Laura Jean Ackerson -- Deceased 7/13/11 -- Grant and Amanda Hayes Charged With Murder

Laura Ackerson

Body parts found in Fort Bend Co. confirmed as those of missing mother from NC

KTRK - Houston, Tx
Updated at 02:48 PM CDT - July 26, 2011

FORT BEND COUNTY, TX (KTRK) -- Authorities on Monday recovered Laura Ackerson's head and one of her legs. Police believe she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, and his wife, who appreared in court in North Carolina this afternoon. And now dental records have confirmed the remains found are indeed those of Ackerson, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

The two suspects, Grant and Amanda Hayes, faced a judge on murder charges and were ordered held without bond. In the meantime divers and search crews resumed their search for the rest of Ackerson's remains in Oyster Creek in Fort Bend County.

Snipped:

Bob Haenel with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office explained, "We are very hopeful that the HPD dive team and the Richmond Fire Department dive team can locate the missing remains and hopefully put some closure on this for the family. We're hopeful that it will continue long enough that we can recover everything."

Read more:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8271256

Wow, Piper! Thank you for posting the pictures!

The picture of Laura and her little boy holding on to her is one that I have not seen. Great find, Piper!

How sad that this little boy does not have a mommy any longer and his dad, the alleged killer, is in jail and will probably spend the rest of his life in jail or get the death penalty.

In loving memory of Laura Jean Ackerson . . .



Alan Jackson - "Sissy's Song"



My heartfelt sympathy to the family of Laura Jean Ackerson . . .

May Laura rest in eternal peace in the loving care of our dear Lord! May perpetual light shine upon her.

What a beautiful tribute, Ann.

Ann, the pictures were in your links, so I didn't have to search far!

RE: Laura Jean Ackerson - NC

I am watching our 4 p.m. News on KTRK (Houston, Tx). The video and article not posted to their site yet.

Update:

The search for the remaining parts of Laura Jean Ackerson has been called off. The divers have searched 75 yards of Oyster Creek. There is zero visibility. All of the search was done by touch.

Five coolers (ice chests), a suitcase and a machete were among items recovered. Pictures of the items were shown. As reported earlier, some of the coolers were at the home across the road. It is the home of Amanda Perry Hayes' sister.

It appears attempts were made to clean the machete. The machete was not used to dismember Ackerson per LE.

Ackerson was positively identified via dental records per the Medical Examiner.

When the video is posted, I'll provide the Link. I hope KTRK will post it.
~~~~~~

Piper, if KTRK, posts the video from the 4 p.m. news, you can post the suitcase and machete.

What would I do without Piper! For you, Piper:

A Big THANK YOU to both Piper and Ann for providing the information in this case...This is truly horrible...I hope the Feds can pursue a case for transporting a body across state lines to add to their charges...Luckily they didn't dump her in a gator infested swamp...

NCzeesmommy of The Hinky Meter lives about 12 miles from the Raleigh, NC, city limits in Wake County.

She posted the Link to the recent e-mails between Laura Jean Ackerson and an ex-boyfriend.

Last night one of the articles I posted mentioned the e-mails and some of the content.

This is the Link to the E-mails:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bwpy-C7n54YmYWQ4OTVmNzgtYjg3OC00MWUxLTk5YzEtMDc0NWRlMThiZmMy&hl=en_US&pli=1
GMail by Google - Docs

Here is the video and article, from KTRK - Houston, I referenced in my 4:16 p.m. comment. The video is within the article and is titled: Woman's remains positively identified. Very informative video and shows some of the evidence recovered since Sunday in Texas. Also, shows the lily pads and hyrdilla that the divers had to contend with during the search.
~~~~~

Body parts found in Fort Bend Co. confirmed as those of missing mother from NC

KTRK - Houston, Tx
Updated at 04:43 PM July 26, 2011

FORT BEND COUNTY, TX (KTRK) -- Authorities on Monday recovered Laura Ackerson's head and one of her legs. Police believe she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, and his wife, who appreared in court in North Carolina this afternoon. And now dental records have confirmed the remains found are indeed those of Ackerson, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

The two suspects, Grant and Amanda Hayes, faced a judge on murder charges and were ordered held without bond. In the meantime divers and search crews resumed their search for the rest of Ackerson's remains in Oyster Creek in Fort Bend County.

