Man Admits Killing Ex-Girlfriend, Eating Her Organs

A Jeffersonville, Indiana man who was previously convicted of killing a girlfriend and accused of another brutal slaying appeared in court on Monday afternoon. Joseph Oberhansley, 33, was arraigned Monday in connection with the slaying of Tammy Jo Blanton, 46, and he did this after being released from jail in 2012. Oberhansley has a violent history, including killing his 17-year-old girlfriend and shooting his mother. He should never have been released from prison.

[su_center_ad]An affidavit states that Oberhansley admitted to police that he broke into Blanton’s home and stabbed her multiple times and killed her.

After killing her, he removed parts of her skull and brain, heart and part of a lung. The document added that Oberhansley told detectives he cooked and ate the organs.

While in court on Monday, Oberhansley told the judge that his name is Zeus Brown and he doesn’t know if he’s a U.S. citizen. He claims the police have the wrong guy.

“After being a prosecutor for so long, you think you’ve seen everything and this is one of those cases where, I’ve never seen this, where a defendant is alleged to have removed and eaten flesh of a murder victim,”  Clark County Prosecutor Steve Stewart said.

Blanton called police at 2:52 to report Oberhansley was trying to get into her home, according to court documents.

Police told Oberhansley to leave and he complied.

“Ms. Blanton talked to officers and said they had had a recent fight and she was breaking up with him. She had changed the locks and wanted him off the property,” Jeffersonville Police Detective Todd Hollis said.

Blanton’s co-worker called the police after she failed to show up for work, according to the affidavit. One co-worker tried to call Blanton’s cellphone, but a man who claimed to be her brother answered. The co-worker told police she did not believe the man was really Blanton’s brother.

When police arrived at the victim’s home, they noticed there were signs of forced entry at the back door.

WLKY reports:

The man who answered the door identified himself as “Joe” but said he didn’t have identification. Officers noticed a fresh injury on Oberhansley’s right hand and he was slow and deceptive when answering questions, according to the affidavit.

Officers asked Oberhansley to put his hands of the wall for a pat down, but instead he moved away from the wall and began reaching for his back pocket, the document said.

At that point, officers took physical control of Oberhansley and found a knuckled-grip folding knife with the blade extended in his back pocket, according to the probable cause affidavit. Officers said the knife had blood and hair on it, the document stated.

The probable cause affidavit said officers found Blanton’s body in her bathtub covered by a camping tent.

Blanton died of multiple blunt sharp force traumas to the head, neck and torso, according to the medical examiner, who also said the majority of her heart and a part of her lungs had been removed and a large section of brain was also missing.

Oberhansley was arrested earlier in the summer after police said he tried to strangle a man and led the authorities on a chase.

On that charge, the $25,000 bond was lowered to $5,000 and he paid the 10 percent — or $500 — and he was free, according to WLKY.

H/T: My BFF @ComgenKDT with thanks. [su_csky_ad]

D.B. Hirsch

D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.