A musician from North Carolina revealed new details about the murder of his ex-girlfriend in an interview while serving a life sentence in prison for the crime, according to ABC13.
Grant Haze was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2011 murder of Laura Ackerson. In a new interview, he maintained that he was innocent, specifying that he dismembered her corpse, but did not murder her in a new interview over the phone about her death.
Haze’s interview was part of the ABC 20/20 series “Can I Prey First?”. He features in the series’ fourth episode, which premiered on October 12 and focuses on the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Ackerson in Kinston, North Carolina.
Haze had two sons with his ex Ackerson. At the time of Ackerson’s death, Haze was married to Amanda Hayes, with whom he had a daughter.
Haze was charged and convicted of first-degree murder. His wife, Hayes, was found guilty of a lesser charge of murder in the second degree and was sentenced to 16 and a half years in prison for her role in Ackerson’s death.
Both had pleaded not guilty to the murder charges ahead of their trials.
Speaking to ABC News’ Juju Chang, Haze said, “I’m not in prison for being a bad person. I’m in prison for killing a woman, and that didn’t happen.”
Haze claims he was not in the room when Ackerson was murdered. When he returned to the room, Ackerson was dead. He said that Hayes told him that Ackerson attacked her.
He also alleged that Hayes came up with the plan to dismember Ackerson’s body and transport her remains to Texas. Haze said he regrets dismembering Ackerson.
After Ackerson died, in response to a question about why he didn’t call 911 to try to resuscitate her, Haze said, “I was freaked out. Honestly, I was afraid, I was very, very afraid.”
He later added, “Laura’s death killed me, killed my family. So, I think I’m the most remorseful person.”
The episode reports that Haze has filed several appeals, all of which have been denied, but he said he will “continue to fight for freedom.”
The house where Grant Haze and Amanda Hayes were arrested for the murder of Laura Ackerson in 2011 in Kinston, North Carolina. In a recent interview with ABC 20/20, Haze claimed that he did not kill Ackerson but admitted to dismembering her body.
Takaaki Iwabu/Associated Press
Newsweek reached out to the Raleigh Police Department in North Carolina for comment via email.
Ackerson, originally from Michigan, met Haze in North Carolina, and they had two sons together. Haze later moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands to pursue his music career in the local nightlife scene, and Ackerson joined him with their children.
Ackerson reportedly returned to the U.S. to seek medical care for one of their sons. Haze remained abroad, where he then met Hayes, a background actor. The pair married and moved to New York initially before settling down in North Carolina and having a daughter together.
Ackerson and Haze entered a custody battle over their two sons after Haze married Hayes. The murder reportedly took place when Ackerson went to visit her sons at Haze and Haye’s apartment on July 13, 2011.
Ackerson was not heard from after the visit, and Haze and Hayes reportedly rented a trailer and drove to Hayes’ sister Karen Berry in Texas. Hayes allegedly told Berry that she “hurt her real bad,” referring to Ackerson.
The couple also allegedly asked Berry if they could use her boat to fish. When members of the Raleigh Police Department came to Berry’s house days later, they reportedly found Ackerson’s skull and other body parts in a creek.
Investigators also reportedly found video of Haze purchasing muriatic acid, chemical-resistant gloves, a reciprocating saw and heavy-duty cleaning materials.
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