Jaded Evidence · Georgia investigation & trial watch
Lacy Jolee Boles / Daniel Akers
Paulding County, Georgia · Case 20-CR-001378-P2 · Jury trial set November 9, 2026
Last source review: November 7, 2026 · Reports and allegations attributed; no personal editor biography.
Case overview & current legal status
Daniel Lee Akers, 36, died of a gunshot wound at his Paulding County, Georgia home on December 22, 2019. According to a June 2020 sheriff’s report, investigators questioned the original account of suicide after discrepancies with scene evidence, and the GBI medical examiner subsequently classified the death as a homicide. His wife, Lacy Jolee Boles, was arrested and later indicted. She pleaded not guilty and maintains that Akers took his own life. The prosecution alleges Boles fired the fatal shot.
Trial watch: Jury selection began in June 2026 but was interrupted after improper prospective-juror conduct. Chief Judge Dean C. Bucci’s signed June 22, 2026 order granted the parties’ joint mistrial motion and rescheduled jury trial for Monday, November 9, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, with an estimated duration of two weeks. This is a confirmed court-ordered trial date, not confirmation that proceedings have begun or that a verdict has been reached. Boles has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless and until proved guilty. Sheriff’s original document · Court TV’s trial report.
Original court filings — November 9 jury trial setting
Case: State of Georgia v. Lacy Jo Lee Boles, 20-CR-001378-P2, Superior Court of Paulding County. Chief Judge Dean C. Bucci signed the Order Rescheduling Specially Set Trial on June 22, 2026; the clerk electronically filed it June 24.
View More — mistrial and reset
Judge Bucci’s signed order states that after improper conduct by a potential juror during the week of June 15, the State and defense jointly moved for a mistrial, which was granted. The trial was reset for November 9. The order does not separately decide whether jeopardy attached or explain a manifest-necessity analysis. The order was signed June 22 and e-filed June 24.
View More — June 2 hearing, filing deadline and voir dire
A pretrial-motions hearing was conducted June 2, 2026, and the rescheduling order says the pretrial filing deadline had passed. The court decided not to use juror questionnaires again. Proposed written voir dire questions were due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, 2026; they were to be exchanged at trial, with rulings outside the jurors’ presence. These instructions do not establish what was later filed or ruled upon.
The defense’s June 8, 2026 proposed voir dire questions address jury service, law-enforcement ties, firearms, exposure to suicide or homicide, trauma, forensic knowledge, domestic violence, publicity, and presumption of innocence. They are proposed questions, not trial testimony.
View More — indictment and fourth firearm count
The supplied July 2020 grand-jury indictment materials show four counts: (1) malice murder, (2) felony murder, (3) aggravated assault with a revolver, and (4) possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The supplied cover identifies Nicholas Hardy of the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office as an indictment witness. This does not establish his appearance as a sworn trial witness. The historical indictment identifies Donald R. Donovan as district attorney. All counts are accusations; Boles is presumed innocent.
View More — attorneys named in filed defense proposal
The June 8 defense document identifies Brian Steel and Raymond B. Lail as counsel for Boles. Its certificate of service identifies Thomas A. Cole and Jason Treadaway of the Paulding County District Attorney’s Office as the opposing counsel served. These names are document-confirmed, but precise November trial courtroom roles remain to be checked.
Document provenance: Images of clerk-stamped case filings supplied for editorial review: signed rescheduling order (two pages); July 2020 indictment cover and charge page; portions of the June 8 voir dire proposal and service certificate. The original, complete certified PDFs have not yet been linked publicly. No grand juror contact details are reproduced.
Court, judge, prosecutors & defense
Jurisdiction: Superior Court of Paulding County, Dallas, Georgia. Case: 20-CR-001378-P2. Judge: Chief Judge Dean C. Bucci (signed June 22 order). Defense: Brian Steel and Raymond B. Lail, named on the June 8 defense filing. Prosecution: Thomas A. Cole and Jason Treadaway, named as opposing counsel served in the filing; specific trial assignments require confirmation. Historical district attorney: Donald R. Donovan, named on the July 2020 indictment. Trial: November 9, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern (estimated two weeks).
Paulding County criminal case portal. The county advises searching by surname first (for example, Boles, Lacy).
