Category: Local

03/11/2008 Donna Blanton retrial news roundup — Jury recommends life.

Roundup: The Free Lance–Star: Jury finds Blanton guilty

and: The Free Lance–Star: Jury recommends life sentence for Blanton:

A jury here recommended this morning that Donna Blanton serve life in prison in the death of her husband Taylor.

[…]

“He’ll never know my grandchildren. He’ll never be at my wedding,” said Katy Blanton, 20. “He was stolen from me.”

Joel Blanton was 14 when his dad was killed.

“The chance to have a man-to-man conversation with my father was ripped away from me,” said Joel, now 18. “The last memory I have is just standing over his lifeless body, and it’s horrible.”

[…]

Defense attorney Mark Murphy asked the jurors to “consider this entire picture.”

I have a feeling that Mark Murphy wishes he had the previous jury this week…

Jacob McHale returned safety, mother turns herself in, Matthew Borowski still at large.

WFLS News: Mother returns missing Stafford child:

Jacob McHale was believed to have been abducted by his mother, Carianne McHale and her boyfriend, Matthew Borowski. Monday afternoon Stafford County deputies were called to the office of an attorney representing McHale. She turned herself in and turned Jacob over. He appears to be in good condition and is being returned to his grandparents who have custody.

What the ****? “[B]elieved to have been abducted”? Way to nail down the facts there. Here’s what The Free Lance–Star said:

According to police, the three suspects showed up at the grandparents’ home unannounced about 11 p.m. Thursday. Carianne McHale grabbed the child while one of the men knocked the grandfather to the ground and the other held the grandmother.

Jacob was “kicking and screaming” when the group left in the 2004 black Infiniti G-35 with Virginia tags KMU8121, officials said.

This useless WFLS story continued:

A second man in the case, Varun Sethi turned himself in Sunday night and is charged with conspiracy to commit abduction. He remains in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond. Carianne McHale faces charges of abduction, assault and battery, felony child neglect and conspiracy to commit abduction. Borowski still remains at large and faces the same charges as McHale. The car believed to be used in the abduction was located in northern Virginia by the FBI and impounded. Authorities believe it was nearby a residence where Borwski may have been staying

Donna Blanton guilty.

Yeah, I know, big surprise.

The Free Lance–Star: Jury convicts Blanton in husband’s death:

Donna Blanton was convicted this evening of first-degree murder in the death of her state trooper husband in Caroline. She was also convicted of use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

Sentencing proceedings will start tomorrow. She showed no emotion as the verdict was announced.

The jury returned its decision after about two hours of deliberations.

Check tomorrow’s Free Lance-Star for the full report.

UPDATED: One of the s-bags that abducted Stafford boy turns himself in.

UPDATE: Jacob McHale returned safety, mother turns herself in, Matthew Borowski still at large.

The Free Lance–Star: UPDATE: Suspect charged in child’s abduction:

One of three suspects in the abduction of an 8-year-old Stafford boy turned himself in last night.

Varun Sethi, 24, is charged with abduction, assault and battery and conspiracy to commit abduction. He’s being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

Police are still searching for Jacob and the two other people authorities believe are responsible for his disappearance.

03/10/2008 Donna Blanton retrial news #2

The Free Lance–Star: Blanton verdict may come today:

The jury could reach a verdict this afternoon in the case of the Caroline County woman charged with murder in the shooting death of her state trooper husband.

[…]

Donna Blanton has said since her husband’s death that an intruder broke into the home about 6 a.m. while she was in the bathroom. She told police that intruder then grabbed the gun and shot Taylor Blanton four times, killing him, before fleeing. Blanton said she then grabbed the gun the intruder had dropped on the ground and fired shots at him as he ran away.

Spencer, though, in his closing arguments, pointed out pieces of evidence testified to by witnesses throughout last week that he thought disproved that theory: a towel, found in the bathroom, with an imprint that matched that of the murder weapon; that there was no sign of forced entry into the home; no footprints found in the dew-covered grass; and the lack of dogs barking when everyone who knew the family said dogs barked when someone came into the home.

