Joseph Oberhansley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Accused killer Joseph Oberhansley had a message for reporters as he was ushered into a Clark County courtroom Wednesday afternoon.

"The state prosecution knows I'm not guilty in this case," Oberhansley said. "That's why they dropped the death penalty."

He then went on to blame the 2014 killing of his ex-girlfriend on two black male suspects before he was ushered through the doors, according to a tweet by WDRB's Katrina Helmer.

Oberhansley's brief statement came just hours after a jury was chosen in his trial. 

He is accused of killing and dismembering Tammy Jo Blanton in her Jeffersonville home in September 2014. Court documents say he cooked and ate some of her organs. Because the high-profile case has received a lot of publicity since 2014, jurors were chosen from a pool of more than 120 prospective jurors in Noblesville, which is in Hamilton County, just north of Indianapolis. The jurors will be sequestered for the duration of the trial. 

"It's amazing how many of the jurors here heard of the case or had knowledge of the case, even this far north," Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull said during the selection process. 

Mull said 15 jurors, including three alternates, were selected Wednesday to serve on the trial. The jury was seated after two full days of jury selection. He believes the jury will be fair and impartial, but Oberhansley's attorney is worried his client does not have a shot at a fair trial because of his mental illness.

"He's delusional," Brent Westerfeld said. "And he remains delusional."

Opening statements began Wednesday afternoon. Mull described how he will be presenting evidence over the course of the trial to prove that Oberhansley intended to kill Blanton by viciously stabbing and slashing her. Mull also said that he will provide evidence to prove Oberhansley raped Blanton days earlier.

During Mull's opening statements, Oberhansley objected and said, "You have no proof of that."

Mull told the jurors that witnesses will testify that Blanton was trying to end the relationship after being raped, and that's when Oberhansley murdered her and then cooked and ate parts of her body.

"Mr. Oberhansley butchered Tammy like you wouldn't kill a livestock animal," said Mull, pointing at Oberhansley.

During the defense's opening statements, attorney Bart Betteau told the jurors that they were going to see very graphic evidence, including pictures of the "massive hole" in Blanton's head and chest. He told the jurors that they need to look at the evidence from every angle, including looking at it thinking what was in Oberhansley's mind at the time.

It has taken nearly five years for Oberhansley to stand trial, partly because of questions about his mental capacity to assist in his own defense. He was hospitalized for more than six months at Logansport State Hospital after a judge ruled he wasn't capable of participating in the trial.

In 2019, a report was filed from Logansport certifying that Oberhansley was competent and he was released back to police custody. In July, a Clark County judge ruled he was competent to stand trial and that the prosecution would not seek the death penalty.

Clark County's former prosecutor had planned to seek the death penalty but Mull told the court in June he no longer planned to pursue it, saying in a filing that there was a high risk of the case being overturned on appeal due to Oberhansley's mental status. He also indicated that Oberhansley's attorneys agreed not to use mental health information in his defense, based on Oberhansley's refusal to use an insanity defense.

Obrhansley’s attorney, Brent Westerfeld, has tried to withdraw from the case more than once. Judge Vicki Carmichael denied his latest request during Monday's proceedings. Oberhansley has accused his attorney of misrepresenting him and evidence. 

The first witnesses in the case are scheduled to appear on Thursday.

The trial could last through the end of August and into September.

Copyright 2019 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.