GUILTY NC - Laura Ackerson, 27, Kinston, 13 July 2011 #4

[Grammy Jean]

Anyone know if court is cancelled today due to snow?

 

[Nymeria]

No court in Wake County today Grammy Jean.
Hopefully we are back at it tomorrow :seeya:


CC ‏@courtchatter 11h

Wake County Courts have been closed for tomorrow due to weather. No #AmandaHayes trial on Wednesday

 

[SurfieTX]

Work is slow, so I am reviewing the old threads. Here's some more financial information on Amanda:

I found some of that info by inference (100% owner) on the Burnet County RE tax assessment site. Here are the RE assets and their appriased value in 2002 left to AS (100%):


7630 03500-0000-00019-000 Real 545 CR 139 SMITH AMANDA $255,538
7710 03500-0003-00162-000 Real SHADY LN SMITH AMANDA $4,996
8264 03600-0013-00006-R00 Real 208 STIRRUP, SMITH AMANDA $7,623
8265 03600-0013-00007-R00 Real 210 STIRRUP BURNET, TX 78611 SMITH AMANDA $7,623
76042 03600-0013-00008-000 Real LASSO LOOP , SMITH AMANDA $7,897

That's just the real estate in Burnet Co. the 100% owner of all of that (since sold) was AS in Brooklyn, NY (yes, she relocated pretty quickly):

Amanda Smith
422 CATON AVE #1
BROOKLYN, NY 11218

Also, the date the grantee (AS) received the properties was 1/16/2001.

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Found Deceased NC - Laura Ackerson, 27, Kiniston/Raleigh, 13 July 2011

 

[SurfieTX]

Anyone here from Brooklyn or know of it? Good or bad part of town? Expensive?

http://apartable.com/buildings/422-caton-avenue-brooklyn

 

[seattlechiquita]

Since there is no court today, I might watch what I missed in testimony. I do not want to watch it all though since I was here for Mr. Sing-a-long's trial. Any clues on which testimony I should actually listen?

 

[Boodles]

Since there is no court today, I might watch what I missed in testimony. I do not want to watch it all though since I was here for Mr. Sing-a-long's trial. Any clues on which testimony I should actually listen?

I think the only part that wasn't a repeat is part of Heidi Schumacher's testimony, in which she answers the defense attorney's questions. She reads narratives from a questionnaire which was requested I believe by the psychologist, written by Laura about GH/AH.

 

[SurfieTX]

I think the only part that wasn't a repeat is part of Heidi Schumacher's testimony, in which she answers the defense attorney's questions. She reads narratives from a questionnaire which was requested I believe by the psychologist, written by Laura about GH/AH.

I agree. Grant was a full-blown lunatic based on what Laura had written. It's almost comical.

 

[Boodles]

Just heard on WRAL news: court at 10 ET on Thursday. I hope that doesn't get delayed due to the extensive icing expected to occur tonight. Anyone know if the court has a webpage with its status?

 

[Jewels53]

Just heard on WRAL news: court at 10 ET on Thursday. I hope that doesn't get delayed due to the extensive icing expected to occur tonight. Anyone know if the court has a webpage with its status?

I found the Court House page, it just doesn't have a status that I can find.

http://web.co.wake.nc.us/courts/index.html

New Justice Center

http://www.wakegov.com/locations/justicecenter/Pages/default.aspx

 

[ohoh]

I missed most of yesterday, but got caught up today...thanks to the videos that borndem posted. Cried real tears a while ago that turned to sleet while rolling down my face, and I'm on the Gulf south of Tallahassee. What is happening weather wise near Raleigh ? Get your muc-luks out !

 

[seattlechiquita]

I think the only part that wasn't a repeat is part of Heidi Schumacher's testimony, in which she answers the defense attorney's questions. She reads narratives from a questionnaire which was requested I believe by the psychologist, written by Laura about GH/AH.

I am listening now. Indeed, can't hear squat of what defense counsel says. Pffft.

 

[Irish_Eyes]

I've been following this from day 1 #TeamLaura.

I was married to a guy like GH. Sooo eerie how these guys are all so much alike in some ways. I bought all his BS about his first wife too at first. When I left him three years later I called her and apologized for not seeing through his BS sooner. She said "I tried to warn you!" And I tried to warn the next girl. And the next one. And his wife now. The two ex girlfriends have both apologized to me. The wife now, I'd like to say she'll figure it out one day but she's super young with 3 kids (one is his) and she's super needy, and doesn't have any self esteem.

Having been in both Laura and Amanda's shoes (at least, Amanda's BEFORE the murder), I was open to hearing Amanda's side. For example, I could have seen something play out where GH wanted Laura to sign some papers and Amanda took the kids in the other room so they could talk in private, and then they argued and Grant went off and strangled her and she may not have had any idea that was going to happen. I could see GH going into manipulation mode right away, but even if Amanda wasn't buying it, it wouldn't have been lost on her that the man just killed a woman almost right in front of you. I could see that making you so afraid for your own safety and the children's that you just do whatever he says until you can figure out how to get help safely. According to Amanda's sister's testimony in GH's trial she seemed to kind of hint at that being exactly what was going on.

