GUILTY NC - Laura Ackerson, 27, Kinston, 13 July 2011 #1

[CrimeAddict]

Another thing...

Women who are drawn to controlling, abusive, manipulative men, many times have a father who was much the same way. Just a thought?

Well everything I have been reading says he may file for custody, let's see if he actually does it, especially if he does not even know the boys. All the stuff in the past if he has any would come out during the custody hearings. personally at their age I think the transition would be hard but maybe moving away will help them grow up somewhat normal- far away from this mess their father created. This may have more publicity and later in their lives people may try to talk to them about their parents because they are familiar with the story. This is for a judge to decide, but why would a child with the same name as their father who may be convicted of killing the father want to share his name AND live in the same city! Yipes. Move those kids away!

 

[Rallihanna]

Well, if those lyrics don't go a long way towards proving premeditation, I don't know what would...

P.s. Anyone who claims this accused murderer is intelligent has a different definition of intelligence than I. Not only do we have the bread crumb trail to the body parts, now we have the pre-crime confession in song form. Stupidity, drugs, or narcissistic rage (or all over the above)? Tragic...

Wow- based on that alone he's going away for a long time. JMO

 

[ashmoulder]

some of the songs lyrics are played here.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8276829

Ugghh that sure gave me the creeps! and it's not even like they are just generic lyrics- there are specific lines such as: "I've got my goons from way back, they still owe me money, told them you stayed at my Mom's crib. Now aint that funny?" that directly relate to Laura based on the info we have learnt from MSM! and was he potentially willing to put his Mom's safety at risk as well by proposing to tell these 'goons' this information??

Sounds like he had been pondering this for a long time if that song was written a year ago..
What a CREEP!

 

[say2when]

LA's dad is seeking custody of the children, according to recent news. I have a totally different opinion then most about her family gaining custody of the children. for several reason.
# 1. Laura said very little about her family and was out of contact with them for many years. I don't buy that GH was the sole reason that she stayed away. I read somewhere that she had not been in contact for 5-10 years. She DID NOT reconnect after the relationship with Grant ended. WHy? LA lived with her brother and sister in law when she was a teen, according to her sister in law in a recent interview. Why? She did not make a relationship between her parents and the grandchildren. Who would keep their own parents out of their kids lives without good reason? IMO we have evidence that LA was keeping her children from her parents even after she was away from Grant.

#2 I do not agree that GH's mother is a bad person just because of the interviews. Laura was missing. Whether or not she knew LA had been killed, she was scared out of her mind for her son and grandkids. She knew if something happened to LA it would fall back on GH and then she would lose her son and possibly her granbabies. No matter what,your automatic response as a parent is to protect your own. This does not make her a terrible person. LA and the kids lived with her for a year or so. I think they should be with who they know. They have been through enough trauma already. IMO.

Thought the same thing. there has to be a reason why she kept her distance from her family... I wonder if she disclosed her reasoning to her friends.. Any one that can answer that!! I'm not a fan of GH's mother though for some reason she just gives me the creeps...

 

[Knox]

Last night I caught the tail end of a Law & Order show on TV. The female character who was being interviewed by a Psychologist looked just like Amanda Hayes!!

I had been reading this thread earlier and looked at all the photo's on GH's facebook page, so her image was fresh in my mind. Anyone else see the L&O show last night?

 

[kjev]

Yeah, his mother gives me the creeps. She also said something like "As far as I know she loves the kids"

What the heck is that supposed to mean?

And yes, it does seem like LA was estranged from her family for a long time.

 

[ratter]

LA's dad is seeking custody of the children, according to recent news. I have a totally different opinion then most about her family gaining custody of the children. for several reason.
# 1. Laura said very little about her family and was out of contact with them for many years. I don't buy that GH was the sole reason that she stayed away. I read somewhere that she had not been in contact for 5-10 years. She DID NOT reconnect after the relationship with Grant ended. WHy? LA lived with her brother and sister in law when she was a teen, according to her sister in law in a recent interview. Why? She did not make a relationship between her parents and the grandchildren. Who would keep their own parents out of their kids lives without good reason? IMO we have evidence that LA was keeping her children from her parents even after she was away from Grant.

#2 I do not agree that GH's mother is a bad person just because of the interviews. Laura was missing. Whether or not she knew LA had been killed, she was scared out of her mind for her son and grandkids. She knew if something happened to LA it would fall back on GH and then she would lose her son and possibly her granbabies. No matter what,your automatic response as a parent is to protect your own. This does not make her a terrible person. LA and the kids lived with her for a year or so. I think they should be with who they know. They have been through enough trauma already. IMO.

According to the article below, it sounds like she did distance herself:

"Laura Ackerson refused to surrender custody, but reconciled with Grant Hayes. In the Virgin Islands, she became pregnant with their second child. Sheri Ackerson said the young mother didn't tell anyone where she was going at the time.

