Indiana 'cannibal' Joseph Oberhansley who stabbed ex-girlfriend to death, ate parts of her body is granted mistrial by judge
CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA: A judge was forced to declare a mistrial for a southern Indiana man who allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend and ate parts of her body.
In September 2014, Joseph Oberhansley allegedly broke into the Jeffersonville residence of 46-year-old Tammy Jo Blanton, his ex-girlfriend, before raping her and brutally stabbing her to death. He then ate parts of her body, the report states, including her brain.
The Thursday ruling by Clark County Circuit Judge Vicki Carmichael came after a witness brought up defendant Oberhansley’s history of drug use and time in prison on the first day of their testimony, Daily Mail reports.
According to Carmichael, the information shared by the witness could have prejudiced the jury against Oberhansley.
The judge immediately declared a mistrial and announced a new court date of September 3, saying a new jury would be brought in to deliberate Oberhansley's case.
Two of Blanton's friends told jurors Thursday that the victim was so terrified by her former boyfriend that she moved in with a friend for several days. However, she reluctantly moved back in after her father changed the locks, but reassured friends that she had authorities "on speed-dial."
A third witness then referenced Oberhansley's criminal history and drug use despite Carmichael's previous ruling that both topics of discussion were to be inadmissible at trial.
The judge had no choice but to declare a mistrial.
Following the verdict, lead defense attorney Brent Westerfeld expressed his disappointment over the decision. However, he ultimately concluded it was the right to do."You feel like you were ready to go and suddenly you can’t go anymore so it’s very much a letdown," Westerfeld told WLKY.
Meanwhile, Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull reminded the court that, prior to testimony, all witnesses had been cautioned what they could and could not discuss during the trial.
"As unfortunate as this event was today I don’t think it’s going to get us very far off track. I do expect to have this trial going in September and by September sometime to have a verdict in this case," he said. "The last thing in the world I can do is put this family through another four or five years of delays, trying to get another trial date. So if I’ve got to wait a week or two weeks behind schedule that’s fine."
Mull told the jury in his opening statement on Wednesday that there was strong evidence to show how Oberhansley kicked in the door of Blanton's home and stabbed her to death nearly five years ago. He said Oberhansley removed and ate parts of her organs, including her brain.
"Joseph Oberhansley butchered Tammy Blanton like you wouldn’t kill a livestock animal," Mull said, per the Courier-Journal.
He added the suspect had gone to Blanton's house to "talk some sense into her" after she broke up with him, before things escalated and he used an electric jigsaw to open her skull.
Police said the "cannibal killer" had already admitted to the disturbing crimes after his arrest in Jeffersonville, Indiana, including "cooking a section of her brain and eating it."
Furthermore, he also devoured parts of the victim's heart and lung, they added.
Having said that, Oberhansley has maintained his innocence and said the allegations against him are "all bull crap lies."
The weekend before Blanton's death, she had accused Oberhansley of rape, another claim that he has called a lie.
Last month, Oberhansley claimed in a 10-minute rant at a pre-trial hearing in Clark County Court that Blanton was "getting high and drunk and texting a bunch of bull crap." Hee told the judge he had uncovered new evidence to prove his innocence in the case.
According to him, detectives had surely missed the murder weapon as it could not have been the "cheap little knife" they found at the scene.
During his rant, Oberhansley ignored his lawyers who advised him to keep quiet before the judge cautioned him to save his commentary for the upcoming trial.
But on his way out of court, Oberhansley brazenly attempted to hold a news conference before officers led him away from reporters.
In October 2017, the alleged killer was found unfit to stand trial and was hospitalized for more than six months at Logansport State Hospital.
Last year, a doctor at the hospital certified that Oberhansley was mentally competent and was he was released back to the police. Based on the doctor's report, a judge decided in November 2018 that Oberhansley was fit to stand trial.
The victim was found in September 2014 with parts of her skull removed in her bath covered by a vinyl camping tent.
Shockingly, officers also found a "plate with what appeared to be skull bone and blood" on it. They also found a skillet and a pair of tongs with blood on the handles dumped in the garbage bin.
She had died of multiple stab wounds and that parts of her brain, heart, and lungs were missing from her body, an autopsy revealed.
Oberhansley was free on parole at the time of the Blaton's murder after he had fatally shot his girlfriend Sabrina Elder, 17, in 1998 in a drug-fueled rampage.
It was revealed he had also shot his mother and sister before placing the weapon under his chin and pulling the trigger to give himself a "partial lobotomy", the report stated.
In May this year, Oberhansley told the judge he felt that it would be wrong to use the insanity defense, saying it would amount to admitting guilt to the jury. "I don't suffer from any mental illness," he told the court at the time.
If convicted, Oberhansley faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.