Daniel Akers — victim background
Daniel Lee Akers was born May 15, 1983, in New Jersey and was 36 when he died. According to his funeral-home obituary, he lived in Dallas, Georgia, enjoyed the New York Giants and worked through Sheet Metal Workers Local 85 with R.F. Knox. He was a father and a member of a large family. Out of respect for surviving family members, this report does not reproduce children’s names or private family contact information.
People and documented roles
- Daniel Lee Akers: deceased husband and subject of homicide investigation.
- Lacy Jolee Boles: defendant; pleaded not guilty.
- Judge Dean Bucci: jurist reported to preside during June 2026 jury selection.
- Brian Steel: defense attorney identified by Court TV.
- Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division: investigating agency.
- GBI Medical Examiner’s Office: agency whose autopsy classification was reported by the sheriff.
- 911/Fire/EMS personnel: initial responding agencies; individual witnesses not verified.
Interactive event timeline
Select a dated event to expand its documented details. Each item links back here.
Dec. 22, 2019 · 12:44 a.m. — 911 dispatch and discovery
Paulding E-911 received a report of a possible suicide attempt. Deputies and Fire/EMS found Daniel Akers dead with a head gunshot wound at the home. Sheriff’s release.
Dec. 22, 2019 onward — Scene under investigation
Detectives said parts of Lacy Boles’ account did not match what they observed. The death remained under investigation pending forensic examination. Sheriff’s release.
May 29, 2020 — Autopsy determination received
The sheriff’s office reported that the GBI medical examiner classified the gunshot as not self-inflicted and the death as homicide. Official PDF.
May 29, 2020 — Arrest and initial charges
Detectives arrested Boles. The initial list included malice murder, murder, aggravated assault, false statements and tampering with evidence. These were accusations, not findings of guilt. Official PDF.
June 5–6, 2020 — Bond and release
Superior Court granted a $100,000 bond on June 5; she was released from the county jail June 6, according to the sheriff’s office. Official PDF.
December 2020 — Indictment reported
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported a grand-jury indictment for malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault. The signed indictment remains a document to retrieve. AJC report.
June 15, 2026 — Jury selection begins
Court TV reported jury selection in Judge Dean Bucci’s courtroom. Boles had pleaded not guilty and maintained that Akers died by suicide. Court TV report.
June 16–17, 2026 — Jury-selection disruption and postponement
According to Court TV, a prospective juror conducted outside research using ChatGPT and shared information with others. Judge Bucci held the juror in contempt and released the jury panel. The proceedings were postponed. Court TV follow-up.
November 9, 2026 · 8:30 a.m. ET — Court-ordered trial setting
Chief Judge Dean C. Bucci’s June 22 signed, June 24 filed order sets jury trial to begin November 9, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, with an estimated two-week duration. A June 2 pretrial hearing had occurred and the proposed voir dire question deadline was November 4. Actual commencement, further motions, witness testimony and verdict remain unverified as of November 7. Court TV.
Investigation & evidence cards
The tags below identify the evidentiary status. A police summary is not equivalent to authenticated trial evidence or a judicial finding.
911 call and initial account
Reported | Source: Sheriff’s release
A 12:44 a.m. emergency call on December 22, 2019, was reported as a possible suicide attempt. Investigators later disputed the interpretation of events. The 911 audio or certified transcript has not been obtained.
GBI autopsy classification
Agency-reported forensic finding
The Sheriff’s June 2020 statement says the GBI medical examiner concluded the fatal gunshot wound was not self-inflicted and classified the death as homicide. The full autopsy report, underlying testing and testimony have not been inspected.
Scene and alleged inconsistencies
Investigative allegation
Deputies described discrepancies between the defendant’s account and physical evidence, but the release does not specify the complete scene inventory or each contradiction. Do not invent firearm trajectory, bloodstain patterns or crime-scene details.
Indictment and charging instruments
Reported grand-jury action
The supplied grand-jury indictment images list malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and a fourth count for firearm possession during the commission of a felony. Initial 2020 arrest allegations additionally included false statements and evidence tampering. The complete certified indictment and any later amendments still require docket review.
Jury selection and alleged outside research
Reported pretrial court event
Court TV reported that a prospective juror searched the case using ChatGPT and discussed the results with others during voir dire. Judge Dean Bucci dismissed the panel and postponed the trial. This was not testimony or a jury verdict.
