OCILLA, Ga. — Ryan Duke, the man accused of killing Tara Grinstead, was acquitted on murder and aggravated assault charges Friday.
He was back in court Monday for a sentencing hearing on a single charge of concealing the death of another.
Grinstead's stepmother, Connie; and sister, Anita Grinstead Gattis, delivered impact statements.
After a brief back-and-forth with the defense at the end of statements, Judge Bill Reinhardt opted to sentence Duke to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. That's on top of the five years Duke has been locked up awaiting trial.
To see more coverage from the trial, check out our YouTube channel here.
2005: Evidence in the case dates back nearly 17 years to Oct. 22, 2005 when the Ocilla teacher and beauty queen vanished. Her body was never found and no one was charged in the case, but law enforcement continued to chase numerous clues and tips.
2011: The Irwin County sheriff said he got a tip telling him to search near a bridge on Reedy Creek. He says a dive team and deputies searched for more than four hours and found nothing.
2015: Law enforcement searched a pond in Ben Hill County but said they didn't find what they were looking for.
Fall 2016: A true crime podcast is released, bringing renewed national attention to the case.
Feb. 22, 2017: GBI agents took Ryan Alexander Duke into custody. Duke was charged on six counts, including Grinstead's murder.
Feb. 28, 2017: GBI searched a Ben Hill County pecan farm for Grinstead's remains. At the time, agents did not say what they were looking for or what was found. It was later revealed during Bo Dukes' trial that GBI agents found human bone fragments at the orchard.
March 2017: A second man, Bo Dukes, was charged with helping conceal Grinstead's body. He and Ryan were high school classmates, and his uncle, Randy Hudson, owned the pecan farm where investigators were searching for Tara.
Dec. 2018: A leaked confession hit the internet outlining an alleged 2017 interview between Ryan and the GBI. As investigators worked to figure out who posted it, Ryan's accused accomplice, Bo, was ordered back to federal prison for charges in a separate case, but before turning himself in, he was charged with sexually assaulting two women in Houston County. Considered "armed and dangerous," he led authorities on a four-day manhunt before being taken into custody at a relatives house in Irwin County.
March 2019: Bo Dukes' trial in Wilcox County ended in late March, and he was found guilty of concealing Tara Grinstead's death and lying to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He was sentenced to 25 years.
April 2019: Ryan Duke's trial was supposed to start on April 1 in Irwin County, but at the last minute, the Georgia Supreme Court granted a delay after his defense filed an emergency motion.
May-Aug. 2019: Ryan Duke and his lawyers would argue for the state to cover funds for an investigator for Ryan. This argument would bounce between Irwin County Superior Court and the state Supreme Court.
Sept. 2019: The prosecution and defense agreed to have the Georgia Supreme Court hear the argument again, after Irwin County Judge Reinhardt signs a "certificate of immediate review."
Jan. 2020: An Irwin County judge ruled again that the state should not pay for private investigators and experts to help Ryan Duke prepare for his trial.
Jan. 2021: Supreme Court of Georgia says Duke would appeal an Irwin County’s court denial of his request for state funds to pay for expert witnesses and an investigator.
March 2021: The Georgia Supreme Court issued a decision reversing part of the ruling that would have kept Ryan Duke from using state funds to prepare for trial.
Aug. 2021: Ryan Duke's murder trial was scheduled to start October 4 in Irwin County, but lawyers in the case met with Judge Bill Reinhardt and agreed to delay the case due to rising COVID-19 numbers.
Early 2022: A trial date is set for May 2. Jury selection begins on that day with hundreds summoned.
May 20, 2022: Duke is acquitted of the most severe charges in his case. He's found guilty of concealing Grinstead's death.
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