Court upholds life sentence of Joseph Oberhansley for killing Tammy Joe Blanton
The Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the sentence of a man convicted of "horrific and brutal" crimes of killing, dismembering and eating parts of his ex-girlfriend, according to court records.
Joseph Oberhansley was convicted for the 2014 murder of Tammy Jo Blanton and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He appealed his life sentence in May 2022 through the Indiana Court of Appeals based on the argument that it was inappropriate due to a mental health disorder.
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Oberhansley was initially arrested by police who came to do a welfare check at Blanton's home, where they found her body dismembered in her bathtub. Police said that parts of her organs were missing and later found in a frying pan and on a plate.
The man admitted to killing and dismembering Blanton but not before he told police that two men broke in and killed her instead. He said in court that police coerced the statement.
During the trial, prosecutors initially wanted to seek the death penalty but agreed not to pursue it if his attorneys didn't mention his mental health. There were several instances in which he was found to be incompetent for trial and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The appeal also alleged Oberhansley's sentence was inappropriate due to permanent brain damage he sustained from a shooting in which a 17-year-old Oberhansley killed the mother of his child along with nearly killing himself and his mother in a murder-suicide attempt.
He was on parole for shooting 17-year-old Sabrina Elder in 1998 in Utah, the same time that he shot and injured his mother and himself. He served 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
He was also on bond for other cases in Clark County, including a felony for choking a man.
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Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Joseph Oberhansley life sentence for killing Tammy Joe Blanton