“She cut off ties with all of her friends and family and we were all concerned for her back then. We all thought something had happened then,” she said."

http://www.gastongazette.com/articles/hayes-59399-islands-virgin.html

Also, I had wondered whether her interracial relationships had played some factor in the the rift between her and her family. That can often be a source of friction within a family, depending upon their conservative orientation.

I wonder if anyone here who knew her can refute or confirm that hypothesis.

 

[april_showers]

LA's dad is seeking custody of the children, according to recent news. I have a totally different opinion then most about her family gaining custody of the children. for several reason.
# 1. Laura said very little about her family and was out of contact with them for many years. I don't buy that GH was the sole reason that she stayed away. I read somewhere that she had not been in contact for 5-10 years. She DID NOT reconnect after the relationship with Grant ended. WHy? LA lived with her brother and sister in law when she was a teen, according to her sister in law in a recent interview. Why? She did not make a relationship between her parents and the grandchildren. Who would keep their own parents out of their kids lives without good reason? IMO we have evidence that LA was keeping her children from her parents even after she was away from Grant.

#2 I do not agree that GH's mother is a bad person just because of the interviews. Laura was missing. Whether or not she knew LA had been killed, she was scared out of her mind for her son and grandkids. She knew if something happened to LA it would fall back on GH and then she would lose her son and possibly her granbabies. No matter what,your automatic response as a parent is to protect your own. This does not make her a terrible person. LA and the kids lived with her for a year or so. I think they should be with who they know. They have been through enough trauma already. IMO.

I 100% understand what you're saying, and agree wholeheartedly that it could be very dangerous to create assumptions where Laura's "side" is automatically good and Grant's is automatically bad.

I hadn't read that she wasn't in contact for 5-10 years, though that might change my opinion a bit. I'd read elsewhere that the estrangement from her family occured when she essentially followed Grant to the VI essentially without telling anyone.

I don't know which is true, and definitely have a very open mind about your thoughts. However, as food for thought, I just wanted to throw out there that controlling, abusive relationships can wreak havoc on even the closest families, and repairing this damage can often take years. The abuser's main concern is to remove the victim from everyone close to them, and the tactics used can often be unfathomable. Respectfully, I don't think its necessarily valid to say that if she'd had a close relationship with her family prior, things would have returned to normal by now. I've just seen the results of abuse / estrangement on families too many times, and repairing that damage is often a long, difficult road.

Not trying to undermine what you said, but just throwing that out there.
Hopefully those involved in this custody matter will take a long, hard look at everyone involved, and make a decision in the best interest of those children, whatever that may be.

 

[ratter]

Here's an excerpt from an interview I hadn't seen before:

"Laura Ackerson, who then lived in Kinston, confided in her brother in the fall of 2008 that Hayes, a musician, had an affair while traveling and performing in the Virgin Islands.

“Don’t say anything,” she said to Jason Ackerson during a telephone conversation. “It will only make it worse.”

Jason Ackerson swore not to confront Hayes, but he lost trust in him and did not believe Hayes’ vows to his sister that he would “never do it again.”

“I had to leave it alone out of respect for my sister’s wishes,” Jason Ackerson said.

Today, he regrets remaining true to his sister’s request; in his opinion, his silence let Hayes “in a way locked her in a cage.”

The relationship between Laura Ackerson and Hayes, which began in January 2007, revitalized some after she joined her boyfriend in the Virgin Islands in December 2008. A second son was born in August 2009. By this time, though, Hayes had already met Amanda Smith, an artist and gallery owner in St. John, known in the Caribbean as the “City of Love.”

From her brother’s viewpoint, the relationship looked unhealthy, even dangerous. He feared Hayes had gained complete control of his sister’s life, deciding who she could hang out with and when and how she could communicate with her family. Ackerson said his sister lived with the threat of being killed if she ever tried to take the children.

“I tried to get her away from him,” Ackerson said.

When the attempt failed, he began to hear from and see his sister less.

Hayes’ second sexual encounter with Amanda Smith ended the relationship between Hayes and Laura Ackerson, her brother said. She moved back to Kinston in October 2009. In April 2010 Hayes and Smith married."

http://www.enctoday.com/news/ackerson-75354-kfpress-product-controlling.html

 

[ratter]

Here a couple of LA's Photobucket accounts:

Here are some miscellaneous photos she posted. According to the data stored in the images, they are from 2006, which is presumably "pre-Grant".
http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n138/lackerson/

Here is her portfolio of graphic design work, several of the items are promoting GH's gigs:
http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc437/GoFishDesigns/

 

[wuffin]

Know what scares the jeepers out of me???? If Grant does not plead, his lawyers will be FORCED to request a change of venue.

I would HOPE and pray that most of the Wake jury pool has at least a passing fancy towards this case and knows a bit about it. Therefore, DT will not get an impartial jury.

