Laura Ackerson murder case

Grant Hayes, who is serving life in prison for the grisly 2011 death of his ex-girlfriend, Laura Jean Ackerson, has been denied a request for an appeal. Hayes claimed that jurors in his 2013 trial should not have heard testimony about a psychological report that offered a possible motive for the crime.

Grant Hayes, serving life in prison for the grisly death of his ex-girlfriend nearly four years ago, had his bid for a new trial heard Wednesday before a three-member panel of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Grant Hayes, serving life in prison for the grisly death of his ex-girlfriend nearly four years ago, will have his bid for a new trial heard Wednesday before a three-member panel of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

The state of North Carolina on Monday filed its response to a Raleigh man's claims that he did not receive a fair trial for the death of his ex-girlfriend more than three years ago.

Grant Ruffin Hayes and his wife, Amanda Perry Hayes, convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Laura Jean Ackerson in 2011, were granted a divorce Monday in a Wake County courtroom.

A year after he went to trial for killing his ex-girlfriend, Grant Hayes is asking the North Carolina Court of Appeals to overturn his 2013 conviction, claiming evidence presented to jurors was irrelevant to the case and unfair.

Amanda Hayes, who says she feared her husband when she helped him cover up the grisly murder of his ex-girlfriend Laura Ackerson, is asking for a divorce.

Amanda Hayes, convicted of killing her husband's ex-girlfriend, Laura Ackerson, has been indicted by a grand jury in Texas for getting rid of Ackerson's remains there.

Six detention officers have lost their jobs with Wake County's jail this month as the result of an investigation into inappropriate relationships with inmates - including Amanda Hayes, a Raleigh woman convicted last month for her role in a grisly high-profile murder case in 2011.

Amanda Hayes was convicted of second-degree murder Wednesday and sentenced to 13 to 16.5 years in prison for the July 13, 2011, death of her husband's ex-girlfriend, Laura Ackerson.

A Wake County jury deliberated for more than six hours Tuesday without reaching a verdict in the trial of a Raleigh woman accused of killing her husband's ex-girlfriend's and dumping her remains in a Texas creek nearly three years ago.

After 13 days of testimony and 49 witnesses, Wake County prosecutors and defense attorneys gave closing arguments Monday in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes, who is accused of killing her husband's ex-girlfriend nearly three years ago.

Refuting Amanda Hayes' own testimony in her first-degree murder trial, Wake County prosecutors sought to show that she loved her husband and wasn't afraid of him, as she claims.

Days after Laura Ackerson's remains were dumped in a Texas creek, Amanda Hayes had hoped to escape from her husband who had threatened her if she didn't help cover up Ackerson's death, Hayes testified.

Testifying on her own behalf, a soft-spoken Amanda Hayes told jurors Tuesday in her first-degree murder trial that she did not kill Laura Ackerson and had no involvement in the crime nearly three years ago.

After 10 days of testimony and 45 witnesses, Wake County prosecutors rested their case Monday afternoon in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes, a Raleigh woman accused of killing her husband's ex-girlfriend, Laura Ackerson, in July 2011.

Amanda Hayes and her husband wanted Laura Ackerson to have limited involvement in her two children's lives, and their wishes, comments and actions suggested that they "would effectively erase Laura as the children's mother," a clinical psychologist testified Friday in Hayes' first-degree murder trial.

Months before her death, Laura Ackerson expressed concerns about her safety to the attorney she hired to represent her in a custody fight with Grant Hayes over their young sons.

A forensics computer analyst with the Raleigh Police Department found dozens of emails between Laura Ackerson and her ex-boyfriend and his wife, Amanda Hayes, on the slain 27-year-old's computer, giving jurors in Hayes' first-degree murder trial a closer look at a child custody fight between the three.

Jurors in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes on Thursday saw surveillance photos of her dumping four cartons - containing seven unopened one-gallon bottles of muriatic acid - at the end of a cul-de-sac near the Richmond, Texas, home of her sister.

Laura Ackerson's dismembered remains were in such bad condition that North Carolina's chief medical examiner was unable to determine just how the 27-year-old Kinston mother of two died when authorities say she was killed inside the Raleigh apartment of her ex-boyfriend more than three years ago.

Amanda Hayes - on trial for the murder of Laura Ackerson - went to a Raleigh Chick-fil-A with Ackerson's two young sons after the crime, a Raleigh police sergeant testified Tuesday.

Testifying in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes, Karen Berry said Hayes confessed to her during a three-day trip to her Texas home shortly after Laura Ackerson's death on July 13, 2011.

A forensic dentist testified Tuesday that acid etching on a tooth recovered from Laura Ackerson's remains three years ago was consistent with a type of acid commonly used in construction.

