurors might show mercy for a man who had already confessed to his role in the crime. BRAD RIGBY | PROSECUTOR: This case is about Bo's lies, lies that lasted from 2005 to 2016. ". DEFENSE: Mr. Duke, did you murder Tara Grinstead? Ryan admitted he was asked by Bo to help dispose of Tara's body in the orchard and moved her to the burn pile. Grief researchers say holding that missing funeral service, even a year or more later, can still help us heal. I don't remember everything clearly. Year after year passed with no arrests. 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. Zion Baptist Church, 1012 Adams St. View the obituary at www.BEBrownCo.com. Make a Memorial Donation . We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time. And he asked me to help him get rid of her body. 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. Ryan Duke said he drove toward a pecan orchard, owned by a relative of Bo Dukes. Funeral homes; Help and advice. From arguing that the glove with Ryans DNA was planted outside Taras house by Bo to him testifying it was the latter whod woken him up that night and admitted to killing Tara, the trial included it all. Stephen S. Dukes, 61, of York Haven died Sunday, November 21, 2021 at Select Specialty Hospital, Camp Hill. Jannis Paulk also spoke to the GBI in 2008 as the agency was reviewing the case. Your family's land." You need to own to what you've done and confess. Duke says he didnt know Grinstead other than the fact that she was a teacher at the high school. Universal. But McCullough wasn't the only witness who gave details about Tara's death. Peter Van Sant and Mary Woods Harber in front of Tara Grinstead's Ocilla home. . 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. Rothwell said the GBI never followed up after their names appeared in an investigative summary. She was a member of Millbrook Baptist Church. Brooke says she kept encouraging Bo to open up to talk about this dark subject that was destroying him. Dukes attorneys have said he made a false confession under the influence of drugs. ", BO DUKES: Yeah. Michael Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina April 10, 1950 - March 30, 2017. Sometime in the night, Bo and Ben left while he and Stephen were sleeping. 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. Maybe because I'm a nobody. Read More Published In Last Name "Dixon". Ryan was born April 23, 1981. Ray Dukes passed away on January 15, 2022 at the age of 37 in CHARLOTTE, North Carolina. He called the state's top law enforcement agency heading the investigation, the GBI. . It's surprising how much a musical selection can affect mourning. 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. And the one we didn't want to think about was somebody killed her. More than a decade later, the GBI charged Duke -- her former student -- with killing her and hiding her body in a pecan orchard. 1449 N Claiborne Ave New Orleans, LA KARLIN DUKES OBITUARY Karlin C. Dukes Sr., age 83, peacefully passed away surrounded by family on Monday, November 7, 2016. Shaheen Tokhi and David Dow are the associate producers. 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. "There were some days that the heartache was so great we could barely even function," she said. View Obituaries Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Inc. and Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory Ryan Dukes August 23, 1974 - April 26, 2018. That boyfriend was Marcus Harper, a former cop from Ocilla. "That is a question that has bothered me for years," he said. I don't remember everything clearly I was stealing from her purse. "(Bo Dukes) reaches down, he grabs her arm and flips her over," Ryan Duke said. The defense called a psychologist, Dr. Christopher Tillitski, who evaluated Ryan Duke in 2019. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. ", Duke's attorney's argued that he had been a "model prisoner" for five years while "waiting patiently for his day in court.". DEFENSE [closing arguments]: Bo Dukes should be on trial for the murder of Tara Grinstead, not Ryan. Brooke Sheridan [emotional]: I kept thinking about her family and I couldn't sleep at night. Ryan Duke said Bo Dukes had a wallet with Grinstead's driver's license. Michelle Feuer is the development producer. Updated on: May 24, 2022 / 10:33 AM Following his wishes, there will be no. "Ryan Duke, the man in that chair, confessed to the murder of Tara Grinstead," prosecutor Brad Rigby said. Maria Woods Harber: Yes. 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 Peter Van Sant: What were some of the theories as to what had happened to Tara? I'm so sick of this stealing from her purse. The weight of what McCullough says Bo told him became unbearable. 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.". And I was like, "Yeah." Tara's car was parked in the driveway. Combined services will be held at Antioch M.B.C., 2033 W. Congress Ave. on Saturday March. BO DUKES [GBI interview]: We drove back into the back, and he showed me where her body was. Gooding testified her team found finger, teeth and cranium bones in the area. 