Grant Ruffin Hayes — accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend and mother of two children, Laura Jean Ackerson — pled not guilty Friday as he was arraigned on the charge of first-degree murder.
“There were motions this morning that were heard — pre-trial motions they wanted to get out of the way before the trial started,” said Kimberly Ashworth of the Wake County Clerk’s Office. “And then, at the end of those motions, they arraigned him in open court.”
Hayes’ attorneys also asked Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens to rule on a so-called confession his wife, Amanda Perry Hayes, made to her sister at the time of the crime, according to a report from WRAL CBS-5.
Prosecutors and Amanda Hayes’ attorneys disputed the contention that a statement or group of statements between Amanda Hayes and her sister could be characterized as a confession.
Stephens chose to delay a ruling on the motion until a time when Amanda Hayes’ sister could take the stand and if Amanda Hayes herself would testify against her husband.
Grant Hayes’ trial is expected to begin Aug. 26. Amanda Hayes’ case is currently scheduled to go to trial in mid-January.
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.
