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The man accused of the murder of Tara Grinstead was granted a stay in his trial, which was scheduled to begin on Monday. From a statement issued at 2:24 p.m. by the Supreme Court of Georgia:

“The Supreme Court of Georgia has granted a delay in the trial of Ryan Alexander Duke, who was scheduled to go on trial [in Irwin County] Monday, April 1 for the 2005 murder of Tara Grinstead. With today’s order, the high court has granted a stay of the proceedings in the trial court to consider whether it has jurisdiction to review the substantive appeal being requested. The Court has ordered briefing and oral argument on that question, which has been scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, May 7, 2019.”

In other words, Duke’s trial will begin no earlier than May 7, when the state Supreme Court hears arguments related to Duke’s appeal.

Duke’s alleged accomplice in the murder of Tara Grinstead, Bo Dukes, was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment after being convicted in a four-day trial in Abbeville last week on two counts of making a false statement, one count of hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and one count of concealing the death of another. The jury took approximately an hour to return a guilty verdict in Dukes case.