Blanch receives Life in Prison Without the Possibility of Parole

 

 

For Immediate Release:

Douglas County District Attorney David McDade announces a guilty verdict in the State’s case against 36 year old Andrew Columbus Blanch. On Monday, a Douglas County jury took less than an hour to return guilty verdicts on one count of Aggravated Sodomy, one count of Aggravated Battery, and one count of Robbery.

According to evidence presented at trial by Assistant District Attorney Nedal Shawkat, on Friday night, December 12, 2003, the victim, an 18 year old Douglasville man, was walking North on Fairburn Road to the Shell gas station at the corner of Fairburn Road and Church Street, just blocks from his family’s home. Just before he reached the gas station, Blanch came out of the brushy vacant lot and began harassing the victim, asking him if he wanted or had any drugs. When the victim attempted to go around Blanch, Blanch viciously attacked and brutally beat the young man.

According to the victim’s testimony, he was struck in the back of the head and fell to the ground. Blanch continued to punch him in the face while on the ground, then forcibly sodomized him and took his wallet containing $22.00 and his driver’s license.

Before leaving, Blanch threatened to kill the victim if he told anyone. The victim testified this threat haunted him for years because Blanch had his driver’s license. When the victim felt confident Blanch was gone, he ran into the Shell gas station where the clerk called 911. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was treated for severe facial fractures and a sexual assault kit was performed. His severe facial injuries required reconstructive surgery.

A Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Division of Forensic Sciences (DoFS) analysis of the sexual assault kit provided a sample of the defendant’s DNA which was then added to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) to be compared with the offender database. However, in 2004 there was no match.

In 2006, Blanch was paroled from a prison sentence he was serving for an unrelated charge. Georgia law requires all incarcerated convicted felons to submit a DNA sample which is then added to the CODIS offender database. As Blanch was paroled in 2006, a DNA sample was taken. Within a few weeks, CODIS matched Blanch’s DNA profile to the December 12, 2003 attack in Douglasville. That match was confirmed through a second sample obtained from Blanch pursuant to a search warrant executed the Douglasville Police Department. After confirmation, Blanch was arrested and held until trial.

During the trial, several witnesses testified they too had been attacked by Blanch in the past. One woman stated that Blanch came into her home demanding drugs and when she said that she didn’t have any, he beat and raped her. Two others testified about sexual assaults that Blanch committed on men while he was incarcerated in the Douglas County Jail.

“I’m thankful for the strength and courage the victim showed in seeing this prosecution through to the end, in bringing Blanch to justice, and in helping make Douglas County a safer place.” stated Shawkat. “The jury’s verdict speaks for itself. I’m pleased that they saw what we saw in the evidence and were able to say to this defendant that this crime will not be accepted in Douglas County.”

Superior Court Judge David T. Emerson, who presided over the trial, sentenced Blanch to Life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Aggravated Sodomy, plus a consecutive 20 years for the Aggravated Battery and a consecutive 10 years for the Robbery, all without the eligibility of parole.

“Nedal Shawkat did an exceptional job in prosecuting a very emotional and difficult kind of case,” said District Attorney David McDade.