Testifying in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes, divers and crime scene investigators on Monday described for jurors their three-day search of a murky and alligator-infested Texas creek for Laura Ackerson.

A Raleigh police detective testifying Friday in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes told jurors that Hayes' older sister was nervous when he showed up at the door of her Texas home looking for answers in the disappearance of Laura Ackerson.

Weeks before the death of Laura Ackerson, the 24-year-old daughter of Amanda Hayes found her mother - eight months' pregnant - sitting on the floor in the bathroom of her Raleigh apartment, bawling and talking about leaving her husband but also feeling trapped with nowhere else to turn.

Wake County prosecutors and defense attorneys used Laura Ackerson's own words Tuesday to bolster their cases in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes.

Amanda Hayes' defense attorney said during opening statements Monday that she didn't know initially that Laura Ackerson was dead and found out days later when her husband coerced her to help dispose of his ex-girlfriend's dismembered remains.

The murder trial of a woman accused of the death and dismemberment of her husband's former lover is expected to begin with opening statements Monday afternoon in Wake County.

Wake County prosecutors and defense attorneys had seated 12 jurors by Thursday afternoon in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes and still must choose three alternate jurors.

Jury selection began Tuesday in the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes, a Raleigh woman accused of killing her husband's ex-girlfriend and then disposing of her dismembered remains in a Texas creek more than two years ago.

A Raleigh man convicted of murdering his former girlfriend says her death almost three years ago was an accident and that neither he nor his wife is guilty of the crime.

Grant Hayes, convicted of murder and serving a life sentence, may take the stand to prevent his wife from the same fate.

WRAL News has obtained an exclusive photo of a knife that was found during a December 2013 police search of a vehicle owned by Grant and Amanda Hayes.

Defense attorneys preparing for the first-degree murder trial of Amanda Hayes want access to a knife that they say police found Friday in their client's SUV.

Defense attorneys for Amanda Hayes, set to go to trial next month for the murder of her husband's ex-girlfriend, say they have recently discovered a biohazard suit and a pair of gloves that they contend is critical to her defense.

A defense attorney for Amanda Perry Hayes, a Raleigh woman accused of killing her husband's ex-girlfriend, has asked a Superior Court judge for permission to retain for testing what they say is a newly discovered piece of evidence, which is critical to her defense.

Amanda Perry Hayes formally arraigned in a Wake County courtroom Tuesday for the July 13, 2011, death of her husband's ex-girlfriend, Laura Jean Ackerson.

A grand jury returned an indictment Monday for accessory after the fact of murder against Amanda Hayes. Her husband, Grant Hayes, was found guilty last month of the murder of his former girlfriend and the mother of his two children, Laura Jean Ackerson of Kinston.

After deliberating less than two hours Monday, a Wake County jury found Grant Hayes guilty of first-degree murder in the July 2011 death of his ex-girlfriend, Laura Ackerson.

Defense attorneys for Grant Hayes conceded Friday to "very nasty" and disturbing details of the case but urged jurors not to let emotions decide the outcome of their client's first-degree murder trial.

Grant Hayes sat rocking to the beat of his own music Thursday afternoon as jurors in his first-degree murder trial for the death of his ex-girlfriend heard a song to his "babies' momma," in which he talked of killing her.

An ex-inmate who says Grant Hayes confessed to killing Laura Ackerson faced vigorous questioning Thursday from a defense attorney who suggested his motive for testifying was to get a reduced sentence on a federal drug conviction.

An inmate at the Wake County jail shortly after Grant Hayes' arrest for Laura Ackerson's murder testified Wednesday that Hayes told him he lured her to his home under false pretenses and that he and his wife subdued and strangled her.

A psychologist who performed a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation on both Laura Ackerson and Grant Hayes as part of an ongoing child custody dispute testified Wednesday that she thought he be further evaluated for a possible mood disorder.

Months before her death, Laura Ackerson expressed concerns about her safety to the attorney she hired to represent her in a battle over custody for the two children she shared with Grant Hayes.

A DNA analyst testified Tuesday in the first-degree murder trial of Grant Hayes that Laura Ackerson's DNA was found on a blue latex glove found in the trash at his Raleigh apartment complex.

Grant Hayes, on trial for the July 2011 murder of Laura Ackerson, wrote in a Facebook message four months before her death that a "nasty" custody battle between the two over their young sons was draining him of his savings.

Jurors in the murder trial of Grant Hayes saw more graphic photos Friday of Laura Ackerson's remains as Wake County prosecutors continued laying out their case against him.