Read more:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8271256

Two people were arrested at this house in Kinston, N.C. Monday morning in connection with the disappearance of Laura Jean Ackerson, 27, a Kinston resident who disappeared last week. Grant Ruffin Hayes, 32, and Amanda Perry Hayes, 39, were arrested at 1505 Holman St. in Kinston for the murder of Ackerson. Authorities believe a body found in Texas is that of Ackerson.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/07/25/1369151/couple-charged-in-death-of-kinston.html#ixzz1TGWCeamF

Friend: Grant Hayes, wife not 'monsters'

WTVD - Raleigh, NC

Updated at 11:14 PM EDT
July 26, 2011

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Very few people have been willing to talk about their relationships with Grant Hayes, who is charged in connection with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Laura Ackerson.

Texas authorities confirmed the identity of Ackerson's dismembered body Tuesday.

A close friend of Hayes' says she knew and loved Grant Hayes, his wife, Amanda Hayes, and Ackerson.

Julie McKnight also says she did not see any signs that would lead to murder.

Read more:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8273159

Murder suspect, victim had long battled for kids

BY JAY PRICE - Staff Writer
The News & Observer
Raleigh, NC

July 27, 2011 - 12:05 AM EDT

RALEIGH -- Parts of a body that searchers have been pulling out of a Texas creek since Sunday were confirmed Tuesday to be the remains of Laura Jean Ackerson, 27, a single mother from Kinston who had been missing since July 13, Raleigh police said.

Police announced the identification just hours after the first Wake County court appearance for Ackerson's former boyfriend, Grant Hayes, 32, and his wife, Amanda Hayes, 39, both of Raleigh, who were charged Monday with murdering Ackerson.

Grant Hayes - a musician who also goes by the last name Haze - and Ackerson were never married, but had two sons. Grant R. Haze IV, age 3, and Gentle Reign Haze, who turns 2 next week, were the center of their mother's life, a friend said.

They also were the center of an acrimonious custody battle between Grant Hayes and Ackerson, who had traded motions and accusations for more than a year, according to court records from Lenoir County.

Read more:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/07/27/1371794/murder-dismemberment-suspects.html#ixzz1THhI197B
~~~~~~~

Interesting and informative article!

This article gives more detail about what is in the court documents pertaining to child custody.

Also, this article states that a jonboat that had blood in it was taken from the home of Amanda Perry Hayes' sister in Tx.

I do not recall the Houston media reporting about the jonboat taken into evidence.

Search for woman's dismembered body called off

by Gabe Gutierrez / KHOU 11 News
Houston, Tx

Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:06 AM CDT
Updated July 27, 2011 at 12:18 AM CDT

RICHMOND, Texas – The search for the last remains of a North Carolina mother has been called off after divers found nothing Tuesday in the murky waters of Oyster Creek.

Snipped:

Thorson and about a dozen other officers have been searching the creek for days. In the 100-degree temperatures, some of the officers have worn dive gear that weighs around 80 pounds.

The creek has virtually no visibility.

"It takes a lot of patience,” Officer Glen Mayo said. “You cannot get in a hurry."

The evidence they've collected has allowed the medical examiner to positively identify the victim. Still, the body is so decomposed; it'll be tough to determine exactly how Ackerson died.

Read more and view video:

http://www.khou.com/home/divers-face-challenges-during-dismembered-body-search-126221633.html

Grant Haze sits down with Hollace Dowdy to discuss his new project.
Los Angeles bound - Part 1 interview
Uploaded by Grant Haze on Aug 29, 2010



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvTHX_EhJ_0&feature=player_embedded
~~~~~~
If you click on the above Link, to the right you will find the other parts of the interview and other videos with Grant Haze (Hayes).

