Indiana man could face rape charge in ex-girlfriend’s death

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) – A southern Indiana man who told police he fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend, then cooked and ate some of her organs, may also face a rape charge in that attack.

Joseph Oberhansley is charged with murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of 46-year-old Tammy Jo Blanton last September.

The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky, reports that Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull on Tuesday asked for rape to be added to those charges. A judge will consider the request May 4.

Rape, burglary and dismemberment are among the aggravated circumstances required for an Indiana jury to consider the death penalty.

Court documents say 34-year-old Oberhansley told police he broke into Blanton’s home Sept. 11, killed and mutilated her, then ate her heart and parts of her lung and brain.