Blanton

Blanton sentenced to life behind bars

BY ELLEN BILTZ

Date published: 8/27/2008

BY ELLEN BILTZ

Donna Blanton will spend the rest of her life in prison, a Caroline County judge ruled yesterday.

The 42-year-old woman was convicted by a Virginia Beach jury in March of killing her state trooper husband, Taylor Blanton, in the couple's bed in 2003.

The jury recommended that Blanton spend life in prison and pay a $100,000 fine for the murder conviction.

The jurors also sentenced her to spend an extra three years behind bars for a conviction of using a firearm in commission of a felony.

Caroline Circuit Judge Horace A. Revercomb III upheld that recommendation at yesterday's formal sentencing.

Neither Blanton's defense attorney Mark Murphy nor Caroline Commonwealth's Attorney Tony Spencer presented evidence at yesterday's hearing.

"Ms. Blanton does not want me to speak further as to the sentence to be imposed," Murphy said after also declining to argue for a specific amount of time.

Revercomb had presided over the jury trial in March and had heard all of the evidence. He deliberated for less than a minute yesterday before upholding the jury's recommendation.

Blanton was first charged in 2003 with her husband's murder after he was shot to death with his own gun.

She has said since the shooting that an intruder broke into the home, took her husband's gun and shot him to death.

But Spencer argued during the trial that financial difficulties gave Blanton a motive to kill her husband. There was also no evidence of forced entry into the couple's home.

Blanton's March trial took place in Virginia Beach because an impartial jury could not be found in Caroline County.

The case gained attention after Blanton was convicted in 2005, then won an appeal for a retrial.

Revercomb attempted to seat a jury in Caroline, but could not find enough jurors who did not know about the previous conviction.

The trial was then moved to Virginia Beach, where Spencer put on evidence for more than a week.

Taylor Blanton's mother, Betty Wade, said after the sentencing yesterday, "I'm just glad it's over."

"It's been a long, drawn-out process," she added.

Wade was one of many family members--from both Donna and Taylor Blanton's sides of the family--in attendance yesterday.

Donna Blanton, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and shackles, was joined by many of her family members in tears as she listened to Revercomb sentence her.

Murphy said Blanton plans to appeal her conviction.

Revercomb allowed her to be held at a local jail during the appellate process, as requested by Murphy.

Ellen Biltz: 540/374-5424
Email: ebiltz@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 8/27/2008

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