This is the most recent update from KPRC - Houston, Tx. The video is from yesterday's evening news and is a recap.

In the updated article, it is stated that Laura's body was cut into at least 7 pieces.

I expect most of the coverage to come from the North Carolina media now since the search has been called off in Texas.

The Houston media are reporting that the body parts are so badly decomposed, the Medical Examiner may not be able to determine how Laura died.
~~~~~

Search Ends For Dismembered Body
Grant Hayes, Amanda Hayes Charged With Murder

KPRC - Houston, Tx

POSTED: Tuesday, July 26, 2011
UPDATED: 9:04 am CDT July 27, 2011

RICHMOND, Texas -- A search ended Tuesday for body parts and evidence in connection with a dismembered body found in a Fort Bend County creek. The victim was positively identified as a 27-year-old woman who was killed in North Carolina.

The remains were found in Oyster Creek in the 4300 block of Skinner Lane in Richmond Sunday afternoon.

North Carolina officials said the remains belong to Laura Jean Ackerson, of Kinston, N.C. A co-worker reported her missing last week when Ackerson failed to pick up her two small children at her ex-boyfriend's house after work.

Deputies said Ackerson was killed in North Carolina and that the body was cut into at least seven parts with a saw. The body parts were then placed in an ice chest and driven 21 hours across several states and dumped into Oyster Creek, investigators said.

Read more:

http://www.click2houston.com/news/28674854/detail.html

Wilson business associates recount final hours of Laura Ackerson's life

July 28, 2011 12:00 AM

by Olivia Neeley
The Wilson Times - Wilson, NC

WILSON — A woman whose dismembered body was discovered early this week in Texas sat down with Wilson restaurant owners on July 13, pitched a business idea, ate a calzone and left.

Later that day, police say she was murdered.

And nearly two weeks later, police made the grisly discovery of Laura Jean Ackerson’s remains in a murky Texas creek — 1,000 miles away from her home in Kinston. On Monday, police charged Ackerson’s former boyfriend, Grant Ruffin Hayes III, 32, and his wife, Amanda Perry Hayes, 39, with murder. Both are being held without bond in the Wake County jail.

“She was that far away from me for an hour,” said Michael Dunn on Tuesday inside Paul’s of New York Italian Restaurant on West Nash Street in Wilson. He pointed to the chair where Ackerson sat down and met with him and owner Paul Mirakaj.

Read more:

http://www.enctoday.com/news/wilson-75330-kfpress-associates-recount.html

I just discovered The Wilson Times and encToday tonight. This article is dated 7-27-11. It is worth a read. More small details than what was reported by the large main stream media sources.

Per this article, Amanda and Grant Hayes arrived in Texas on Monday, July 18, 2011 and left Texas on Tuesday. The Houston media only indicated a Monday and Tuesday without the dates.

It is believed Laura was killed on July 13. If so, I wonder if they kept her body parts in a freezer or in the coolers on ice or dry ice.

This article states the U-Haul was located in Katy, Tx. There are so many places closer in and around Richmond, Tx that they could have returned the U-Haul. I wonder why they took it all the way to Katy. Perhaps to distant it from the disposal site of Oyster Creek.

I am anxious to know when and where in North Carolina the coolers were purchased. I assume whoever purchased them are on store surveillance cameras.

After reading nearly every article available, one can slowly piece together a partial rough time line. More info from RPD is needed though.
~~~~~~~~~

Body ID'd; accused face judge

July 27, 2011 12:00 AM

EncToday.com - NC
Wesley Brown
Staff Writer

RALEIGH — Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby leaned toward Jason Ackerson. “I am sorry,” the prosecutor whispered.

Bailiffs escorted Amanda Perry Hayes, 39, into the tightly-guarded, four pew courtroom tucked away in the Wake County Public Safety Center on Tuesday afternoon. Grant Ruffin Hayes III, 32, followed his wife into the courtroom.

