CLARK COUNTY, Ind. — The state and defense have begin seating the jury in the second trial of Joseph Oberhansley, the southern Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, dismembering and eating parts of her body in 2014.
As of 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, six jurors have been seated, according to the Clark County court clerk's office.
Oberhansley was charged in 2014 with murder, rape and burglary in the death of Tammy Jo Blanton, 46. Investigators said Oberhansley killed Blanton at her home in Jeffersonville.
The state and defense traveled to Allen County, Indiana, near Fort Wayne, to select the jury due to the increased publicity this case has received. The first jury pool was from Hamilton County, just north of Indianapolis, but attorneys found many of the potential jurors there had already heard about the case.
Oberhansley's first trial was scheduled for last August but the judge declared a mistrial on the first day after a witness testified about information that the state and defense had agreed to leave out of the trial because it could unfairly sway the jury.
After the mistrial, Oberhansley's attorneys filed a motion for a competency evaluation for their client. Oberhansley was evaluated in January and found to be incompetent for trial. After a stay at Logansport State Hospital, which had to be delayed two months because of the coronavirus pandemic, Oberhansley had his competency restored in August.
The trial, which will be held in Clark County, is expected to start either late this week or next week.
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