GUILTY IN - Tammy Blanton, 46, murdered, mutilated, partially eaten, Jeffersonville, 11 Sept 2014 *appeal 2022 denied*

[Niner]

Just got a google alert - 2 jurors have been picked so far....

UPDATE: Two jurors seated in murder trial of Joseph Oberhansley

Sept. 8, 2020
ALLEN COUNTY — Two jurors have been selected for the trial of a man accused of killing and mutilating his ex-girlfriend in Jeffersonville in 2014, court staff confirmed shortly after noon today.
[.....]
Jury selection started this morning in Allen County; attorneys seek to seat 12 jurors and four alternates. They're expected to travel back to Southern Indiana this week for trial proceedings in Clark County Circuit Court No. 4.
[.....]
The defense filed a motion Friday objecting to jury selection and a jury trial during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was overruled by the judge.

 

[FrostedGlass]

Thanks! They have 6 now.

They were expected to appear in groups of 40 in two-hour intervals. For each group, there was 10 minutes set aside for a statement by Judge Vicki Carmichael, followed by 20 minutes of questioning by the defense and 20 minutes by the state.

 

[Niner]

Wednesday, Sept. 9th:
*Trial continues with Jury Selection (Day 2) (via Zoom) (@ 9am ET) – IN – Tammy Jo Blanton (46) (Sept. 11, 2014, Jeffersonville) – *Joseph Albert Oberhansley (33/now 39) arrested (9/11/14) & charged (9/15/14) with 1st degree murder, felony burglary & 3rd degree rape. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA seeks DP. DA has taken DP off the table (6/28/19).
Trial set to begin on 9/8/20 with Jury selection (Jury will be picked from Allen County & trial will be in Clark County – jury selection should take about 3 days.)
Motions in Limine: 8/31/20 & 9/3/20 filed by Oberhansley; 9/3/20: Entry (Clarification of Jury Process) entered, entry (Motion in Limine re photographs) entered, entry (Leading questions) entered, entry (juror impartiality) entered, entry (mental health testimony) entered & entry (Motion in Limine-improper considerations) entered. Trial to begin on 9/8/20.
9/4/20: Objection filed by Oberhansley. Defense objection to proceeding to selection of a jury & trial by jury during COVID-19 pendemic.
9/8/20 Day 1 of Jury Selection: New objection today: Objection Filed. Motion in limine by defense. 640 possible jurors were summoned by the Allen County Superior Court administrator. They were expected to appear in groups of 40 in two-hour intervals. For each group, there was 10 minutes set aside for a statement by Judge Vicki Carmichael, followed by 20 minutes of questioning by the defense & 20 minutes by the state. Jury selection started this morning in Allen County; attorneys seek to seat 12 jurors & four alternates. Six jurors have been selected. The defense filed a motion Friday objecting to jury selection & a jury trial during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was overruled by the judge. Jury selection continues on 9/9/20.
*Charged (7/29/13) with strangulation & resisting LE.
*Charged (7/23/14) with criminal recklessness & resisting LE.
Court information from 8/19/19 thru 8/31/20 reference post #173 here:
IN - Tammy Blanton, 46, murdered, mutilated, Jeffersonville, 11 Sept 2014 *Mistrial*
8/31/20 Update: Other charges hearing on 9/24/20.

 

[Niner]

UPDATE: 11 jurors seated in murder trial of Joseph Oberhansley

Sept. 8, 2020
ALLEN COUNTY — Eleven of the 16 jurors and alternates needed for a six-year-old Clark County murder case have been seated, court staff confirmed before they broke for the day around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
[.....]
Attorneys seek to seat 12 jurors and four alternates, selecting from a jury pool in Allen County to avoid jurors being made aware of the case through pretrial publicity. They’re expected to travel to Southern Indiana this week to start opening statements and witness testimony in Clark County.
[.....]
In a ruling late last week, Judge Carmichael ruled against a request by defense attorneys to bring up mental health information in the case, stating that it would go against a stipulation filed in 2019 after Oberhansley requested to withdraw the use of an insanity defense.
[.....]
Jury selection was expected to resume at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Allen County.