A Texas homicide detective said Amanda Hayes was caught on a security camera dumping seven one-gallon bottles of muriatic acid at the end of a cul-de-sac 1.6 miles from the home of her sister and the site where Laura Ackerson's remains were found.

Police investigating Laura Ackerson's death found discarded containers of muriatic acid at the end of a street near the Texas creek where her dismembered remains were recovered more than two years ago, a detective testified Wednesday in Grant Hayes' first-degree murder trial.

The brother of Laura Ackerson testified Tuesday in Grant Hayes' first-degree murder trial that she didn't feel safe toward the end of their relationship and that she was "trying to find a way out."

The best friend of Laura Ackerson testified Friday that Grant Hayes threatened to kill her and that, on one occasion, found her friend crying with a bloody nose that appeared to be broken.

Grant Hayes was involved in a bitter child custody dispute with Laura Ackerson that drove him and his wife to kill her to rid her from their lives, prosecutors say, but defense attorneys say Hayes was just trying to protect his wife.

Opening statements could start as early as Thursday afternoon in the trial of Grant Hayes, a Raleigh man accused of killing Laura Jean Ackerson two years ago, chopping up her body and disposing her remains in a Texas creek.

Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a Raleigh man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and the mother of two of his children, cutting her up and disposing of her remains near the Texas home of his wife's sister.

Grant Hayes, 34, of Raleigh, pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon in the July 2011 death of his former girlfriend, Laura Jean Ackerson. Hayes is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 26.

The father of Laura Jean Ackerson is suing Grant Hayes and his wife, Amanda Hayes, who await trial in Ackerson's July 2011 death.

Amanda Perry Hayes, 41, along with her husband, Grant Ruffin Hayes, 33, are charged with first-degree murder in the July 2011 death of Laura Jean Ackerson.

Wake County prosecutors said Wednesday that they will try Grant Hayes first, followed by his wife, Amanda Hayes, in the death of his ex-girlfriend and the mother of two of his children.

A Superior Court judge in Wake County rdered separate trials Monday for both Grant Hayes and his wife, Amanda Hayes, who are charged with first-degree murder in the July 2011 death of Grant Hayes' ex-girlfriend, Laura Jean Ackerson.

A Wake County Superior Court judge expressed concern Thursday about trying Grant and Amanda Hayes together in their upcoming first-degree murder trial after more than two dozen pre-trial motions were filed this week.

A judge on Friday granted the state's request to try Grant Ruffin Hayes and his wife, Amanda Perry Hayes, together in the murder of Laura Jean Ackerson, Grant Hayes' ex-girlfriend and mother of his children. The trial is set for May 20.

Wake County prosecutors getting ready to try a Raleigh man and his wife in the 2011 murder of a Kinston woman say the crime was a case of domestic violence.

A Wake County Superior Court judge on Thursday set a tentative trial date for a Raleigh man and his wife who are accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, dismembering her body and disposing of it in a Texas creek.

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.

The death of a Kinston mother whose dismembered body was found in a Texas creek last summer was the result of homicide, but medical examiners aren't sure of an exact cause of death, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday.

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

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.

Citing "good cause," a Raleigh man accused of killing and dismembering his ex-girlfriend asked a judge Thursday to appoint him a new public defender.

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.

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.

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.

Laura Ackerson's father 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.

Grant Hayes, 32, and Amanda Hayes, 39, both of Raleigh, were indicted Monday on murder charges in the death of Laura Jean Ackerson, 27.

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.

Family and friends held a memorial service Saturday afternoon for a Kinston woman whose dismembered body was found in Texas last week.

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

A former boyfriend of Laura Ackerson said Wednesday that the two reconnected over email days before her death and that she had mentioned an ongoing custody battle with the father of her two young sons.

Remains found in a south Texas creek were identified Tuesday as those of a Kinston woman who's been missing more than a week.

Raleigh police investigators were in the Texas town of Richmond Monday investigating dismembered remains believed to be those of a woman who disappeared more than a week ago.

The remains of a woman found Sunday near Oyster Creek, about 60 miles south of Houston, are believed to be those of a missing Kinston mother, according to authorities in Fort Bend County, Texas.

Police on Friday released two photos from a security camera showing a Kinston woman on the day she disappeared last week.

Worried family members of Laura Jean Ackerson said Thursday that they are growing more concerned after her car was found at a Raleigh apartment complex this week.

Raleigh police have taken the lead in the search for a missing mother of two from Kinston after her car was found Wednesday morning in Raleigh.

A mother of two from Kinston was last seen on July 13 in Raleigh and authorities are seeking information from the public to find her.

Laura Ackerson

Laura Jean Ackerson