I also could believe that she was a bit narcissistic herself and that she was so enmeshed with Hayes that she was totally in on this plan. One of my ex's GF's had an irrational hatred towards me. She didn't even know me, but it was from all the things he said about me, and honestly, I think it was a defense mechanism - that she was doubling down on hating me to avoid facing the little sliver of reality that was starting to break through the fantasy he had set up for her. Allowing that I might not be the bad guy here meant facing that her relationship was seriously messed up - and she was already twice divorced and in her 40's and really thought she had finally found happiness. Sound familiar?

But to me, this crazy tripping story tells me a lot, I think. It just doesn't even make sense. I feel like if she was sorry about what happened to Laura and she truly had no part in it we'd hear the truth.

BTW, couldn't help but notice one of our star witnesses has a pretty interesting Pinterest.

 

[Jewels53]

Thanks Irish Eyes for sharing your story! I am so glad that you saw what was going on and finally go out safely. You can only share with future wife's if they are willing to hear, then it is out of your hands.

Your insight into this type of situation would be helpful in this trial!

Welcome aboard!

 

[borndem]

Just heard on WRAL news: court at 10 ET on Thursday. I hope that doesn't get delayed due to the extensive icing expected to occur tonight. Anyone know if the court has a webpage with its status?

I don't see a place that the Court has, but WRAL has a "Closings" page, and this is the link for it:

http://www.wral.com/weather/closings/?letter=w

And this is what it says:

Wake County Courts
Delayed 1 Hour
(Expires Thursday at 10:00am)


So we will have something to do, unless things change... The snow has not melted -- but we only got about 1 1/2 inches, and the main roads are plowed, salted & pretty clear; we never got above 29 degrees today; and tonight is supposed to dip to around 5 degrees, so there should be plenty of ice tomorrow.... I have no plans to go out -- I'll be with you good and gentle peeps in court. We'll hear what Sha has to say this time around. She sure looks like her mother, doesn't she? How much does she know??


On with the show!

 

[borndem]

Good morning WS Friends,

Doesn't Johnny Gaskins focus primarily on personal injury law these days?

I don't know where the bulk of his billing time goes these days, Chelly, but here is his website which is all about homicide defense...

http://www.johnny-gaskins.com/

That's where the Big Bucks are.. And he has done a few. One big murder case vs. several personal injury cases. Bucks are bucks, and he prolly doesn't really care. P.I. cases can be quite "rewarding," too. Who knoze?

 

[borndem]

This is powerful testimony by Laura via her friend. I really hope that the prosecution has more evidence to show Amanda's guilt other than the acid dumping in Texas.

She was with him on the boat... So her goose is cooked for the "after the fact" charge, but jail time on that is around 4-5 years or less. She needs to go to :jail: for life.

Will there be a "hook" that snags this woman for the murder 1st charge? What would it be?

And I give GH's story about AH's elbow-to-the-neck a snowball's chance in Fiji.

 

[borndem]

It looks to me like the lawyer wants to use the "battered women" syndrome defense, but common sense dictates that once she knew that she was married to a murderer, she should have snapped out of it and done the right thing. Even battered wives have to realize that if one wife is a victim of spousal homicide, it's only a matter of time before they could be next, that there is only one option if survival is the objective.

You're quite right, otto (HiYa, btw :seeya: ). Not only that, but she had her daughter nearby for a place to hide if she was truly scared. And I'm betting that GH would have never found her at her sister's in Richmond, TX. Some women who need to leave home have no $$, no car, & nowhere to go; AH had all of that. Nope not buying this one, either. She was no kid; she was in on it from top to bottom. We need that hook that sticks her to it.

 

[borndem]

random thoughts:
I wonder if there is any way Grant is able to follow this trial?
I would love if Amanda Lamb could do another interview with Grant.

So would he

. What izzit about these Narcissists anyway?! I hope he just blends into the woodwork of prison and we all forget about him. He's just so absolutely aggravating to me. Arrrgghh. <shiver> The worst.

And I can still see his smiling face in court as he sits there in his underwear. But I can also remember his face when the word "Guilty" was said by His Honor!

 

[borndem]

Ooooooohhh, Judge Stephens hatin' on Greg Fishel's Doppler 5000!

(kidding)

Yeah, I caught that too, lib's mom! Stephens is not a big joker, but he will put in a poke or two every now & then. But he is right about losing an entire day of court -- it's for the whole county: the DUI's, the deadbeat dads (&moms); small claims court; Justice of the Peace; warrants; posting bond; district court which handles hundreds of cases in a day, etc., etc. And they have quarterly planning sessions where they try to plan for the next 3 to six months. Then Mother Nature rises up & says, "Watch this, folks! I'm still driving the bus."

 

[Irish_Eyes]

Thanks Irish Eyes for sharing your story! I am so glad that you saw what was going on and finally go out safely. You can only share with future wife's if they are willing to hear, then it is out of your hands.

Your insight into this type of situation would be helpful in this trial!

Welcome aboard!

Thanks Jewels! I'm also in an online group of moms like me and Laura - moms who have to coparent with narcissists/sociopaths, etc. Quite a few of us are following this case.