Court tosses charges for men convicted of hiding Tara Grinstead’s death
The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled the statute of limitations expired for charging men in Grinstead's body burning case from two decades ago. More
February 28, 2025
Tara Grinstead
Tara Grinstead, a 30-year-old high school teacher and former beauty queen, vanished in October 2005 from her small hometown of Ocilla. Her face loomed large on a billboard seeking tips in her disappearance until arrests were made in February 2017. Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes were convicted in connection with her disappearance and murder.
Missing Beauty Queen Murder | Accomplice to Murder Podcast
Former beauty queen Tara Grinstead vanished. Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes say they helped dispose of her body but blamed each other for the murder. More
January 26, 2024
Man imprisoned in Tara Grinstead death pleads guilty to unrelated rapes
Bo Dukes pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rape. His sentence will not add to the time he's already serving. More
December 19, 2023
Ryan Duke, Bo Dukes fight new charges in Tara Grinstead case
Lawyers for both Bo Dukes and Ryan Duke are fighting to dismiss new charges in Ben Hill County related to the 2005 death of Tara Grinstead. More
July 14, 2023
Court TV’s Year in Review: Defendants who took the stand in 2022
Judge Ashley Willcott says, 'No one can predict what a defendant fighting for their life is going to do or say in front of the jury.' More
December 30, 2022
The verdict is in: Court TV’s year in review
From the high-stakes case of Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard, to the intense trial of killer Darrell Brooks, here's the Court TV verdicts of 2022. More
December 7, 2022
Jury of Ryan Duke – Ways to reach a verdict – Opinion
By: Judge Ashley WillcottOCILLA, GEORGIA (Court TV) – The murder trial of Ryan Duke takes place in a small Georgia town and reads like a Pat Conroy novel detailing family secrets, tragic loss, and genuine southern characters brought to life. The trial includes alleged confessions, marital affairs, student romances, and two former best friends from different sides of the proverbial railroad track, both implicated in the murder and cover up of former beauty queen Tara Grinstead. More
June 9, 2022
Ryan Duke’s defense responds to new charges in Tara Grinstead case
Exactly two weeks after he was acquitted of Tara Grinstead's murder, Ryan Duke's lawyer filed a document contesting new charges in south Georgia where Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes are believed to have burned Grinstead's body in a pecan orchard. More
June 8, 2022
More charges for man acquitted of murdering Georgia teacher
A grand jury indicted Ryan Duke on six counts including concealing a death, hindering apprehension of a criminal, concealing facts and evidence tampering in the death of Tara Grinstead. More
June 3, 2022
Jury finds man not guilty of murder in teacher’s death
A jury on Friday found a man accused of killing a popular high school teacher who vanished from her rural Georgia hometown in 2005 not guilty of murder. More
May 20, 2022
Jury hears closing arguments in trial over slain teacher
Ryan Duke faces an automatic sentence of life in prison if he's convicted of murder in the death of Tara Grinstead. More
May 20, 2022
Defendant testifies he falsely confessed to killing teacher
Ryan Duke, on trial for the murder of Georgia teacher Tara Grinstead -- who vanished in 2005 -- says he gave a false confession. More
May 17, 2022
Confession, DNA at heart of trial in Georgia teacher’s death
OCILLA, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man charged with murdering a popular high school teacher who vanished in 2005 went on trial Monday with prosecutors and defense attorneys clashing over whether the jury should believe the defendant’s confession to investigators. Ryan Duke’s trial opened more than 16 years after Tara Grinstead was last […] More
May 9, 2022
Georgia v. Ryan Duke: Beauty Queen Murder Trial
IRWIN COUNTY, Ga (Court TV) — A judge in south Georgia handed down the maximum sentence of 10 years to Ryan Duke for his role in the disappearance of Tara Grinstead. The investigation of the 30-year-old’s disappearance spanned more than a decade, consuming the small town of Ocilla in rumors and speculation, before police […] More
May 9, 2022
True-crime stars front and center at CrimeCon 2022 in Las Vegas
Days before jury selection begins in Georgia v. Ryan Duke, podcaster Payne Lindsey, along with Dr. Maurice Godwin and Phillip Holloway, will take the stage at CrimeCon 2022 in Las Vegas, led by Court TV anchor Julie Grant, to discuss The Beauty Queen Murder Trial. More
April 29, 2022
Ryan Duke sentenced for concealing the death of Tara Grinstead
IRWIN COUNTY, Ga. (Court TV) — A judge in south Georgia sentenced Ryan Alexander Duke to the maximum sentence on Monday for concealing the death of beloved high school teacher Tara Grinstead. More
April 18, 2022
‘Up and Vanished’ podcast creator: ‘Nice people kill people too’
By Katie McLaughlin Tara Grinsted’s alleged killer is finally headed to trial 16 years after her murder. Justice for the former beauty pageant contestant and popular high school history teacher may never have come had it not been for Payne Lindsey. Lindsey is the creator and host of “Up and Vanished,” a podcast credited with […] More
March 9, 2022
Tara Grinstead’s alleged killer heads to trial 16 years after her murder
IRWIN COUNTY, Ga. (Court TV) — The man who confessed to killing Tara Grinstead in 2005 is now pleading not guilty as he prepares for trial five years after his indictment. Ryan Alexander Duke, 36, is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and concealing a death in connection with Grinstead’s death. […] More
March 8, 2022
Who’s who among some possible top Supreme Court contenders
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement gives President Joe Biden a chance to make his first nomination to the high court. It's also a chance for Biden to fulfill a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to be a justice. More
January 27, 2022
Court: Defendant in teacher slaying has route to state funds
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s highest court opened a door Monday for taxpayer funds to help cover the legal defense of a man awaiting trial for the 2005 slaying of a high school teacher whose disappearance remained a mystery for more than a decade. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that private attorneys for Ryan […] More
March 15, 2021