GUILTY NC - Laura Ackerson, 27, Kinston, 13 July 2011 #8

[Myvice]

Ohhh wow thank you for your husband's insights, or thank your husband I guess I should say...LOL!

Wow I think it could possibly have been just like he said....someone (Amanda) was holding Laura up, while Grant sawed her (sorry). That is why there is no damage to tub or tile.

Yes, Gaskins said that in closing re: no damage anywhere to bathroom. I don't know if it was part of testimony or not. Gaskins even did a demonstration in closing with a saw....he compared it to cutting wood or something....he said the pressure of the hard material (like bones) is going to put more pressure on, causing the person holding the saw to push harder. Then, once it gets past that (bones, etc.), the pressure comes off, the saw would "slip", causing damage to whatever was underneath the body.

He was saying that to say that Grant didn't saw in the bathroom.

BUT....omg....I think you have hit the nail on the head. Amanda was holding her up.

So actually Gaskins' just "proved" that both of them had to be there for the dismemberment, just like all of us though.

Thank you!

Hopefully the jury has someone like your husband on it!!!

Hmmmm, I wouldn't have thought about not nicking what was underneath. But someone that was there would have...and could have suggested it to her attorney.

This is just all so sick and twisted!

 

[MissSallyAnnie]

My daughter's boyfriend worked with GH on designing computer graphics for some of GH's stuff a couple of months before the murder. Boyfriend said GH gave him a bad vibe and he couldn't wait to get finished and be done with all interaction with GH.

Wow, that's closer than I'd ever want to be!

Did her boyfriend ever see the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley? I wish BH would have asked Amanda that question!

 

[aa9511]

I get the same vibe from Amanda that I did from Jodi Arias during camera shots on her in trial, interviews, etc.. I can totally see Amanda giving evil-eyes to women she feels threatened by. She also has just creepy eyes in general. I think she is similar to Jodi in that she has used her "looks" for manipulation of both men and women her whole life. She just sees people for what she can get out of them.

 

[NCB]

Ohhh wow thank you for your husband's insights, or thank your husband I guess I should say...LOL!

Wow I think it could possibly have been just like he said....someone (Amanda) was holding Laura up, while Grant sawed her (sorry). That is why there is no damage to tub or tile.

Yes, Gaskins said that in closing re: no damage anywhere to bathroom. I don't know if it was part of testimony or not. Gaskins even did a demonstration in closing with a saw....he compared it to cutting wood or something....he said the pressure of the hard material (like bones) is going to put more pressure on, causing the person holding the saw to push harder. Then, once it gets past that (bones, etc.), the pressure comes off, the saw would "slip", causing damage to whatever was underneath the body.

He was saying that to say that Grant didn't saw in the bathroom.

BUT....omg....I think you have hit the nail on the head. Amanda was holding her up.

So actually Gaskins' just "proved" that both of them had to be there for the dismemberment, just like all of us though.

Thank you!

Hopefully the jury has someone like your husband on it!!!

I thought it was a really good point, too. He thought you could probably do it alone with a hacksaw, but with the Sawzall, it would be nearly impossible to not damage something if the body was on the floor or in the tub. He believes without question she was assisting. It is just interesting to see how people take info, apply their own experiences, and make judgments.

 

[Nymeria]

I wonder what she thinks of them now? She is in shock here, but over time...I can't imagine actually knowing these murderers.

IIRC, someone who knew him joined us here during Grants trial.
I believe they said he was exactly as he is described often, meaning he could be really chamring....but something was "off".

Am I remembering that right? Those who were here for GH would remember.
Maybe I will go look through the old threads later.

 

[Marilou]

A few things stand out to me that indicate Amanda was not being truthful. (I think I'm in the minority here about my doubts of sufficient evidence to show acting in concert.) But I do think there is plenty of proof of her lying. And the lying is, IMO, clear indication of her knowledge of the crime at a point earlier than she admits.