Ackerson kept his composure, though this was the first time he had seen the Hayeses since they allegedly murdered his sister, Laura Jean Ackerson of Kinston, and hauled her dismembered body to Texas, where it was dumped in a creek.

He said to Willoughby: “Is it possible to get the death penalty?”

Read more:

http://www.enctoday.com/news/raleigh-75322-kfpress-accused-body.html#

View picture of Jason Ackerson (Laura Jean's brother) and wife Valerie leaving after the Hearing.

http://www.enctoday.com/sections/article/gallery/?pic=1&id=75322&db=kfpress

A Memorial Service for Laura Jean will be held this Saturday. Per this article, Jason, Laura's brother from Raleigh, NC, and her mother from Michigan are expected to attend.

The lower part of this article has factual info about the case under "Other Developments."
~~~~~

Ackerson's family, friends turn to God for answers with memorial service scheduled Saturday at Grace Fellowship Church

July 28, 2011 12:00 AM

Kinston.com - NC
Wesley Brown
Staff Writer

Evil is not an unfamiliar concept to church-goers like Cindy Nicholson, but the kind of evil that took the life of her friend, Laura Jean Ackerson, is nearly inconceivable.

“How do you wrap your brain around that kind of evil?” Nicholson, ministry coordinator at Grace Fellowship Church, asked Wednesday.

For an answer, she and fellow members of the Grace Fellowship congregation have turned to God.

A memorial service for Ackerson is schedule for 2 p.m. Saturday at the church on Academy Heights.

Read more:

http://www.kinston.com/news/evil-75327-ackerson-church.html

Accused murderer 'evil,' Kinston mom's relative says

Posted: 7:33 p.m. July 28, 2011
Updated: 7:35 p.m.

WRAL - Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, N.C. — A relative of slain Kinston mom Laura Jean Ackerson says he believes that the man suspected in her death her is evil.

"He may have hid it for years, but he was evil. His friends say he was a nice guy, but to do what he did, he has to be evil," Ackerson's brother-in-law, Mike Anderson, told WZZM-TV in Grand Rapids, Mich., Wednesday.

The dismembered remains of 27-year-old Ackerson, who was originally from Michigan, were recovered this week from Oyster Creek in Richmond, Texas, about 60 miles south of Houston.

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9925446/
~~~~~~

Includes video - interview with Laura Ackerson's brother-in-law.

Song allegedly written about murdered woman

WTVD - Raleigh, NC

Updated at 06:52 PM
July 28, 2011

More information is surfacing in the murder case of Laura Ackerson.

ABC11 Eyewitness was given a song that sources say was written by Ackerson's ex-boyfriend, Grant Hayes. Hayes, who also is the father of Ackerson's two children, is charged with her murder.

The song, which was never released, contains lyrics about killing his "babies' momma."

In more than a dozen videos posted online, Hayes is seen singing about love, but sources say there's another song that most people who know Hayes haven't heard until now.

The song is called "Broomstick Rider" and ABC11 learned Hayes wrote the song about Ackerson. The song is about the couple's troubled relationship.

Read more:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=8276829

Jason Ackerson says sister's murder was premeditated, the product of a controlling relationship

EncToday.com - NC
by Wesley Brown

July 29, 2011 12:00 AM

Laura Ackerson’s brother believes she died at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, the victim of a premeditated act that came at the end of a stormy relationship riddled with threats.

In an exclusive interview with The Free Press, Jason Ackerson characterized Grant Ruffin Hayes III — the man with whom his sister had two sons and who is now charged with his wife, Amanda, in Laura Ackerson’s murder — as manipulative, controlling and unfaithful.

“He had a full fledged mask on,” Ackerson said. “He may have loved something about my sister, but I do not believe he has the knowledge or ever had the knowledge of what love is.”

James Freeman, the attorney appointed from the Wake County Public Defenders Office to defend Grant, said Thursday that he spoke with Hayes in jail Tuesday afternoon and has begun to work on his defense. He did not comment on Hayes’ allegedly involvement in the murder and would not describe Hayes’ spirits in jail, citing “ethical principles.”

