Judge: man accused of killing and eating parts of ex-girlfriend not competent for trial

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Joseph Oberhansley, the man accused of mutilating his ex-girlfriend in her Jeffersonville home in September 2014, has been ruled incompetent by the trial judge.

The ruling follows Oberhansley's latest competency evaluation late in 2019. Oberhansley’s attorney had asked for the latest evaluation in October.

For now, Oberhansley will remain in custody at the Clark County Jail in Jeffersonville. He will not stand trial unless unless he is later found competent.

Before the most recent competency evaluation, Judge Vicki Carmichael had set a trial date for Feb. 3, with a jury to be chosen from St. Joseph County, Indiana.

Carmichael declared a mistrial in Oberhansley's case in August, after a witness mentioned Oberhansley's past drug use during testimony. That information was not supposed to be admitted into the trial, as it could have prejudiced the jury, which was chosen from Hamilton County, Indiana.

Carmichael then stopped selection of a second jury because too many potential jurors said they were familiar with the case.

Oberhansley is accused of killing and dismembering Tammy Jo Blanton on Sept. 11, 2014, in her home in Jeffersonville. Court documents say he raped and stabbed Blanton before eating parts of her body.