A Cheyenne woman has been sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison, for giving her husband a stab wound in January that would kill him four days later after he initially refused medical care.
Chantavia Renee Blanche in that dispute stabbed Brian Blanche in the abdomen with a knife. Chantavia claimed to police that Brian had smothered her nose and mouth for 30-40 seconds and pinned her to the kitchen counter before the stabbing, though officers found no evidence to corroborate this claim.
“Officer Inman was not able to find any physical marks of harm nor evidence on Chantavia to indicate a self-defense claim, nor to indicate she was assaulted or not able to breathe,” the case affidavit says.
The case is considered unusual in that investigators were able to interview Brian after the stabbing and before his death. He said the altercation stemmed from an argument that turned physical after Chantavia began stabbing beer cans with a knife.
Brian initially refused treatment from responders but later sought medical treatment at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. He died of complications four days later, after receiving surgery.
Sentencing
Blanche was originally charged with second-degree murder, and could have faced between 20 years and life in prison. She agreed to a plea deal which saw that charge changed to voluntary manslaughter.
Judge Nathaniel Hibben described the deal as a “cold plea,” which leaves the final sentencing details to a judge’s discretion.
Under the charge of manslaughter, which has a cap of 20 years in prison, Hibben ordered her to serve between seven and ten years in prison, according to a sentencing order filed Thursday in Laramie County District Court.
That sentence acknowledged she had received 276 days of credit for time served.
The judge also ordered Blanche to pay $4,068.50 in restitution fees, $1,000 in attorney fees and $200 to the victim compensation fund, the order says.
Letters
Among the filings in Blanche’s case was a letter submitted by her mother Angela Bolton. Bolton said Blanche had experienced a “rough childhood,” which led her to seek care at multiple "treatment facilities."
“She is not a criminal, she is someone who made a poor decision, one that she now has to face the consequences for,” Bolton wrote.
Also included was a letter from Brian’s brother LeClair Pearson. Pearson described Brian as a “natural athlete” who loved basketball and football.
“The pain of his loss has not subsided; I carry it with me every single day,” he wrote. “I asked that during her time served, Chantavia Blanche reflected deeply on her actions in taking the life of my brother."
Altercation
Brian had told investigators he tried to get Chantavia to stop stabbing the beer cans, which led her to threaten to kill him.
After Brian hid in the bathroom, Chantavia began stabbing the door before breaking it down by force. In trying to wrestle the knife away from her, Brian had his thumb cut.
Chantavia then paused her attack before stabbing him in the abdomen.
Investigators reported finding two knives in the home, one with a blunted tip and another with blood on it. There were also punctured beer cans littered about the place, according to investigators.
Brian was admitted to the intensive care unit on Jan. 21 and died Jan. 22 amid signs of acute respiratory failure, cardiac arrest and hemorrhagic shock about 14 hours after surgery.
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