Read more:

http://www.enctoday.com/news/ackerson-75354-kfpress-product-controlling.html

W. Michigan native found dismembered in Texas

WWMT - Kalamazoo, MI
July 28, 2011 6:03 PM

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Police are investigating the brutal murder of a West Michigan native.

Investigators say they found the dismembered body of 27-year-old Laura Ackerson scattered in a Texas river.

Ackerson is originally from Ionia, she had moved to North Carolina and was a mother of two.

The father of Ackerson's children, and his wife, are now both in custody, charged with her murder.

Snipped:

Ackerson's father says he will be bringing her back to Michigan to be buried here. He also says he has already looked into bringing her children back to Michigan and would like to have custody of them.

Read more:

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/texas-1394015-dismembered-michigan.html

http://www.enctoday.com/sections/article/gallery/?pic=1&id=75382&db=kfpress
EncToday.com - NC 7-30-11





Photo: The Scripture John 11:25 is placed underneath Laura Ackerson's photo on her memorial service program on Saturday at Grace Fellowship Church.
Janet S. Carter/The Free Press

Church service honors Laura Ackerson

July 31, 2011 12:00 AM

ENCToday.com - NC
Jane Moon - Staff Writer

Family, friends, fellow church members and supporters of Laura Ackerson filed into Grace Fellowship Church to attend her memorial service Saturday afternoon to mourn the loss of the Kinston mother of two.

But the service wasn’t a time to try to make sense of her untimely death. It wasn’t a time to look for answers to questions that may never be answered.

For those who attended, it was a time to honor her memory and reminisce about the fond moments they shared with the single mother, who was allegedly murdered by the father of her children and his wife, Grant and Amanda Hayes.

Read more:

http://www.enctoday.com/articles/church-75382-kfpress-service-ackerson.html

Memorial Service For Murdered Mom Held Saturday In Kinston

A memorial service for a missing Kinston mom who authorities say was found dead in Texas was held in Kinston Saturday.

WITN - Greenville, NC

Posted: 10:18 AM Jul 30, 2011
Updated: 9:13 PM Jul 30, 2011

A memorial service for a missing Kinston mom who authorities say was found dead in Texas was held in Kinston Saturday.

The service for Laura Ackerson began at 2 p.m. at Grace Fellowship church on Academy Heights Road in Kinston.

That's the same church where Ackerson had been attending weekly prayer sessions and where the members then started praying for her once she disappeared.

Read more and view video:

http://www.witn.com/news/headlines/Memorial_Service_For_Murdered_Mom_Held_Saturday_In_Kinston.html?ref=993

Slain woman's father seeks custody of her children

WRAL - Raleigh, NC

Posted: 4:11 p.m. August 1, 2011
Updated: 4:45 p.m. August 1, 2011

Raleigh, N.C. — The father of a Kinston woman whose remains were found last week in a south Texas creek said Monday that he has filed for custody of his two grandsons.

Laura Jean Ackerson's two sons are now in Kinston in the care of Patsy Hayes, the mother of the man accused of killing and dismembering Ackerson.

Grant Ruffin Hayes, 32, and his wife, Amanda Perry Hayes, 39, are charged with murder in Ackerson's death and are being held without bond in the Wake County jail.

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9938631/

Raleigh couple indicted in homicide of Laura Ackerson
Grand jury returned true bill Monday

August 09, 2011 12:00 AM

Wesley Brown
Staff Writer
ENC Today.com - NC

RALEIGH — A Raleigh musician and his wife have been indicted on charges of first-degree murder less than a month after they allegedly killed a Kinston mother and businesswoman in grisly fashion.

A Wake County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment Monday morning against Grant Ruffin Hayes III, 32, and his spouse Amanda Hayes, 39, formally accusing the pair as the ones responsible for the gruesome death of Laura Ackerson, 27.

