Zachary Blanchard was a sixteen year old from Tennessee who would fatally shoot his father
According to court documents Zachary Blanchard would ask for his fathers help outside in the yard. When the father came outside he would be fatally shot by Zachary
Zachary Blanchard would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to thirty years in prison in which he must serve twenty five years
Zachary Blanchard Photos
Zachary Blanchard Now
| Name: | ZACHARY BLANCHARD | ||
| Birth Date: | 02/13/1998 | ||
| TDOC ID: | 00571303 | ||
| State ID Number (SID): | 04155025 | ||
| Supervision Status: | INCARCERATED | Assigned Location: | BLEDSOE COUNTY CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX |
| Combined Sentence(s) Length: | 30 YRS 0 MTHS 0 DAYS | Supervision/Custody Level: | MINIMUM RESTRICTED |
| Sentence Begin Date: | 04/07/2014 | Sentence End Date: | 10/28/2039 |
Zachary Blanchard Sentencing
A Greene County teen admits to killing his own father and there will never be a clear explanation. News 5’s Kristi O’Connor was in the courtroom as shocking details of the shooting were confirmed. Eighteen-year-old Zachary Blanchard will be behind bars until his 40’s. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal with the state. He was originally charged with first-degree murder in the 2014 shooting death of his own father, Robert Blanchard. “It will never be closed, never. This is something I deal with daily,” Teresa O’Neil said.
She is the mother of Robert and grandmother of Zachary,O’Neil is still mourning the loss of her son, but has forgiven Zachary for taking his life. “I’ve made peace with that part, and I will be keeping up with him,” O’Neil said. Blanchard confirmed chilling details about what happened the night of April 2, 2014. It started when the then 16-year-old asked his father for help in their chicken coup. “He went back inside the house, washed his hands, retrieved his father’s .45 caliber pistol, went back to the chicken coup and shot his father,” Cecil Mills from the Greene County District Attorney’s Office said in court.
“They found Robert Blanchard, 37, laying in his chicken coup with a gunshot wound to the back of the head.” He admitted to taking his father’s credit cards, ammunition and guns, then texting three other juveniles he ran away with, it read “It is done.” The four teens ran from police before being caught in Newberry, South Carolina 2 days later. If the case went to trial, the state says Blanchard planned to claim his father was abusing him as part of his defense. “This defendant’s major defense would have been that he was being abused. He was trying to get away from emotional and or physical abuse,” Mills said in court. However, his family disagrees. “Never happened,” Teresa O’Neil said.
“Never happened. Robert was good to Zachary,” Robert’s Step-father Robert O’Neil said. When News 5’s Kristi O’Connor asked Teresa and Robert O’Neil why Zachary killed his father this was their responses:
“He wanted to go to the beach,” Teresea said.
“Peer pressure, kids putting peer pressure on him,” Robert said. Blanchard was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with the possibility of release on good behavior after 25 and a half years. The cases of the three other teens were handled in juvenile court.
https://wcyb.com/news/tennessee-news/greene-county-teen-admits-to-murder
Zachary Blanchard News
An East Tennessee teen charged with killing his father has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as jury selection was set to begin for his trial.
The Greeneville Sun ) reports 18-year-old Zachary Thomas Blanchard entered the plea Monday morning and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
He and three other teens were arrested in 2014 in South Carolina after a 10-hour search. They had apparently planned to go to Myrtle Beach.
Blanchard, who was 16 at the time, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 36-year-old Robert J. Blanchard at their home in Greene County. Police say he took his father’s van, money, several guns and ammunition.
Police say the other teens joined him after the shooting. Their cases were handled in juvenile court.