 

[FrostedGlass]

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A jury was seated Wednesday to hear the case of a southern Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body in 2014.

Prosecutors and attorneys for Joseph Oberhansley selected the remaining five jurors and alternates needed Wednesday for the Jeffersonville man’s trial on murder, rape and burglary charges in Tammy Jo Blanton’s killing.
...
opening statements scheduled to start Friday morning, the News and Tribune reported.

Jury found for trial of man accused of eating parts of woman | Fox 59

 

[Niner]

Update!

Wednesday, Sept. 9th:
*Trial continues with Jury Selection (Day 2) (via Zoom) (@ 8:30am ET) – IN – Tammy Jo Blanton (46) (Sept. 11, 2014, Jeffersonville) – *Joseph Albert Oberhansley (33/now 39) arrested (9/11/14) & charged (9/15/14) with 1st degree murder, felony burglary & 3rd degree rape. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA seeks DP. DA has taken DP off the table (6/28/19).
Trial began on 9/8/20 with Jury selection (Jury will be picked from Allen County & trial will be in Clark County – jury selection should take about 3 days.) Jury: 12 jurors & 4 alternates. Trial will begin on 9/11/20.
Trial info from Day 1 9/8/20 of Jury selection reference post #184 here:
IN - Tammy Blanton, 46, murdered, mutilated, Jeffersonville, 11 Sept 2014 *Mistrial*
9/8/20 Day 1 of Jury Selection: 11 of the 16 jurors & alternates need have been seated; court staff confirmed before they broke for the day around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Jury selection continues on 9/9/20.
9/9/20 Day 2 of Jury Selection: Prosecutors & attorneys for Oberhansley selected the remaining five jurors & alternates needed Wednesday. The court will now make arrangements for their travel to Clark County for the remainder of the trial, with opening statements scheduled to start Friday morning, 9/11/20.
*Charged (7/29/13) with strangulation & resisting LE.
*Charged (7/23/14) with criminal recklessness & resisting LE.
Court information from 8/19/19 thru 8/31/20 reference post #173 here:
IN - Tammy Blanton, 46, murdered, mutilated, Jeffersonville, 11 Sept 2014 *Mistrial*
8/31/20 Update: Other charges hearing on 9/24/20.

 

[FrostedGlass]

I haven't found any info on the Supreme Court website about streaming this case. I hate to miss this one.

Indiana Supreme Court: Home

 

[JerseyGirl]

Joseph Oberhansley cannibalism trial: Jury selection completed | whas11.com

The jury for Joseph Oberhansley's second trial has been selected.

A Clark County Circuit Court clerk could not confirm when opening statements would begin, but the trial is expected to start either late this week or next week.

 

[Niner]

Friday, Sept. 11th:
*Trial set to begin (Day 1) (via Zoom) (@ 8:30am ET) – IN – Tammy Jo Blanton (46) (Sept. 11, 2014, Jeffersonville) – *Joseph Albert Oberhansley (33/now 39) arrested (9/11/14) & charged (9/15/14) with 1st degree murder, felony burglary & 3rd degree rape. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA seeks DP. DA has taken DP off the table (6/28/19).
Trial began on 9/8/20 with Jury selection (Jury will be picked from Allen County & trial will be in Clark County – jury selection should take about 3 days.) Jury: 12 jurors & 4 alternates. Trial will begin on 9/11/20.
Trial info of Jury selection reference post #187 here:
IN - Tammy Blanton, 46, murdered, mutilated, Jeffersonville, 11 Sept 2014 *RETRIAL*
9/11/20 Day 1: Opening statements begin.
*Charged (7/29/13) with strangulation & resisting LE.
*Charged (7/23/14) with criminal recklessness & resisting LE.
Court information from 8/19/19 thru 8/31/20 reference post #173 here:
IN - Tammy Blanton, 46, murdered, mutilated, Jeffersonville, 11 Sept 2014 *RETRIAL*
8/31/20 Update: Other charges hearing on 9/24/20.