1. When she said testified that Little Grant asked, what was that noise? She told him the chair turned over. IMO, that was probably true. But, it wasn't Laura tripping as she claimed, but Grant attacking Laura.

2. Whe Amanda testifed about the night after Grant admitted that Laura was dead in Texas. She said when I awoke the next morning......WHAT. How would anyone sleep a wink if they had just gotten that information earlier that day? Wouldn't you be too scared to sleep? You would lay wide awake all night, debating how you can escape? Right?


3. Her testimony regarding why the vehicle would be so full. Did she even know at that time that the boys would be going with them?

4. Her tears seemed real for things like her loss of money and jewelry and fear of the animals in the swamp. She even seemed really upset about Grant threatening to throw the baby out of the car window, but she didn't seem to have any kind of emotion for the death of Laura. That seems very odd to me. Wouldn't you be very upset that the boys mother is dead and dismembered? I never got that from her.

I agree, Prancy!i it is extremely telling that she shed not one tear about what happened to LA. She only cried about how these things affected her!! I just cannot fathom that you would not be upset about the atrocities inflicted on poor LA & the fear Laura must have felt, realizing what was about to happen to her. I could cry just thinking about it now & I did not know LA. AH personally knew LA and how much she loved those boys yet she sheds not one tear about what happened to her, only cries for herself. She is heartless, IMO.

 

[borndem]

Anyone remember this early story?
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8273159

I don't remember it, jmt -- thanks! Interesting remarks. What izzit about GH? <smh>

 

[luckyme]

My daughter's boyfriend worked with GH on designing computer graphics for some of GH's stuff a couple of months before the murder. Boyfriend said GH gave him a bad vibe and he couldn't wait to get finished and be done with all interaction with GH.

I hope Grant paid him!!!!! Thats pretty scary! moo :scared:

 

[aa9511]

Hmmmm, I wouldn't have thought about not nicking what was underneath. But someone that was there would have...and could have suggested it to her attorney.

This is just all so sick and twisted!

OMG. you are so right. She and Grant had thought about that. THey decided one of them had to hold her up while the other sawed, so that they didn't leave any evidence of using the saw in the bathroom anywhere.

Shudder, shudder.

 

[MissSallyAnnie]

Does anyone know if Grant actually recorded anything with Earth, Wind and Fire? Amanda testified he went to CA for that. She seemed so proud too. I thought that was rather inappropriate to name drop that way.

No! I watched the YouTube video of his little jam session in LA. I don't think anything materialized from it.

Also, the pseudo interviews he did, which are still on his YouTube account, he says one of the people he was meeting up with was some type of background singer or horn player with EW& Fire. Years ago. She really lied on that one, still trying to make Grant sound like a big deal. :floorlaugh:

 

[AnonymousD]

I get the same vibe from Amanda that I did from Jodi Arias during camera shots on her in trial, interviews, etc.. I can totally see Amanda giving evil-eyes to women she feels threatened by. She also has just creepy eyes in general. I think she is similar to Jodi in that she has used her "looks" for manipulation of both men and women her whole life. She just sees people for what she can get out of them.

BBM

omg aa! I was thinking the same thing for the past several days. AH has those "crazy eyes". I can't remember what the actual medical term that is used for them is, but she has them.

I even had a post typed up this morning with links to pictures of her to compare. Then our SonicWall at work updated & I lost the post..... :banghead:

It was amazing the difference in her eyes from when she & GH were dating/early married to when they were arrested. Now it's even worse, imo.

 

[NCEast]

I agree, Prancy!i it is extremely telling that she shed not one tear about what happened to LA. She only cried about how these things affected her!! I just cannot fathom that you would not be upset about the atrocities inflicted on poor LA & the fear Laura must have felt, realizing what was about to happen to her. I could cry just thinking about it now & I did not know LA. AH personally knew LA and how much she loved those boys yet she sheds not one tear about what happened to her, only cries for herself. She is heartless, IMO.

