Son Arrested For Killing Mother After Argument Over College Grades

A 22-year-old man home from college murdered his mother after a prolonged argument regarding his unacceptable grades, authorities in Alabama said Saturday.

Tyler Ryan Blansit called 911 on Friday afternoon, Mentone Police Chief Brad Gregg told CNN.

When the police arrived at the Blansit residence, they found Sherry Ann Blansit’s dead body in the back yard, Gregg said.

Tyler Blansit confessed to killing his mother, 45, after they got into an argument over grades, which went quite sour, said DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris. Blansit originally said he found his mother dead, before later admitting his guilt in her death.

Sherry Ann Blansit died of blunt force trauma, Brad Gregg said. Blansit used a baseball bat to murder his mother.

The mother’s body has been sent to Huntsville for an autopsy after the brutal murder.

Investigators say they found scratches on Tyler Ryan Blansit, a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, when they first met him at the scene of his mother’s death, WAFF said. Blansit was not arrested at the time for the murder, the investigators asked the public to identify possible suspects in the killing.

Blansit’s father was at work at the time of the death, Gregg said.

UAB confirmed Blansit’s attendance at the school. The directory lists him as a biology student.

Tyler Blansit was the couple’s only child, Gregg said.

Jimmy Harris, DeKalb County sheriff, said he could not remember the last murder case in the town. He figured the last killing must have been 20 or 30 years ago.

Mentone is a town of only 500 in northeast Alabama hence the lack of murder in the town. Blansit’s father said his son was home for several weeks in anticipation of his grades.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office worked this murder with the Mentone Police Department, district attorney’s office, and the Department of Forensics Science at Jacksonville State University.

“I especially want to thank the Mentone Police Department for their assistance on this case throughout the night. I also want to thank the DA office and the investigators from the Department of Forensic Science for coming to the scene and remaining with us until early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends during this tragic time,” Harris said in a statement in regards to the murder.

Blansit is now charged with murder and being held in the DeKalb County Detention Center. Bond has not yet been set for the killing.

[Image Source: DeKalb County Detention Center]