RALEIGH — Did the Wake County assistant district attorney let something slip?
The Monday motion hearing in the murder case of former Kinston resident Laura Ackerson in Wake County had all the appearances of being unremarkable. The prosecution intends to combine the trials of Grant Ruffin Hayes III and Amanda Perry Hayes, his wife, who are accused of the murder.
WRAL TV-5 reported Monday Wake County Assistant District Attorney Boz Zellinger said in court the murder resulted from domestic violence.
Exactly how Ackerson died has been up for debate. The prosecution contends when Ackerson visited the two children she has with Grant Hayes in Raleigh, he and Amanda Hayes killed Ackerson and dismembered her body, depositing it in a creek in East Texas. The Galveston County deputy chief medical examiner conducted an autopsy on her thorax, lower torso and lower left leg after they were found by authorities on July 24, 2011.
Ackerson traveled to Raleigh on July 13, and was involved in what detectives called a “contentious child custody case” with Grant Hayes.
Contacted following the hearing, Zellinger couldn’t confirm what he may have said in court.
“I can’t comment on the case because it’s pending right now, but if somebody quoted that, it’s probably what I said,” Zellinger said. “I don’t remember specifically what I said.”
Pressed on the matter, he stuck to his position and wouldn’t reveal any details.
“It’s awkward for me because it’s a pending case and I can’t really talk about a pending case,” Zellinger said.
Defense counsel at the hearing requested a continuance to examine whether combining the trials would be best for the defendants, and a new hearing was scheduled for March 1.
The case is set to go to trial May 21.
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at WolfeReports
Breakout Box
Grant and Amanda Hayes are set to be tried in Wake County for the first-degree murder of former Kinston resident Laura Ackerson.
Next hearing: March 1
Trial date: May 20