Flip side....if someone from Wake Cty has NOT at least heard of this case (as I'm sure they will be asked at selection)....do we really want somebody on ANY jury that is that far under their rocks?

 

[wuffin]

Here a couple of LA's Photobucket accounts:

Here are some miscellaneous photos she posted. According to the data stored in the images, they are from 2006, which is presumably "pre-Grant".
http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n138/lackerson/

Here is her portfolio of graphic design work, several of the items are promoting GH's gigs:
http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc437/GoFishDesigns/

Thanks for posting those pictures. They literally brought tears to my eyes - seeing her life on a more personal level, without GH,....sad

 

[JeannieC]

I have to agree with you totally on this. Even when she moved to Raleigh, she did a wonderful job of staying below the radar. What she told to people was that she was a hollywood star who made it big in her role in the "stepford wives" movie. I never looked it up to see at the time because she had a really nice flat (from what my friends say) in NY. I stopped hanging out wtih Grant and distanced myself from Laura after an anniversary event prior to him packing up his family to follow a raliegh chic to the st. john.

What was the name she used when she acted? I didn't see her listed in the cast. She couldn't have made it too big....no one knows her!

 

[CrimeAddict]

Know what scares the jeepers out of me???? If Grant does not plead, his lawyers will be FORCED to request a change of venue.

I would HOPE and pray that most of the Wake jury pool has at least a passing fancy towards this case and knows a bit about it. Therefore, DT will not get an impartial jury.

Flip side....if someone from Wake Cty has NOT at least heard of this case (as I'm sure they will be asked at selection)....do we really want somebody on ANY jury that is that far under their rocks?

Most cases take 2-3 years, things can fade by then, there will not be as much coverage. I personally only get my news on the internet and here on WS. Also, in my 20's I never watched or read the news, I was too busy with my friends.. now with a family and small child I am in the house ALL the time reading news.. so, the jury could be a mixed crowd.. they could probably get a fair trial here in 2-3 years.

Those pics on her photo bucket account are so sad, I can tell she was a well loved person. I could see me chatting with her at a club or something.. well, back when I was her age lol. It really infuriates me that she had his children and he treated her worse than a piece of garbage.. probably since she had the 2nd child.. and up until her death.. would be a compliment to him...

 

[CrimeAddict]

What was the name she used when she acted? I didn't see her listed in the cast. She couldn't have made it too big....no one knows her!

I just checked IMDB and there is NO Amanda on the entire cast. I think she must have made it up? Unless she had a hollywood name? Doubt it..

 

[jrb0124]

I just checked IMDB and there is NO Amanda on the entire cast. I think she must have made it up? Unless she had a hollywood name? Doubt it..

She is not in the movie. Earlier I check the entire cast - even clicked non-Amanda names to see DOB etc...she was not an actress or even an extra in that movie, did not work on the set.

There was an Amanda credired as make-up artist, but she has continued to be in the industry IIRC.

The only movies I found where she could have possibly had a role (IMDB based lookups) was a movie called "an Uzi at the Alamo" lol, and some other B homemade movie.

 

[kjev]

AH's mother's obit: http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20110612/NEWS07/706129900/-1/s

 

[jrb0124]

Another thing...

Women who are drawn to controlling, abusive, manipulative men, many times have a father who was much the same way. Just a thought?

I understand your suggestion, but there is a lot more that went into this relationship than that IMO. GH probably didn't flash that side of himself in full force until after LA was pregnant...she did get pregnant fairly early in the relationship. Sharing a child often causes couples (mostly women) to compromise on what they will tolerate in a relationship. Too bad it was one sided in this one: apparently LA did all the compromising.

We also know GH was a master of disguising his true personality.

In January of 2010, 18 months before he murdered her, LA was certainly no longer drawn to GH (if that was the case to begin with). She had finally figured out that GH never had any intention of working things out.

 

[CrimeAddict]

AH's mother's obit: http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20110612/NEWS07/706129900/-1/s

It makes me so sad how many lives she ruined, just look at all those siblings and grandchildren listed under there. I pulled up her half brother on facebook and it looks like he is in Texas with 2 grown daughters, so SAD these people all have to deal with their Aunt in jail, how horrific. It is crazy how many people's lives are effected by this! And AH's profile picture on facebook she looks pretty normal.. I can't believe she had a baby June 8th that she will probably never see grow up!

 

[jmt707]

Here's a few questions. Does anyone know (or guess):

Could this be a death penalty case?
Is there a law about spouses testifing against each other? (Thought I had heard that one.)
Is it possible that they would try them together?
If they had made it to the Virgin Islands prior to the arrest - would they have been arrested there and sent back to NC?
Did GH or AH, either one, have a real job? (How were they paying bills?)

Just wondering.:websleuther: