GUILTY NC - Laura Ackerson, 27, Kinston, 13 July 2011 #2

Boodles said:

I am so surprised about this information regarding the storage unit and U-Haul. It never occurred to me they already had the U-Haul on Wednesday when Laura went missing. I have been assuming they killed her, then rented a U-Haul, then went to Texas. I thought the Texas trip was an impromptu one intended to dispose of the body. I assumed that because of the very short time they stayed there (24 hours or so).

But why would they have rented a U-Haul and already had it by (assumption) 6PM on Wednesday and be at the storage facility? Maybe they had previously planned to travel to Texas that weekend and it wasn’t an impromptu decision.

They did not leave for Texas until Saturday morning (maybe so Grant could pretend to go to Wilson to wait for Laura at the Sheetz), which means Laura was dead and stored somewhere, somehow from Wednesday evening/night until Saturday morning!

I expect Laura arrived at Grant's in the late afternoon/evening. You wouldn’t go to visit a 2 and 3 year old at night, especially if you had planned to visit a friend in Cary later the same evening. (The drive from Cary back to Kinston would take about 2 hours.)

It’s at least an hour drive from Wilson to Raleigh. So maybe Laura arrived around 4 or 5, they killed her, and then took her body to the storage facility while they tried to figure out what to do with her. But then why did they already have the U-Haul and need rope?

The timing of this visit to the storage facility is really interesting. Because I think they did the gruesome work at their apartment on Thursday, the following day (when they asked Amanda’s daughter to pick up the kids, bring a vacuum and food). If they had put her body in the storage unit, they would have then have had to pick it up and bring it back to the apartment on Thursday to (I can’t even say it)…

Then, they may have waited to leave for Texas until Saturday morning so that Grant could pretend that Laura was a no-show at Sheetz on Friday afternoon. Assuming Laura’s body had been dismembered and stored in the chests, were the chests sitting in the U-Haul in the parking lot for 2 days? Or did they use the storage facility? Five chests would take up a lot of space.

But why did they have a U-Haul prior to killing her? That’s perplexing.

The police will surely know from cell phone pings and surveillance video whether Grant was actually at the Sheetz station in Wilson. And the storage facility should also have surveillance video as well. RPD will also know the date and time of the ice chest purchases. Has that already been disclosed?

I wish there was no issue of the death penalty. I believe it’s an “easy way out” (I know that sounds crazy). If there is no question of the death penalty, maybe they would confess to some sort of involvement and then get life in prison without the possibility of parole. Although, IMO, I don’t believe Amanda would go for this – she will want Grant to go down and make herself appear as a victim.

Because, it is so obvious from dismembered body parts found in a creek across from Amanda’s sister’s house where they had just arrived with 5 coolers, that they did this. It’s just the details that are missing. And I hate to think of the time and resources being spent on investigating this when it’s done and over with, there is no question of their involvement. Just slam the door on the cell for the rest of their lives and may Laura rest in peace.

I sound so hawkish and anti-criminal rights, but these two truly don’t deserve any more time and attention (just like Casey Anthony). If Amanda ends up with a bona-fide case of PP psychosis, then I’ll eat my words and apologize. But what is known of her involvement so far does not sound like a case of psychosis to me. This took much too long to orchestrate and execute. She had DAYS during which she could have had moments of lucidity and/or escape from the situation, if as some believe, she was suffering from PPP or “Grant’s spell.”

Sorry for this long rambling post, but the U-Haul sighting at the storage facility on the 13th really threw a wrench into my vision of what transpired. This case gets more bizarre at every turn.

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Boodles said:

I am so surprised about this information regarding the storage unit and U-Haul. It never occurred to me they already had the U-Haul on Wednesday when Laura went missing. I have been assuming they killed her, then rented a U-Haul, then went to Texas. I thought the Texas trip was an impromptu one intended to dispose of the body. I assumed that because of the very short time they stayed there (24 hours or so).

But why would they have rented a U-Haul and already had it by (assumption) 6PM on Wednesday and be at the storage facility? Maybe they had previously planned to travel to Texas that weekend and it wasn’t an impromptu decision.

They did not leave for Texas until Saturday morning (maybe so Grant could pretend to go to Wilson to wait for Laura at the Sheetz), which means Laura was dead and stored somewhere, somehow from Wednesday evening/night until Saturday morning!

I expect Laura arrived at Grant's in the late afternoon/evening. You wouldn’t go to visit a 2 and 3 year old at night, especially if you had planned to visit a friend in Cary later the same evening. (The drive from Cary back to Kinston would take about 2 hours.)

It’s at least an hour drive from Wilson to Raleigh. So maybe Laura arrived around 4 or 5, they killed her, and then took her body to the storage facility while they tried to figure out what to do with her. But then why did they already have the U-Haul and need rope?

The timing of this visit to the storage facility is really interesting. Because I think they did the gruesome work at their apartment on Thursday, the following day (when they asked Amanda’s daughter to pick up the kids, bring a vacuum and food). If they had put her body in the storage unit, they would have then have had to pick it up and bring it back to the apartment on Thursday to (I can’t even say it)…

Then, they may have waited to leave for Texas until Saturday morning so that Grant could pretend that Laura was a no-show at Sheetz on Friday afternoon. Assuming Laura’s body had been dismembered and stored in the chests, were the chests sitting in the U-Haul in the parking lot for 2 days? Or did they use the storage facility? Five chests would take up a lot of space.

But why did they have a U-Haul prior to killing her? That’s perplexing.

The police will surely know from cell phone pings and surveillance video whether Grant was actually at the Sheetz station in Wilson. And the storage facility should also have surveillance video as well. RPD will also know the date and time of the ice chest purchases. Has that already been disclosed?

I wish there was no issue of the death penalty. I believe it’s an “easy way out” (I know that sounds crazy). If there is no question of the death penalty, maybe they would confess to some sort of involvement and then get life in prison without the possibility of parole. Although, IMO, I don’t believe Amanda would go for this – she will want Grant to go down and make herself appear as a victim.

Because, it is so obvious from dismembered body parts found in a creek across from Amanda’s sister’s house where they had just arrived with 5 coolers, that they did this. It’s just the details that are missing. And I hate to think of the time and resources being spent on investigating this when it’s done and over with, there is no question of their involvement. Just slam the door on the cell for the rest of their lives and may Laura rest in peace.

I sound so hawkish and anti-criminal rights, but these two truly don’t deserve any more time and attention (just like Casey Anthony). If Amanda ends up with a bona-fide case of PP psychosis, then I’ll eat my words and apologize. But what is known of her involvement so far does not sound like a case of psychosis to me. This took much too long to orchestrate and execute. She had DAYS during which she could have had moments of lucidity and/or escape from the situation, if as some believe, she was suffering from PPP or “Grant’s spell.”

Sorry for this long rambling post, but the U-Haul sighting at the storage facility on the 13th really threw a wrench into my vision of what transpired. This case gets more bizarre at every turn.

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JeannieC said:

I believe LA was alive when they went to the storage but the "Plan" for her demise was underway. That was why GH was in a hurry. He wanted to be ready for her. They had to get this stuff and get home before she arrived.

They might have gotten things out of the storage to take to Tx to AH's sister and/or things they needed for the dismemberment.

The rope might have been needed to hold the item they were taking to LA's sister in the U-haul.

I don't believe they would put the body in the storage building. Not enough time to dismember it and put it in coolers. Not to mention clean up the mess. It closed at 6. It would take longer to do the deed.

Does anyone remember the date LA's nephew put the message on his FB page that his aunt was coming to visit with her new baby?

That would tell us if the trip was planned before the murder or after.

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SurfieTX said:

They took a truck to Texas, correct? Why did they need the U-Haul? The five coolers would have fit in the bed of the truck. AH's mother had just passed. Presumably, the Hayes' were thinking about moving (per Grant's FBs posts). Could the U-Haul be needed to drop off some things with AH's sister or pick up some items that her mother had willed to her?

I would love to hear what AH's sister and family has to say about the visit, how it went, the Hayes' demeanor, etc. AH's daughter said that AH was not acting as she normally did on the 14th and the days thereafter. I wonder if AH's sister picked up on that too?

ETA: I'm assuming the Wednesday visit with the boys was an impromptu visit? How would Grant and Amanda have known that Laura was coming on Wednesday, which was not a normally scheduled visit and not something Laura would usually do life/work-wise. Also, being that custody was a huge issue, I wonder if either one of them would have tried to stray from the formal court orders. So, if this was premeditated, I would guess Laura called Grant when she was in Raleigh just to talk to the boys on the phone and he lured her over to the apartment with the promise of seeing the boys (which if he were being nice, I'm sure she would have jumped at the chance to see her boys mid-week).

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JeannieC said:

LA was going to be in Raleigh so she called and arranged to see the boys for a few hours before she went to dinner with a friend. I think AH was taking something to her sister. They wouldn't rent a u-haul to take to Tx to pick something up. They could get that in Tx if that were the case. jmo

GH and AH knew LA was coming. I think that unexpected visit from LA is when they put a plan into action.

They were going to Tx the next day to see AH's family and show them the baby. They would be going the VI soon after returning and were selling things. Perfect opportunity to get LA out of the picture and move to the VI with the boys. mho

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hellinor said:

Can someone please tell me the ages of GH & AH?
I am confused since I've read LA was 27 and AHs daughter, SE, is 22?

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jrb0124 said:

In fact, one WS'er in the last thread noticed that on the craigslist photo for the living room set (listed at 11:45 AM on THU, the day after the murder) there is a laundry basket in the background with what appears to be a pinkish stained bath mat or towel in it:

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/2493826660.html

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say2when said:

I am with you I think LA distanced her self from her family for a reason, none of them seemed to have her nor her children in their lives until this point. I am not sure if it is just the way I was raised, but I just could not imagine my life without my sister/brother in it. I wonder just how many of her family members other than JA have even laid eyes on these children?:banghead:

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NCEast said:

http://www.enctoday.com/news/death-75584-kfpress-doorway-raleigh.html

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NCEast said:

According to this, the youngest child's full name is Gentle Reign. I had read about the first name, Gentle, but not the middle name.

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NCEast said:

http://www.enctoday.com/news/death-75584-kfpress-doorway-raleigh.html


"By tracking the couples’ travels through witness statements and Amanda Hayes’ cell phone records, investigators contend the couple rented a U-Haul trailer, pulled it up to Unit No. 064 they leased at the Secure Care Self Storage in Raleigh, filled it with the coolers and towed the containers more than 1,250 miles to the home of Amanda Hayes’ sister near Houston, warrants stated.

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NCEast said:

Part of me says since the father is a minister and they run a day care center in Kinston the boys may be fine with them forever. However, another part of me says these same people reared a son who is charged with murder, not to mention the gory-gruesome details, of said murder. It may be more beneficial in the long run if they keep quiet, refuse all interviews, and just maintain a low profile.
And the little boys may have an ultimate better life starting anew in another city with another family who will adopt them into in a normal, loving, all-American household far removed from the stigma of their father's legacy.

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SurfieTX said:

JRB, would you be so kind as to update the timeline with the Storage sighting? I'm wondering when they bought the coolers.....

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jrb0124 said:

here is GH's answer to his youngest son's name:

"I named my oldest Grant Haze IV...and then you have Gentle. Because now...in my maturity, I'm understanding what real masculinity is. And it's gentle."​

Uh huh...

[LINK]

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borndem said:

In re-reading your post -- I have already commented on the little boys "getting away from everything and having a brand new start"; I now wonder how children of parent-murderers or children of murdered parents -- or of both (like the Cooper children or the Young child or the Abaroa child -- convicted or not), how they deal/cope with it as they grow older & really grasp what their heritage is in that regard? I'm sure many of them have undergone therapy as well as possible prison visits with the "surviving" spouse/parent. This is something that (thank you, God) I am not familiar with at all -- not even a friend or relative of mine, AFAIK, has been affected by this, so I have no idea what it is like.

Does anyone out there know of a case in point? Therapist, counselor, prison employee, MD, etc. I just can't imagine it. Kids are very resilient, but they grow into young adults, etc. It must be a heavy load...

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