Phone, digital and surveillance records
Not established in reviewed sources
No authenticated phone extraction, surveillance exhibit, download report or witness-linked recording has been located. This card tracks a records gap rather than asserting such exhibits exist.
Prosecution and defense theories
View More — prosecution allegations
Prosecutors contend Boles caused Akers’s fatal gunshot injury and that the scene contradicted the original report of suicide. The sheriff reported a GBI classification of non-self-inflicted gunshot homicide. The state has the burden of proving each charged element beyond a reasonable doubt; neither arrest nor indictment alone establishes guilt.
View More — defense position
Boles pleaded not guilty and, according to Court TV, maintains Akers died by suicide. Brian Steel was identified as her defense attorney. The full defense expert reports, motions and trial arguments have not been inspected. This report does not infer what a future defense witness will say.
Courtroom developments & trial-day tracker
June 2, 2026: Pretrial-motions hearing conducted, according to the court’s order. June 8: Defense filed proposed voir dire questions. June 15–16: Jury selection commenced. After improper potential-juror conduct, the State and defense jointly sought a mistrial, which the court granted. June 22/24: Judge Bucci signed and the clerk filed an order resetting jury trial for November 9, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. No trial testimony or verdict has yet been verified.
View More — juror issue and reported ruling
Court TV said Judge Bucci held the prospective juror in contempt and dismissed the jury panel. This incident occurred in jury selection rather than trial testimony. No signed contempt order or later rescheduling order was retrieved for independent examination.
View More — trial-day witness coverage
Verified trial testimony: None established by the reviewed June 2026 sources. There is no authenticated testimony-by-day record, opening statement, medical-examiner testimony, prosecution closing, defense closing, jury instruction or deliberation history available here. This panel remains a tracker rather than inventing trial events.
Witness roles & anticipated testimony
Grand-jury witness named: The supplied July 2020 indictment cover lists Nicholas Hardy, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, as an indictment witness. That does not confirm his appearance as a trial witness. The June 8 defense voir dire document proposes reading a witness list to jurors, but the list itself was not supplied. Potential trial-witness categories include responding deputies, 911/dispatch personnel, GBI forensic staff and lay witnesses; their trial appearance remains unverified. Witness names, direct examinations and cross-examinations will be added only from docket filings, sworn proceedings or reliable courtroom transcripts.
Verdicts, sentencing & appeals
No verdict, sentencing order or appeal has been verified through November 7, 2026. The court’s signed June 22 order granted a jointly requested mistrial after a potential juror’s improper conduct and expressly reset jury trial for November 9, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. This is a scheduled trial, not an in-progress trial or adjudication of the allegations.
Unresolved questions
- Did jury selection begin on the court-ordered November 9, 2026, 8:30 a.m. setting, and has any further scheduling order been entered?
- What is the operative indictment and current count list, including any false-statement or tampering allegations?
- Do Thomas A. Cole and Jason Treadaway, named as counsel served in the June 8 defense filing, remain assigned to try the case before Chief Judge Dean C. Bucci?
- What precise physical evidence did investigators describe as inconsistent with suicide?
- What do the authenticated GBI autopsy, ballistic reports and scene photographs show?
- Were any suppression, expert, venue, juror or evidentiary motions filed and decided?
- Has any subsequent plea, verdict, sentencing or appellate filing occurred?
Court records & primary-source library
Primary agency document: Paulding County Sheriff’s Office — June 9, 2020 release (PDF)
Courtroom reporting: Court TV — Jury selection began, June 15, 2026
Courtroom reporting: Court TV — Jury selection postponed, June 17, 2026
Indictment reporting: AJC — December 2020 grand jury indictment
Family memorial: Daniel Lee Akers — funeral-home obituary
Court records portal: Paulding County Clerk — criminal case search instructions
Artwork note: Jaded Evidence case artwork incorporates supplied photographs; courthouse and investigative background elements are illustrative rather than documentary photographs of evidence.
Source status: Sheriff’s original release verified. The reader supplied images of the July 2020 indictment, June 8, 2026 defense-proposed voir dire questions and June 22 signed/June 24 filed rescheduling order. Their contents were reviewed as court-document images, but the complete certified PDF files have not yet been made available as website downloads. The autopsy, 911 recording and trial transcripts remain outstanding. Dates and claims in secondary coverage are attributed to their publications. No personal research byline is included.