Donna Kulpa, trial court coordinator for Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby, said the panel filed the motion during a hearing at the Wake County Courthouse at 9 a.m.

Read more:

http://www.enctoday.com/news/raleigh-75552-kfpress-indicted-laura.html

Couple's apartment focus of Kinston woman's slaying

Posted: 57 minutes ago - August 9, 2011

WRAL - Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, N.C. — Search warrants released Tuesday in the murder investigation of a Kinston woman show that police focused their search on the Raleigh apartment of her former boyfriend.

The dismembered remains of Laura Jean Ackerson, 27, were found in a creek about 60 miles south of Houston, Texas, on July 25, a week after she was reported missing.

Grant Hayes, 32, the father of Ackerson's two children, and his wife, Amanda Hayes, 39, are charged with first-degree murder.

Raleigh police have released few details about their investigation, but the six warrants – three of which were for the Hayeses' apartment at 4021-322 Bella Park Trail – suggest that investigators suspect the pair killed and possibly dismembered Ackerson in the home.

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9975620/

This is the Link to the six (6) Search Warrants dated July 20, 2011 thru August 2, 2011. Please click on to read in pdf format.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/asset_gallery/9975865/
WRAL Raleigh, NC 8-9-11 Posted: 7:45 p.m. EDT

pdf: 6 Search Warrants

http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/9975971/#/vid9975971
WRAL Raleigh, NC 8-9-11 7:17pm EDT

Web only: Interview with Rodger Ackerson

Rodger Ackerson speaks about his daughter, Laura Ackeron's slaying, and his custody fight for her two children.

Loss of slain mom 'not quite real yet' for her father

Posted: 4:49 p.m. August 9, 2011
Updated: 8:17 p.m. August 9, 2011

WRAL - Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, N.C. — The father of a slain Kinston woman said Tuesday that his daughter expressed concern to him nearly three years ago about the relationship she had with the Raleigh man charged in her death.

But Rodger Ackerson said Tuesday that he never imagined that 27-year-old Laura Ackerson would disappear or that her remains would be found more than a week later halfway across the country.

"She told me several times in 2008, when she was up spending Christmas with me – she said she had to go back (to North Carolina), because if she didn't, Grant would send his thugs around to get her," Rodger Ackerson said. "At that time, she's 24 years old, and she has her own free will."

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9975106/

Father wants custody of murdered daughter's children

Monday, August 08, 2011

WTVD - Raleigh, NC

KINSTON (WTVD) -- Laura Ackerson's father wants custody of her children.

Rodger Ackerson is in Kinston visiting his grandchildren and trying to gain custody of them.

"She's a beautiful girl," Rodger said in reference to his daughter, whose memory he still holds close as he remembers her time as a child.

"How do you put that into words except she's a beautiful girl?" he asked. "[I] used to like to take her fishing, used to like to take her to the state park and pick black raspberries and go to the butterfly stump."

Snipped:

He says he was accused of molesting his daughters in the mid 80s. Hayes referred to the allegations in court documents when he tried to maintain custody of the children, saying Laura sometimes called her father a "pedophile."

Roger claims the allegations were made by a vindictive ex-wife.

Read more:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8296367

Posted: 1:06 p.m. August 19, 2011
Updated: 4:26 p.m. August 19, 2011

Raleigh police seek email records in murder probe

WRAL - Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, N.C. — New search warrants issued July 28 and made public Thursday show that Raleigh police are looking at the email records of both a Kinston woman found dead in Texas last month and her former boyfriend.

Investigators specifically want to know if Laura Jean Ackerson shared with anyone any concerns or fears about Grant Hayes and whether he has any information in his email account about Ackerson's death.

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10021122/

Coroners can't conclude cause of death from Ackerson's autopsy

September 07, 2011 12:00 AM
Wesley Brown

Discolored and waterlogged with “marine life,” the decaying remains of Laura Jean Ackerson gave Texas coroners enough to rule the Kinston mother died from a brutal homicide, but not to confirm a cause of death.