Maybe I'm just too mean and cynical but I don't think she ever cried. She pretended to cry a few times--about herself--and when she put her hands up to her face and nearly wailed when she was talking about GH threatening to throw Lily out of the car. But I honestly thought it was all fake and lies. I was remembering those acting classes she took..........

 

[MissSallyAnnie]

In their closings, I wish BZ & BH had shown pictures of Laura with her babies, to really hit it home how she loved her children, and the atrocity of what A&G did to her. Those pictures hit me hard.

 

[Prancy]

What I find rather shocking is that a good actress would have known to cry at the parts about Laura being murdered, so you look genuinely horrified and upset that it happened. I guess she forgot or something. It would have helped her case if she had done that, IMO.

I missed the jury instructions. Can someone summarize what the ones were regarding the defendant's defense of being under duress or fearing for her life.

 

[NCB]

OMG. you are so right. She and Grant had thought about that. THey decided one of them had to hold her up while the other sawed, so that they didn't leave any evidence of using the saw in the bathroom anywhere.

Shudder, shudder.

That's a scary thought--and she would know that--that it was a big deal nothing was damaged and to make a point of it to the jury. I'm betting one or more jurors have used a repiciprocating saw. That could "cut" (sorry, couldn't resist) both ways for her...

 

[aa9511]

I thought it was a really good point, too. He thought you could probably do it alone with a hacksaw, but with the Sawzall, it would be nearly impossible to not damage something if the body was on the floor or in the tub. He believes without question she was assisting. It is just interesting to see how people take info, apply their own experiences, and make judgments.

Yes, I also agree that it would be hard not to damage anything, even though I have no experience with saws. I wouldn't have thought about it if Gaskins' had not mentioned it in the closings....grrrrr. I still did not question that they did it in the bathroom, based on all the other evidence, but I was thinking, well how did they get it to have no damage? Just one of those, wanting to "figure it out" things. I never thought about someone holding Laura up in some way.

Yes, it is very interesting. I really hope there is someone on that jury familiar with saws, who could figure out that it needed both of them doing it together.

 

[borndem]

Exactly! Just prepping the area, with plastic tarps ( I assume), would take time and clean up afterwards, again more time. The dismemberment, IMO, did not take a couple of buzzes to accomplish. I bet there was a lot of cursing and swilling of booze to get the job done. Didn't Grant try to buy or did buy mouthwash? I could imagine a person would gag and vomit while seeing the gore and smelling the trapped gases.

Yeppers, CUCKOO - I've thought all along that a secondary reason for the bleach was for simply trying to get rid of the odor that not only the decomposition in general would cause, but also the smell of the (please forgive) putrid odors put out by the gut. There's more than one reason M.E.'s wear masks while performing autopsies...

And I wonder, especially if he didn't already have one, and he asked for help in finding the right tool at Walmart, just how easily he operated the reciprocating saw. I don't think he was much of a handyman in general, but that's JMO.

 

[Myvice]

Someone upthread commented on having to stop sawing frequently to clean the flesh out off of the blade. (I'm so sorry, hope this isn't too offensive...cuz it is to me too). But I wonder if they were using the machete to cut through the flesh and the saw on the bones. (Again, I'm so sorry).

Grant doesn't seem to me to be the handy man type that would be all that great at using a saw.

If this post bothers people let me know and I'll delete it.

 

[lib's mom]

IIRC, someone who knew him joined us here during Grants trial.
I believe they said he was exactly as he is described often, meaning he could be really chamring....but something was "off".

Am I remembering that right? Those who were here for GH would remember.
Maybe I will go look through the old threads later.

I remember. The poster's name was "rockit."

 

[MissSallyAnnie]

Here is a short video of a man demonstrating a skil reciprocating saw. I don't think it's the exact model of the one Grant - AND Amanda used, but it's interesting at the end he recommends using ear protection.

Didn't Amanda tell Grant in one of her love letters that he should try "ear plugs" to meditate? Coincidence, I think not! :facepalm:
Reciprocating Saws Video - YouTube