[Court is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.]
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in the case against Ryan Alexander Duke, the man charged with murdering teacher Tara Grinstead. Prosecutors in Irwin County, Georgia say the victim was killed by Duke. Bo Dukes (no relation) allegedly helped cover up the crime. Both men are her former high school students.
The case went unsolved for over a decade. Grinstead, a former beauty pageant contestant, went missing from her home on October 22, 2005. Duke was arrested in February 2017. He was indicted on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and concealing the death of another. Dukes landed in custody the following month. He was indicted on charges of concealing a death of another, tampering with evidence, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and making a false statement. He was not accused of killing the victim.
Court on Monday and Tuesday is expected to focus on several motions by Ryan Duke’s defense. For instance, his attorneys are trying to get the upcoming trial moved out of Irwin County. The lawyers also want to make sure that 1) the defendant’s family and friends are allowed to attend the trial; 2) the prosecution doesn’t read the indictment to the jury; 3) they can read the jury list at least 10 days before the trial, and 4) they get enough funds to pay a private investigator to help them out in the case.
[Image via screengrab]