Ryan Scott Blinston convicted of three murders and two attempted murders

Ryan Scott Blinston.

The jury convicted a California man of murdering three women and attempting to kill two men in a spate of violence. The extent of the horror had prosecutors called Ryan Scott Blinston38, a “serial killer”.

He met three of the people through his work for a tree cutter, according to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office in their announcement Tuesday. Blinston would then return to their apartments to kill them. All five people suffered cuts to their throats as part of the violence in May and June 2020, authorities said.

The victims were either elderly or middle-aged. Slain Victim Loreen Severs was 88 and her husband Homer Severswho survived the attack but later died of an unrelated illness, was 91 years old.

Sandra GeorgeHe, who was an arborist customer like the Severs, was 82 years old.

The other people knew Blinston from their private lives, according to prosecutors. The office of the prosecutor described Vicky Cline, 57, as an acquaintance. The final victim – the only surviving person after all this time – was a 50-year-old man who lived in a camper van with Blinston. said the deputies.

“Butte County Assistant District Attorneys Niels Bringsjord and Mark Emmons called 35 witnesses to testify against Blinston, including experts in cell phone DNA and GPS technology, as well as forensic pathologists and an anthropologist,” prosecutors wrote. “Hundreds of pieces of evidence, including photographs, diagrams, surveillance video, phone records and business records were turned over to the jury.”

Blinston was part of a crew tending the Severs’ home in the community of Los Molinos on May 18, 2020. He returned four days later for what appeared to be a “reconnaissance trip” before returning to his town of Oroville, prosecutors said, citing cellphone GPS evidence. Blinston came to the couple’s home again on the 23rd, this time to kill them.

“Both had their throats cut,” prosecutors said. “Homer survived the attack but later died of an unrelated illness in December 2020.”

George’s death was similar. As of June 4, 2020, Blinston was part of a tree care crew working for her in Oroville. As before, he returned to the residence alone and killed her. As in the other case, he cut her throat.

Prosecutors found that the tree trimming company for which Blinston worked was cooperative in the investigation and prosecution.

He murdered acquaintance Cline, who was last seen with him on June 6, 2020 in downtown Oroville. Blinston set her car on fire, but investigators tracked him down using blood and DNA, prosecutors said.

“Her body was later discovered by a fisherman in the Feather River near Belden on June 21, 2020,” prosecutors said. “The damage to her neck was consistent with the other victim killings.”

SWAT officers were en route to an RV in Brush Creek to arrest Blinston on June 14, 2020 for arson. but as already reported, they said they arrived to find him banging on the residence with a hatchet. He tried to get back inside after slitting the throat of a 50-year-old man inside.

MPs said the unidentified 50-year-old man told them Blinston suddenly attacked him in his sleep and cut his throat.

Prosecutors in Butte and Tehama County agreed that the Butte County jury would hear the allegations.

Blinston was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and arson, prosecutors said. He faced a life sentence without parole. The sentencing was set for Wednesday, but online records show the hearing was vacated and rescheduled for June 13.

[Booking photo via Butte County District Attorney’s Office]

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