Dr. Nobby C. Mambo, a chief pathologist with the Galveston County Medical Examiner’ Office in Texas, declared the dismembered 27-year-old died from a murder of “undetermined means,” according to a copy of Ackerson’s autopsy obtained by The Free Press Tuesday.

While Mambo could not conclude exactly how Ackerson was killed, he stated X-rays performed on her thorax, lower torso and left leg — the three body parts examined in the report — came back “negative for projectiles.”

Read more: http://www.enctoday.com/news/conclude-76074-kfpress-coroners-death.html

Facebook data sought in Kinston woman's slaying

Posted: 11:38 a.m. September 20, 2011
Updated: 12:13 p.m. September 20, 2011

WRAL - Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, N.C. — Raleigh police investigating the death of a 27-year-old Kinston woman whose dismembered remains were found in Texas this summer appear to be turning to Facebook for clues in the slaying.

In search warrants returned Monday afternoon, detectives asked for permission to obtain all data from the social networking page of Grant Ruffin Hayes, as well as data from a Hotmail account belonging to him. The warrants, however, do not offer any new information in the case.

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10157413/



Laura Jean Ackerson

Detectives scour Facebook in Ackerson murder

Tuesday, September 20, 2011



RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Newly released search warrants in the alleged murder of Laura Ackerson show detectives are scouring Facebook and email accounts for clues.

Read more: http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8361682

Raleigh man accused of murder fires attorney

9/29/11

Raleigh, N.C. — A Raleigh man accused of killing and dismembering his ex-girlfriend has fired his attorney.

During a hearing Thursday in Wake County Superior Court, Jim Freeman filed a handwritten motion and letter from Grant Ruffin Hayes asking a judge to relieve Freeman as counsel.

Read more: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10203030/

Posted: 11:15 a.m. today
Updated: 12:15 p.m. today

WRAL - Raleigh, NC
Reporter: Amanda Lamb


Warrant: Suspect invited slain Kinston mom to visit children

Raleigh, N.C. — A Raleigh man accused of killing and dismembering the estranged mother of two of his sons allegedly sent an email inviting her to his home on the day that she was last seen alive, according to a new search warrant in the case.

The warrant, which was released late Friday, says that Grant Ruffin Hayes, 32, used a Yahoo! email account to invite Laura Jean Ackerson, 27, of Kinston, to visit with the children on July 13.

It had been initially reported that Ackerson was last seen on that day dropping off the children.

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10267215/

I have posted various articles up-thread that may have included a pdf of a specific Search Warrant.

WRAL has the Search Warrants from August 9, 2011 through September 20, 2011 on a dedicated page.

Here is the Link:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/asset_gallery/9975865/
WRAL Raleigh, NC Current: 10/18/11

Search Warrants for Laura Ackerson murder investigation

No death penalty in Ackerson murder case

Updated at 03:53 PM today

WTVD - Raleigh-Durhan, NC



Grant and Amanda Hayes


RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Prosecutors said Thursday they will not seek the death penalty in the murder of a Kinston mother whose dismembered body was found in a Texas creek.

Thirty-two-year-old Grant Ruffin Hayes, and his wife, 39-year-old Amanda Perry Hayes, are charged with murder in connection with Laura Ackerson's death.

Read more:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8468594



Laura Jean Ackerson

I am very disappointed the Prosecutors are not going to seek the death penalty in Laura Jean's case.

I followed this case closely as it unfolded and as the divers (law enforcement) spent days in Oyster Creek (TX) in efforts to recover the dismembered parts of Laura Jean's remains.

This is among the grizzly type murders and without a doubt, in my mind, the Prosecutors should be seeking the death penalty.

The article does not state why they are not seeking the death penalty.

Perhaps it is because they can not connect the specific details of Grant and Amanda Hayes as to who actually murdered Laura Jean. In other words, which one murdered Laura Jean.

What a horrific, henious murder which involved dismembering Laura Jean's body, putting the parts in coolers and transporting from NC to TX (over 1200 miles) in a U-haul trailer. Then dumping her body parts in Oyster Creek in Ft. Bend County, Tx.

