Indiana adds rape to murder and cannibalism charges
A southern Indiana man who is facing a possible death penalty on charges that he killed his ex-girlfriend and ate part of her body has now been charged with raping her, the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper reported.
Joseph Oberhansley, 34, was charged last September in Clark County, Indiana, with breaking into the Jeffersonville home of his ex-girlfriend, Tammy Jo Blanton, murdering her and abusing her corpse by eating parts of it.
Jeffersonville is across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.
During a hearing on Monday, Judge Vicki Carmichael granted Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull's motion to add rape as an aggravating charge for jurors to consider if he is convicted of capital murder, the newspaper reported.
Carmichael also set Oberhansley's trial for Aug. 2, 2016, in Clark County Circuit Court, the newspaper reported. BI
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