Jeffersonville, Indiana – The life sentence without the possibility of parole for a man who was found guilty of murdering and eating pieces of his ex-girlfriend was affirmed by the Indiana Supreme Court on Wednesday.
In connection with the murder of Tammy Jo Blanton in Jeffersonville in September 2014, Joseph Oberhansley was found guilty of both murder and burglary in September 2020. Based on a jury’s recommendation, Clark Circuit Judge Vicki Carmichael gave Oberhansley a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Victoria Casanova, Oberhansley’s attorney, argued in front of the court last month that the jury’s verdict wasn’t properly formed and that the jury failed to examine aggravating and mitigating factors while considering her client’s mental condition.
Justice Christopher Goff’s decision said that the jury made “the necessary weighing determination.” Justice Geoffrey Slaughter partially concurred, along with the other three justices.
The 46-year-old Blanton’s body was discovered at her house on September 11, 2014, with more than 25 sharp force injuries and numerous blunt force injuries.
Two males had been at the victim’s residence when Oberhansley arrived there about 4 a.m. that day, and they had claimed to be responsible for Blanton’s death, according to Oberhansley’s testimony. He claimed that after they knocked him out, he was awake when the cops showed up.
Jeremy Mull, the prosecutor for Clark County, expressed relief over the decision.
“I hope that the family of the victim can rest a bit easier now that the result of the proceedings has been reviewed and upheld,” Mull said.
Oberhansley is detained at the Indiana Department of Correction’s New Castle Psychiatric Unit.