Hopefully, other media will have reasons why the death penalty is not being sought in this horrific murder case!

Posted: 10:14 a.m. today
Updated: 11:15 a.m. today

WRAL - Raleigh - Durham, NC

Raleigh couple accused of murder consent to handwriting samples

Raleigh, N.C. — Wake County prosecutors want handwriting samples from a Raleigh couple charged in the death of Kinston woman.

Grant Ruffin Haze, 32, and his wife, Amanda Perry Haze, 39, are charged in the July death of Laura Jean Ackerson. In previous court documents, the couple's name was spelled "Hayes," but they said Friday it is legally spelled "Haze."

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10508261/

Hayeses spared death penalty in Ackerson murder
Prosecution lacks ‘aggravating factors'

December 17, 2011 12:00 AM

Wesley Brown - Staff Writer
Kinston.com
Kinston, NC

RALEIGH — A lack of “aggravating factors” in the murder of a Kinston mother whose dismembered remains were found in a Texas creek spared a Raleigh couple this week of the death penalty.

Grant Ruffin Hayes III, 32, and his 39-year-old wife Amanda Perry Hayes will not face a capital trial in the bludgeoning death of Laura Jean Ackerson, 27, Judge Donald Stephens announced this week in Wake County Superior Court.

Stephens opted against the Hayeses’ execution in favor of life in prison without parole upon learning state prosecutors did not have a case strong enough to justify the court’s harshest punishment.

Read more:

http://www.kinston.com/news/death-78599-hayeses-murder.html

The above article mentions Judge Donald Stephens.

He is the Judge who presided in the Jason Young trial which I, as well as many former Hinky members, watched via Live Stream. Good to know he will be the presiding judge in the trials of Grant & Amanda Hayes.
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Judge Donald Stephens


Judge Donald Stephens of Wake County Superior Court in the Jason Young trial.

Source:

http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/jun/21/judge-donald-stephens-im-108902/
NBC17 Raleigh, NC

Posting the following for contact/reference purposes in researching:

http://web.co.wake.nc.us/courts/index.html
Wake County Clerk of Court - State of NC
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http://www.nccourts.org/County/Wake/Calendars.asp
Wake County - District 10: Calendars and Schedules
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http://web.co.wake.nc.us/courts/forms.html
Wake County - NC -- Calendars & Forms

Trial date set in murder of Laura Ackerson

Defendants Grant and Amanda Hayes to get their day in court
May 20, 2013

May 16, 2012 12:00 AM

Wesley Brown, Staff Writer
Kinston.com
Kinston, NC


RALEIGH — A Raleigh couple held in a Wake County jail for nearly 10 months will remain behind bars for another year before they will stand trial on charges they killed and dismembered a Kinston mother to gain custody over her children.

During a homicide status hearing in Wake County Superior Court last week, state prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed to begin arguing whether Grant and Amanda Hayes conspired to murder Laura Jean Ackerson on May 20, 2013. The couple will remain in jail without bond.

Read more:

http://www.kinston.com/news/raleigh-82149-set-ackerson.html

Raleigh man charged in ex-girlfriend's death gets new attorney for third time

November 13, 2012

WRAL - Raleigh, NC





Raleigh, N.C. — A Raleigh man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and disposing of her dismembered body in a Texas creek has asked a Superior Court judge, for a second time, for a new public defender.

Snipped:

Judge Donald Stephens granted Hayes' request for a new attorney during a hearing Tuesday but told Hayes that it was the last time he could do so.

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/grant-hayes-charged-in-exgirlfriends-death-appointed-new-attorney/11768312/

Murder trial date set in Kinston mom's death

December 20, 2012

WRAL - Raleigh, NC

Snipped:

Judge Donald Stephens set the date for a trial for the week of May 20. In February, he will hear a motion from the state asking that both defendants be tried together.

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/murder-trial-date-set-in-kinston-mom-s-death/11903715/