Cheyenne Blanton

Case Summary

On February 22, 2008, Cheyenne Blanton and her boyfriend Joseph Nagle broke into the residence of a high school classmate. The break-in was part of a scheme to steal a car and run away to New York City. The victim, a minor who lived at the residence with her mother, was at  home at the time of the break-in.

The victim was bound by her hands and feet and gagged. She was beaten over her entire body with a baseball bat and fists. She was repeatedly kicked, which caused serious physical injury requiring hospital treatment. Blanton and Nagle shaved the victim’s head and her eyebrows, placed her in a cold shower, and made her walk in the snow, soaking wet and barefoot, in the freezing temperatures. The crazed couple repeatedly humiliated, terrorized and tortured the victim over several hours, including photographing her during the attack. At times, the beatings were so severe that the victim vomited. Blanton and Nagle stole personal property and jewelry.

Blanton and Nagle planned to rob the victim’s mother of her car keys by stomping on the victim’s foot, so that she would cry out, and lure her mother inside the residence when she arrived home from work. Nagle intended to render the mother unconscious with the baseball bat when she entered the home. When the victim’s mother returned home, Blanton stomped on the victim’s foot, causing her to scream. However, instead of going into the residence, the victim’s mother ran next door to call the police. Blanton and Nagle were later arrested.

Blanton, a juvenile who was 17 years old at the time of the crime, pled guilty to multiple charges and received a stated sentence of 44 years in prison.

In 2021, Ohio passed legislation that reduced minimum sentences for most juvenile offenders. Since Blanton’s offenses were non-homicide related, she became eligible for parole after serving only 18 years of her 44-year stated sentence.