Suvechha Sarkar
Laura Jean Ackerson was a 27-year-old Graphic Designer and a dutiful mother. However, her beautiful life came to a sudden halt when she was killed by her ex-boyfriend and the father of her two children, Grant Ruffin Hayes, and his then-wife, Amanda Perry Hayes. The circumstances surrounding the case came into focus in the episode titled ‘Revenge’ of Investigation Discovery’s Deadly Women: Fatal Instincts. It sheds light on the investigation, which unraveled a series of lies and betrayals. The episode also includes interviews with individuals who worked closely on the case.
Grant Hayes and Laura Ackerson Had a Custody Battle After His Marriage With Amanda Hayes
Amanda Perry was born sometime around 1973 and gradually began pursuing her dream of becoming an actress. Although she worked in minor roles in ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Stepford Wives,’ she eventually left behind her aspirations. In her personal life, one of her relationships helped her welcome her daughter, Sha, into her world. During a vacation to the Caribbean Island of St. John, she crossed paths with Grant Ruffin Hayes. Grant was born on April 30, 1979, and was an aspiring musician. He started out performing in local clubs in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he first met Laura Jean Ackerson. It wasn’t long before they began dating, and soon, they welcomed their two sons, Grant and Gentle, into their lives.
By that time, Grant had legally changed his surname to Haze and moved to the US Virgin Islands to further expand his music career. Although Laura initially followed Grant, she later moved to North Carolina to raise their two sons. Reports state that Grant and Amanda hit it off from the moment they met, and the relationship soon grew serious. Together, they moved to New York, and in 2010, Amanda and Grant tied the knot in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to an official on the show, Grant and Amanda’s marriage left Laura blindsided. Around 2011, Grant filed for full custody of his sons, which soon turned into a bitter custody battle. Meanwhile, he and Amanda moved to Raleigh, where they gave birth to their daughter, Lillian Ann Hayes.
Witness Accounts and CCTV Footage Led Officials to Amanda and Grant
Grant and Laura had to keep in touch since they reportedly shared the custody of their children. On July 13, 2011, Laura visited Amanda and Grant’s apartment to visit her sons, but she suddenly went missing. Upon searching her car, authorities reportedly found it at an apartment complex less than a quarter mile from Amanda and Grant’s residence. As the investigation began, officials reportedly questioned Amanda’s daughter, Sha. According to police records, she informed them that her mother and Grant had rented a U-Haul trailer before they drove to Texas to visit Amanda’s sister, Karen Berry.
When officials questioned Karen, she told them that during Amanda and Grant’s recent visit to her home, she had asked about alligators in Oyster Creek, just across the street, as per reports. Investigative records suggest that Karen told detectives that Amanda had asked to use Katen’s boat to go fishing in the creek. She claimed that while speaking about Laura, Amanda said, “I hurt her. I hurt her bad.” When experts searched in the creek, they discovered partial remains of Laura on July 24, 2011. As law enforcement officials continued the investigation, they found CCTV footage in Texas that reportedly captured Grant purchasing chemical-resistant gloves and muriatic acid.
Reports indicate that another surveillance video from North Carolina captured him buying several cleaning supplies and a reciprocating saw in the early morning of July 14, a few hours after Laura was reported missing. Moreover, upon searching Amanda and Grant’s home, forensic experts found strong use of bleach. Investigators also uncovered a text from one of Laura’s friends, whom she was supposed to meet after seeing her children. Court records state that the authorities believed Amanda and Grant had allegedly tried to dissolve Laura’s remains in muriatic acid, but when they failed, they disposed of them in the creek. Ultimately, both Amanda and Grant were arrested on July 25, 2011, and charged with the murder of Laura. They also faced additional charges for tampering with evidence.
Amanda and Grant Are Currently Incarcerated at Separate State Prison Facilities in Texas and North Carolina
Before Amanda and Grant faced separate jury trials, Laura’s father had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both of them. However, there are no current reports on the suit’s further proceedings. Grant first went on trial on August 26, 2013, during which the prosecution claimed that he and Amanda killed Laura amid a custody dispute. They presented several pieces of evidence, including an email he sent to Laura on July 12, 2011, suggesting a mid-week visit to the children at his apartment. Court records specify another text Laura sent to Grant on July 13, informing him that she was in the area. However, the defense claimed that Amanda accidentally killed Laura during an argument, and Grant helped his wife cover up the crime. The jury found him guilty of first-degree murder on September 16, 2013.
Right after, Grant received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Amanda’s first jury trial began in North Carolina on January 21, 2014, during which the prosecution argued that Amanda was actively involved in both the murder and disposing of the remains. On the other hand, the defense claimed that she didn’t kill Laura and didn’t learn about it until she reached Texas. They alleged that Grant had threatened to harm Amanda and her daughter, and so, she helped him out of coercion. Ultimately, the jury convicted Amanda of second-degree murder on February 19, 2014, and sentenced her to 13 to 16.5 years in prison. On April 7, 2014, Amanda faced a second indictment for tampering with evidence (a human corpse) in Texas. She was re-indicted on the same charge on June 25, 2018, and that jury trial began in August 2018.
On August 21, 2018, Amanda was convicted of the tampering charge and received a 20-year term, to be served consecutively to the North Carolina sentence. Grant had appealed his conviction, arguing that irrelevant and prejudicial evidence influenced the jury, but the Appellate Court denied his appeal on March 3, 2015. Amanda had also appealed her Texas judgment, claiming that the indictment should have been dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired before she was properly charged. However, the court upheld her conviction on April 7, 2020. As of writing, Grant is serving his sentence at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Maury, North Carolina. Amanda is currently incarcerated at the Dr. Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, Texas, with her projected release date being on September 7, 2028.
Read More: Loretta Doyle Burroughs: Where is the Killer Now?
