Judge deciding if new charges will be thrown out against man acquitted in beauty queen’s death

Richard Elliot
·2 min read
1

A judge is deciding if a man acquitted in the murder of a South Georgia teacher can be charged in a neighboring county.

Ryan Dukes was found not guilty in the murder of Tara Grinstead, a South Georgia high school teacher and beauty queen in Irwin County.

Dukes’ attorney now wants new charges in Ben Hill County thrown out.

Authorities in Ben Hill County charged Dukes with hindering apprehension, tampering and lying just days after he was found not guilty of Grinstead’s murder in Irwin County.

But Dukes’ attorneys say the statute of limitations on those charges ran out a long time ago.

Dukes watched the latest legal proceeding via Zoom from prison where he’s spending the next five years. Although he was acquitted of Grinstead’s murder, he was convicted of concealing her death.

Dukes’ attornies presented witnesses, some also via Zoom, showing law enforcement considered Dukes and his high school friend, Bo Duke, suspects.

A jury also convicted Duke of hiding her body. He was in court Thursday, too.

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“Do you recall that either of the defendants who are here today, Mr. Ryan Duke or Mr. Bo Duke, if you recall those names being mentioned at that time?” attorneys asked former Irwin County Deputy Alan Morgan.

“Yes, sir,” Morgan said.

Grinstead vanished from her Ocilla home in 2005. Her remains were found years later.

Her mother was also in the courtroom listening to Thursday’s hearing.

The state questioned the defense witnesses hard, insisting that Dukes name may have been out there but so were names associated with hundreds of other leads, so the statute of limitations clock didn’t start until the actual arrest of both men in 2017.

“In fact, until 2017, after Mr. Dukes’ arrest, you never spoke to anyone outside the GBI about these allegations, correct?” defense attorneys asked Morgan.

“That’s right,” Morgan said.

The hearing ended around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The judge will make his ruling soon about whether Dukes will now face new charges related to Grinstead’s murder.

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