 

[FrostedGlass]

Clark Circuit Court 4 is streaming and a reporter is in there talking to LE. I'm hoping this is where this trial is happening!

 

[FrostedGlass]

April Rickert, Crime and courts reporter for the @newsandtribune
https://twitter.com/aperoll27

Opening statements begin at 10 am

 

[FrostedGlass]

It's off to an interesting start. The lawyers started things about a half hour early. Defense was not happy about the decision to continue with the trial due to Covid. The prosecutor countered and the judge sided with him. The sound isn't the greatest and defense is still wearing a mask.

Shortly before 10:00, the sound went out but no one noticed until they all stood up to begin the court session. They were working on that when the stream stopped. They just now got it fixed but the sound is still not good.

 

[Niner]

Thanks for the commentating @FrostedGlass - is anyone tweeting? I can copy those over here if you like?

I see you posted the above almost 3 hours ago - anything else happen? Witnesses? or give me a tweet link!

 

[FrostedGlass]

I had to leave for a while and when I came back, they apparently had taken a break because they were offline. They just came back a little while ago and the the attorneys were giving papers to the judge.

The first witness just came on but I didn't catch her name. She was a co-worker, I think.

April tweeted this article but it's behind a paywall.
Crime and courts reporter for the @newsandtribune

 

[FrostedGlass]

That witness was her best friend, who called LE to check on her.

 

[FrostedGlass]

Prosecution called Raelyn Mitchell, the police dispatcher who took the 3 am 911 call from Tammy. They played the call but it was hard to make out. Defense asked if Tammy ever said that Joseph assaulted her and the answer was "No."

 

[Niner]

Here's an article I just got on google alert.

Opening statements delivered in Oberhansley trial

Sept. 11, 2020
JEFFERSONVILLE — Six years to the day after 46-year-old Tammy Jo Blanton was found mutilated in her Jeffersonville home, opening statements were delivered in the Clark County trial of the man accused of killing her.
[.....]
In opening statements, which began just before 11 a.m., Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull restated some of Blanton's last words made on the 911 call on the morning of her death.

"'He's made me very, very afraid,'" Mull told the jury Blanton said.

He said that Blanton and Oberhansley had met four or five months before and started dating, "but by September 2014, she was done," Mull said.
[.....]
Mull said when Oberhansley was questioned by police, he first said Blanton had been killed by two male intruders, but later admitted to killing her.
[.....]
The prosecutor told the jury to expect gruesome images and details, and said he would be as efficient as possible with the evidence.

"Photos, horrendous," he said. "It's worse than anything you would see in a horror movie."

Defense attorney Bart Betteau said the statements Mull made — that it's a horrible case, that Tammy had been afraid and was brave in her last moments — don't prove a case; he called it emotional evidence.
[.....]
The defense attorney told the jury that while opening statements provide a synopsis of what the coming evidence will be, it is the state's burden to present evidence that proves its case.
[.....]
Court broke just before 11:30 and is expected to resume at 1 p.m. with the first witness testimony. .....

 

[FrostedGlass]

I believe the judge said they would get to leave early today. The stream stopped and they haven't come back yet. It's probably been a hard week for all concerned.

 

[Niner]

@FrostedGlass - you mentioned 4 more witnesses - but when I access the link - it is one I have to put into "Outline" cause I can't access it over here in Europe.

Could you list who they were & occupation please? TIA!

 

[Niner]

Never mind @FrostedGlass - I got another article - and it gave the rest of the witnesses.
Testimony begins in 2nd trial of Indiana man accused of killing, cannibalizing woman in 2014

last line....
The trial adjourned after Anderson's testimony, and is expected to resume Monday morning.


BUT!! if you can look it up and see "what time" it starts on Monday? TIA!