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Sequestered jury headed to Clark Co. in alleged cannibal trial

Joseph Oberhansley is accused of killing Tammy Jo Blanton in 2014.

CLARK COUNTY, Ind. — The jury has been selected in an alleged cannibal trial and they are headed to Clark Co.

The jury is made up of 12 jurors and three alternates.

Joseph Oberhansley is accused of eating his ex-girlfriend's, Tammy Jo Blanton, organs after raping and stabbing her to death in 2014.

“This is five years in the making, it's long overdue. The family is ready for justice, and I'm excited to finally get the opportunity to get Tammy Blanton justice in this case,” said Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull.

The jury selection process took most of Monday and Tuesday in Hamilton County, two hours north of Indianapolis. Judge Vicki Carmichael decided to have the jury selection there to make sure Joseph Oberhansley would have a fair trial.

MORE | Trial for man accused of killing, eating ex-girlfriend to begin Wednesday; jury sequestered

MORE | Death penalty off the table for Indiana man who killed, ate parts of girlfriend

“If we were to pick a jury in Clark County, people who had read news accounts of the case, that could seriously imperil any verdict that we obtained in the case, and it could be overturned. Therefore, it was necessary to move a couple of hours north and have a different group of people to choose from,” Mull explained.

He said that as of lunchtime, ten jurors had been selected. They still needed to choose six more. That would mean 12 jurors and four alternate jurors.

In 2017, there was a question of Oberhansley’s competency.

First, he was deemed unfit to stand trial, but after court-ordered treatment, a state physiatrist said he could in 2018.

A deal between Oberhansley and Clark County prosecutors took the death penalty off the table, but it means the man accused of cannibalism cannot plead insanity.

“I can, upon a conviction, if that occurs, get a sentence of life without parole where Mr. Oberhansley is never back out on the street again.”

Opening statements, in this case, are expected Wednesday afternoon. They will not be allowed access to electronics.

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