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Grant and Amanda Hayes were convicted in Laura Ackerson's 2011 case. In August 2014, the duo filed for divorce months after their convictions. The decision was initiated by Amanda, who, during her high-profile trial, maintained that she was forced into participating in Ackerson's gruesome murder.
Laura was Grant's ex and the mother of his two boys. At the time of the murder, the two were embroiled in a lengthy dispute over their children's custody. The Hayes duo reportedly lured the victim into their Raleigh apartment, where they murdered her and then dismembered her body, which was later disposed of in a creek in Texas.
The couple blamed each other during their respective trials, but Amanda was convicted of a lesser charge and subsequently received a lesser prison sentence. She asserted that her husband forced her into assisting him.
How were Grant and Amanda Hayes involved in Laura Ackerson's murder?
Sources stated that Grant and Amanda Hayes, who married in April 2010, lured Laura Ackerson into their Raleigh apartment, asking her to pick up the boys from there. They then attacked and killed her on July 13, 2011.
Surveillance footage revealed that over the next few days, Grant went over to different stores to buy items such as bleach, a power saw, and disposable bags, among other things. Authorities alleged these were used in the cleanup process. Authorities further alleged that the couple even tried to dissolve her body parts in acid but failed and thus had to discard them in the creek.
On July 24, 2011, 11 days after Laura Ackerson's disappearance, her body parts were discovered in the creek. This led to the arrest of Grant and Amanda Hayes. Both were initially charged with first-degree murder.
However, during their trials, the pair accused each other of a crime they had equally taken part in. Grant Hayes claimed that his wife murdered Ackerson unintentionally. At the same time, Amanda Hayes stated that her husband was to be blamed and that she helped him because of his continuous threats.
Grant and Amanda Hayes were convicted for their role in Laura Ackerson's 2011 murder
When she requested a divorce, Amanda Hayes was already serving her 13 to 16-year sentence after being found guilty of second-degree murder in February 2014. In April 2014, she was also charged with tampering with a human body in Fort Bend County, Texas. On the other hand, Grant was previously convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
By portraying Grant as a "classic sociopath" who murdered and mutilated Ackerson without Amanda's knowledge, her defense maintained that he tricked Amanda into traveling to Texas before compelling her to assist in disposing of the corpse once they arrived.
Judge Donald Stephens commented on Amanda's involvement in Laura Ackerson's gruesome murder by saying,
"It is quite possible that Amanda Hayes could have saved the life of Laura Ackerson and chose not to.
Amanda also addressed the court after the ruling and reportedly said,
"I would just like to apologize with my whole heart, being and soul, first to Laura. I apologize to her, to her family, to her children, to my family, to Grant's family, to everyone who had to work this case, to everyone who had to sit through this trial, to everyone who is in the media who has had to watch and at least touched their lives."
She added,
"I am so, so sorry that this touched my life in any shape, form or fashion or anyone I love to care about or anyone and I am truly, truly sorry with every ounce of my soul."
Grant and Amanda Hayes were officially divorced in October 2014.
