Son Killed Mother In Grades Dispute: Tyler Blansit ‘Snaps,’ Murders Mom With Baseball Bat
Police in Mentone say a University of Alabama at Birmingham student allegedly killed his mother during a heated argument about his grades on Friday. Reportedly, Tyler Ryan Blansit was arrested the next day for murdering his mom after confessing to the crime according to a CNN update.
According to DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris, Mentone emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from Blansit Friday afternoon. The caller was the son of Sherry Blansit, who said he killed his murder during a heated argument over his grades.
Police arrived shortly thereafter and found the mother dead in the backyard of their Alabama home. The residence is located in the northeast region of the state, and has a population of about 500. Blansit said his mother confronted him over his bad grades, they argued over the matter and he struck her with a baseball bat.
MORE: Investigators say Tyler Blansit admitted to hitting mother after argument over grades http://t.co/hZkREqrzts pic.twitter.com/dsINjZsaWa
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The man’s mom apparently died from “blunt trauma” to her head. Nonetheless, an autopsy will be performed, as is standard. Investigators found scratches on the son’s body, which indicates a struggle took place. He also had a swelling on his head. Harris described the murder scene as “brutal.” Also, this type of violent crime is something new to officers in the area.
“Usually we’ll have calls where a parent has whipped a child because of grades, a child has run away because of bad grades, but we’ve never had anything like this happen.”
Sheriff’s deputies spoke with Tyler’s father, who was not at home at the time his son’s mother was killed during the argument. He said Blansit had been home from college for two weeks. During that time, they were waiting for his grades to arrive.
Despite the confession made in the grisly slaying, police have enlisted the support of a specialized forensics team. A group from Jacksonville State University will join investigators in the collection and identification of evidence from the scene. Additionally, the investigating agency is reaching out to the public for assistance. According to Harris, his agency is asking for information from anyone who can help in their investigation, should it go to trial, and as per protocol.
“It’s just one of those things you can’t explain; we’ll never be able to explain what went through his mind, why he snapped and did this.”
Sources confirmed the mother’s age of 45. Additionally, records show that the son is enrolled at the UAB, where he is pursing a Bachelor’s degree in biology.
Currently, he is being held at the DeKalb County Jail without bond. It’s unknown if he has retained defense counsel.
[Photo: CBS News 12 via Twitter screenshot]