[…]

Spencer also addressed the motive for about half of his remarks, focusing on why he thought Blanton would have felt compelled to kill her husband. He said she had surmounting financial debt and a fear that her husband would leave her poor and homeless if he found out.

Spencer throughout the trial has said that Donna Blanton had not only her own high credit payments, but also that she took out credit cards in her husband’s name as well. Blanton’s daughters testified last week that they would hide the statements for those bills at their mother’s request.

[…]

This afternoon, Spencer will give a rebuttal to Murphy’s closing remarks and the jury will begin deliberations.

UPDATED: FBI called in for abducted Stafford boy.

UPDATE #3: Jacob McHale returned safety, mother turns herself in, Matthew Borowski still at large.

UPDATE #2: One of the s-bags that abducted Stafford boy turns himself in.

9News Now: Police Looking For Abducted Stafford Boy:

The FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have been called into the case of Jacob McHale. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office says the 8-year-old boy was abducted Thursday night from his granparents’ home.

Bill and Freida McHale have had custody of Jacob since shortly after he was born. They say the boy’s mother, Carianne McHale, was at their home for a regular visit Thursday night when she grabbed Jacob and ran. The McHale’s say Carianne was assisted by her boyfriend Matthew Borowski and his friend Varun Sethi. The two men are accused of holding and assaulting the couple.

Sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy says it is possible the boy is still in the area. Kennedy asked that anyone who sees the boy or the people who took him to call 540-658-4400.

UPDATE #1: The Free Lance–Star: Police seek third suspect in case of missing child:

A third suspect has been identified in the Thursday night kidnapping of an 8-year-old Stafford County boy who is still missing.

Varun Sethi, 24, of no fixed address, is accused of assisting the child’s mother and her boyfriend in forcibly abducting Jacob McHale from his home on Fence Post Road.

[…]

Stafford Sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy said authorities are becoming increasingly concerned in part because Jacob has chronic asthma and his abductors took neither his medication nor his nebulizer.

Funeral Arrangements for Yvonne Reedal

The Free Lance–Star: Yvonne N. Reedal:

Yvonne Newton Reedal, 39, of Port Royal died Friday, March 7, 2008, at home after a long battle with cancer.

Yvonne was born April 18, 1968, at Mary Washington Hospital. She graduated from Caroline High School in 1992. Yvonne was a very community-minded and loving person. Since she was 15, she volunteered her time to many fire and rescue organizations and rose through the ranks in the Port Royal Volunteer Fire Department to captain and life member. She worked as a 911 dispatcher for Caroline County since 1993. She married Mike in April 1994 and had a beautiful son in January 1995.

She is survived by her husband, Mike, and son Kyle; her father, Ronnie “Nubby” Newton Sr. and his wife, Kathy, of Stafford County; her stepfather, Buck Caldwell of Port Royal; a sister, Rhonda Parrish and her husband, Scotty, and their three sons, Bradley, Christopher and Cody, of Henderson, N.C.; three brothers, Ronnie Newton Jr. and his wife, Kathy, and their two sons, Dylan and Ryan, of Ladysmith, Dana Newton, and his friend, Kaci, and Baby Collin of Stafford, and Justin Newton of Stafford; her maternal grandmother, Margie Serrett of Woodford; her paternal grandparents, George and Ruby Newton of Stafford; and three stepbrothers, Chris Caldwell of Florida, Patrick Caldwell of Kentucky and Jason Carter of Kentucky. She was preceded in death by her son Jonathon Newton and her mother, Betty S. Caldwell.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 11, at Bowling Green Baptist Church with the Rev. Willis Dempsey officiating. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, at Storke Funeral Home, Bowling Green.

The family requests that memorial contributions be made to a fund established for Kyle Reedal, c/o Union Bank & Trust, Box 446, Bowling Green, Va. 22427, or at any Union Bank & Trust branch.

Sign register book online at storkefuneralhome.com.