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. Since then, Duke's trial has been moved back several times. Looking at Ryans life, there isnt much of criminal history. The Associated Press contributed to this story. In his own recorded words, Duke walked GBI investigators through how he killed, burned and buried Tara Grinstead. On the glove they not only identified Tara's DNA, but that of an unknown male. GBI AGENT: Of all the people, why Tara, what's the connection? Bo Dukes apologies to Tara Grinstead's family at his sentencing. He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash.". The defense said Bo Dukes' attorney indicated his client would invoke the 5th Amendment if called to testify. Prosecutors do not expect to file murder charges against Bo Dukes. DEFENSE: We know the State hasn't brought a single witness to tell you it was on the ground before Monday morning. The two who were friends had similar sounding names but weren't related. Prosecutors called two witnesses before dismissing the jury a lunchtime to debate how much of the Duke's confession could be shown. I cant live with myself Im so sick of this," Duke said in a recorded video. 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. 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. Ryan's lawyers argued that gave Bo plenty of time to plant it. Brooke Sheridan: It was something very dark and I I chalked it up to, you know, serving his time in the military. Investigators say Ryan confessed to killing Grinstead in a voluntary interview shortly before his arrest: "I used to break into people's houses, just to steal money. "It should be an opening when we cremated her. Of the six charges, Duke was found guilty of one count of concealing Grinstead's death. Peter Van Sant: The kind of guy you want to share a foxhole with, right? An Irwin County Probate judge declared Grinstead dead in absentia in December 2010. The state focused on Ryan Duke's 2017 recorded confession to GBI agents. Who is he and where is he now? With no hard evidence, authorities couldn't make an arrest. AIKEN, SC - Kenneth Michael Dukes, 66, died Thursday, March 30, 2017 at his residence. DEFENSE: What was his expression, his demeanor when that happened? Nearly 12 years after Tara's disappearance, on February 23, 2017, Ryan Duke appeared in court, charged with Tara's murder. Sending my condolences to Mrs. Wendy and her sons. That tip went nowhere. He was a graduate of Aiken High School and received his bachelor's degree from USC Aiken. 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? He said Bo Dukes was "almost excited, cheerful," when they went to move Grinstead's body. BO DUKES: As far as I know, he didn't know her. . Please join us in Loving, Sharing and Memorializing Ryan Dukes on this permanent online memorial. To the Dukes family, please know I am praying for you. I built a message board because I thought that there was a good chance that whoever knew what had happened to her would potentially come and say something. Maria Woods Harber: Yeah, she did. According to it, he broke into Taras house to steal money to buy drugs but was surprised by her when she suddenly came home. This DNA test was taken two years before defendant Ryan Dukes recorded confession. Our prayer and sympathy are with the Dukes family ,may you find peace through pray, doing your time of grief. John McCullough: I have no idea. A man named Ryan Duke was accused of the crime. McCullough, now a manager at a water company in Texas, had met Bo Dukes at Army boot camp in 2006. The two men drove about 200 yards up the road to where Tara Grinstead's body had been placed. "You should be punished according - not for murder, not for burglary, not for aggravated assault, because that's the way the system works. BRYAN DUKES OBITUARY. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. AIKEN, SC - MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. Maria Woods Harber: She would never do that. "Its been a 17-year nightmare for them," Irwin County District Attorney Bryce Johnson said. Peter Van Sant: This really affects you, though, talking about this. Therefore, on May 20, 2022, the jury only found him guilty of concealing a death he was acquitted of every other count. GARLAN LOTT: The statement that I recall was, 'We killed and burned her body.". "He said he killed Tara," Ryan Duke said. GBI Agent Shoudel testified Duke knew what he was doing, and that Duke told investigators he was mentally and physically cognitive. If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. And what she had to say implicated a man whose name had repeatedly been given to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. "Approximately 20 bone fragments that could be considered human bones.". 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. John K. Dukes, Jr. Mar. 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. They've lived so many years without being punished. The alleged drug addict was arrested once for a DUI in 2010 but was released on bond. 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. A DNA sample from Ryan Duke was a perfect match. 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. Sign up for service and obituary updates. 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