Daniel Akers: The Death Investigation and Lacy Jolee Boles Trial
About This Case
Daniel Akers died at his Georgia home in December 2019. His wife, Lacy Jolee Boles, is on trial in November 2026. Prosecutors allege murder; the defense disputes that account. Boles has pleaded not guilty. No verdict is verified in this November 12 update.
Read the complete case record →Daniel Akers’s Life, the Investigation and a Trial Still Unfinished
His Life
Before his name appeared in court coverage, Daniel Lee Akers was known to his family as Dan. Born in New Jersey on May 15, 1983, he made his home in Dallas, Georgia. His obituary describes a father who worked in sheet metal with Local 85 and R.F. Knox and followed the New York Giants. Daniel’s obituary.
Those details belong in his story because a criminal case cannot describe the whole of a person’s life. The family’s memorial record is kept separate from the accusations and arguments that came later.
What Happened
Akers died on December 22, 2019, three days before Christmas. He was 36. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that his wife called for help and said he had shot himself. Investigators soon questioned whether the physical scene supported that account. Their suspicion began an investigation; it did not establish who was criminally responsible. AJC reporting.
The sheriff’s original release places the emergency call at about 12:44 a.m. The agency says investigators awaited a Georgia Bureau of Investigation autopsy and received its findings on May 29, 2020. According to that release, the examination found the wound was not self-inflicted. Detectives arrested Boles that day. Sheriff’s release.
Contemporary FOX 5 reporting describes a delay linked to the examination’s complexity and pandemic closures. It also records Boles’s release on a $100,000 bond. Release before trial was a procedural development, not a resolution of the charge. FOX 5 reporting.
Investigation and Evidence
The investigation later reached material on Akers’s phone. Court TV reported in June 2026 that a March 2025 warrant preceded access to a thirteen-minute recording. Its account of pretrial filings says Judge Dean Bucci excluded part of the recording as hearsay. The complete recording, extraction report and signed ruling have not been independently obtained for this record. Court TV’s pretrial report.
That gap matters. A report describing a document can tell readers what a journalist found, but it cannot substitute for the original document. This page identifies which statements come from an agency release, which come from courtroom reporting and which records still need to be obtained.
Court Record
The first effort to seat a jury began in June 2026. Court TV’s June 17 report describes a prospective juror researching the case with ChatGPT and sharing information during the previous day’s selection process. Bucci released the panel and moved the case to November. This was a disruption in jury selection, not a verdict on Boles’s guilt. Court TV’s June report.
A new panel was selected over November 9 and 10 in Paulding County Superior Court. Courtroom Insider reported twelve jurors and two alternates and identified Bucci as the presiding judge. Opening statements followed on November 11. Courtroom Insider’s jury report.
The two sides offered different explanations for the death. Prosecutor Jason Treadaway alleged that Boles deliberately shot Akers. Defense attorney Brian Steel said the gun discharged during her attempt to intervene when Akers was threatening suicide. These are the parties’ positions, as reported from openings. They are not findings by the jury. Court TV’s current coverage.
Georgia’s trial rules limit opening statements to what a lawyer expects admissible proof, or the lack of it, to show. Readers should therefore distinguish a lawyer’s opening account from sworn testimony and the court’s final decisions. Georgia Superior Court Rule 10.2.
Latest Verified Status
WSB-TV’s account of the first day says jurors heard the emergency call and testimony from responding officers. The report describes the defense questioning witnesses about their observations and body cameras. That reporting is useful for following the proceedings, but this site has not authenticated a complete exhibit list or trial transcript. WSB-TV’s courtroom report.
East Idaho News’s November 11 recap brings together a courtroom reporter’s observations about the opening accounts, the emergency recording and disputed evidence. It supplies another report to compare with the live coverage, while leaving the central question for the jury. East Idaho News’s trial recap.
The November 12 record remains open. Each later update should identify the event date, the source and whether it describes an allegation, testimony, ruling or verdict. A predicted trial length is not a promised decision date.
Source Notes for This Story
Read the source record for the original agency release, family memorial, professional profiles and dated courtroom reports. Court Records identifies the filings still outstanding.
Why It Matters
Akers’s family deserves an accurate account of his life and death. Boles is entitled to have the accusation judged through the court process. Careful reporting serves both needs by recording what can be established and clearly labeling what remains contested.
The distinction between an opening statement and evidence is especially important here because the parties present sharply different accounts. The court’s rule on openings explains why a forceful account from either lawyer should not be reported as a finding. Georgia Superior Court Rule 10.2.
Complete Case Record
Latest From the Case
November 12, 2026: Following the active trial
Openings, testimony and the current court record
What the evidence record contains, and what is still missing
What Happens Next?
The trial continues to be the event to follow. No later hearing, closing-argument date or decision date has been independently verified for this update. A new setting belongs in the calendar only after its date and source are checked.
Follow Court Calendar for dates and Court Coverage for reported proceedings. The next document priorities are the current indictment, relevant evidentiary orders and the final jury instructions.
Trial Status
As of November 12, 2026, Court TV’s current coverage identifies the second trial day and the presentation of Boles’s police interview. No verdict is verified here. Court TV’s current coverage.
The jury has been selected. A trial in progress must remain labeled as such until a verdict or another disposition is confirmed. Courtroom Insider’s jury report.
What Remains Undecided
The unresolved issue is whether the state proves the charged offenses. Georgia law preserves the presumption of innocence and requires proof of each element beyond a reasonable doubt. An accusation does not meet that standard by itself. Georgia Code § 16-1-5.
The underlying autopsy report, full indictment, June reset order and final jury instructions have not been obtained for independent examination. Their absence from this collection does not mean they do not exist. The current collection contains the agency’s summary and identified reporting.
Jury Trial & Deliberations
What Is the Jury Deciding?
Twelve jurors and two alternates were selected for this case in November. The panel will consider the charged offenses, subject to the judge’s instructions. Courtroom Insider’s jury report.
The state must prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt. Boles is presumed innocent. Georgia Code § 16-1-5.
How Are Jurors Instructed?
The final instructions for this trial have not been retrieved. General Georgia court guidance explains that the judge supplies the governing law; it is not a substitute for Bucci’s actual charge. Georgia court’s juror guide.
Deliberations and Verdict
No verified start of deliberations, verdict form or judgment has been added to this record as of November 12, 2026. This panel will change when an authenticated court record or clearly attributed courtroom report establishes the event.
Juror Statements
No verified statement from a seated trial juror is included. The reported June incident concerned a prospective juror before the present panel was selected. Court TV’s June report.
Jurors’ names, private accounts and speculative social-media identifications are not needed to follow the public proceedings.
Explore This Case: Text Links
This gallery begins with Daniel Akers, then identifies the accused person and the professionals whose verified roles shape the proceedings. Each biography separates a person’s own background from the case’s disputed facts. Family members without a necessary public role and children’s identifying details are omitted.
Footnotes & Court Records
The Daniel Akers source record brings together official records, dated reporting and the documents still being checked.
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