Willa Blanc

Case details

Willa Blanc was convicted after pleading guilty in a case involving the kidnapping of 73-year-old Walter Sartory, his death in her basement, and the burning of his body. Blanc received a life without parole sentence on January 4, 2012.

Blanc also used forged documents to raid Walter Sartory’s bank accounts after his death.

People

• Willa Blanc (50) — former cleaning lady; pleaded guilty; was sentenced to life without parole.
• Walter Sartory (73) — Hebron millionaire; kidnapped; later died; his burned body was found.
• Louis Wilkinson (30) — Blanc’s son; was charged in the case and was scheduled to stand trial later; previously described as facing a competency hearing.
• Linda Tally Smith — Commonwealth’s attorney; spoke at sentencing; also sought the death penalty.
• Boone Circuit Judge Tony Frohlich — imposed the sentence; presided over hearings and set trial dates.
• Joanne Lynch — Blanc’s attorney (public defender).
• James Gibson — Blanc’s attorney (public defender).
• Dorthea Smith — Blanc’s niece; attended the hearing.
• Elizabeth Kearley — Sartory’s online acquaintance/friend; spoke about Sartory and her relationship with him.
• Tom Scheben — Boone County, Kentucky sheriff’s deputy; commented on certainty of the remains and on the case.
• Jim Kidney — attorney for BMC Rentals; commented during a hearing about the van evidence.

Timeline

• January 10, 2010 — A report described Walter Sartory’s fear-driven life and stated that police said his body was chopped, driven across state lines, burned, and that only a charred pair of steel-rimmed spectacles was recovered.
• June 22, 2011 — Boone Circuit Judge Tony Frohlich set the trial for January 26, 2012; prosecutors sought the death penalty for Willa Blanc and Louis Wilkinson.
• December 3, 2009 — Prosecutors planned to seek the death penalty for Willa Blanc, in connection with kidnapping, drugging and killing Walter Sartory.
• December 1, 2011 — Willa Blanc pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement for life in prison without parole.
• January 4, 2012 — Willa Blanc was sentenced to life without parole; she was not eligible for parole.
• March 13, 2009 — A report said Sartory’s body was found in an Indiana field.
• March 14, 2009 — Authorities arrested Willa Blanc and Louis Wilkinson at a Sharonville motel.
• March 15, 2009 — Remains believed to be Walter Sartory’s were found in Morgan-Monroe State Forest in Paragon, Morgan County, Indiana.
• February 17, 2009 — Investigators believed Walter Sartory was taken to Blanc’s basement.
• February 18, 2009 — Authorities believed Blanc began taking Sartory’s money by having her name added to his bank account.
• February 22, 2009 — Investigators believed Sartory died by this date.
• February 26, 2009 — Friends reported Walter Sartory missing; an investigation involved more than 25 sheriff’s deputies.
• Mid-February 2009 — Prosecutors described the kidnapping as occurring in mid-February 2009.
• March 4, 2009 — Sartory was reported missing on this date.

The offence

Willa Blanc kidnapped 73-year-old Walter Sartory and held him in her basement. Investigators believed Sartory was taken to the basement of Blanc’s Union home in mid-February and died about a week later. Investigators said he was duct taped to a chair and that Blanc and Wilkinson later drove his body to Indiana and burned it.

Blanc was also linked to exploitation of Sartory after his death. Investigators stated that after Sartory’s death, Blanc used forged documents to raid his bank accounts, transferring money into her name.

Investigators also described evidence of abuse of Sartory’s corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

Investigation

After friends reported Sartory missing, an investigation involved more than 25 sheriff’s deputies. The investigation started after Sartory’s friends in Virginia reported him missing, and by that time authorities said Sartory was already dead.

Authorities searched Blanc’s home after her arrest and observed items described as including legal and medical books and a book titled “How to Choose Your Prey” or along those lines.

Investigators believed that:

• Sartory was taken to Blanc’s basement in mid-February and died about a week later.
• Blanc and Wilkinson drove Sartory’s body to Indiana in a 50-gallon plastic trash can.
• They told friends they needed to burn a dead dog.
• Blanc began taking Sartory’s money when she had her name added to his bank account.

A report also described that Sartory’s living room was converted into a monitoring station full of computers analysing radio signals, and that the rest of the house contained “to do lists” for daily tasks, along with books about the law.

Arrest and custody

Willa Blanc and Louis Wilkinson were arrested at a motel in Hamilton County, Ohio, in early March 2009.

After Blanc’s arrest, police said she was in the process of transferring more than $1 million from Sartory’s bank account to hers when both accounts were frozen on Wednesday.

Blanc was held on $4 million bond, and Wilkinson was held on $1 million bond, both in Ohio.

Later reports stated Blanc was facing bond discussions in Boone Circuit Court and that she was held on $10 million bond; Wilkinson was held on $5 million bond.

During the arrest period, Blanc told a public defender that Wilkinson was “of low mental functioning and would be unable to invoke his own right to counsel.”

Trial

Charges described in the case

Willa Blanc and Louis Wilkinson were accused and described as facing charges that included:

• murder
• kidnapping
• abuse of a corpse
• exploitation of an adult
• raiding accounts after Sartory’s death
• tampering with physical evidence

Blanc was also described as charged with knowing abuse or neglect of an adult.

Plea and related matters

Blanc pleaded guilty to avoid the chance of being sentenced to death if convicted.

As part of her plea, Blanc agreed to sit down with Commonwealth’s attorney Linda Tally Smith and two detectives to clear up remaining questions in the case. Tally Smith said the hours-long interview was “not productive” while still meeting the terms of the agreement, and she said it was “clear that she’s found a way to try to describe the events in a way that paints her in a better light,” while adding, “But unfortunately the facts speak for themselves.”

According to the plea description, Blanc admitted that she:

• kidnapped Walter Sartory
• abused his corpse
• exploited him
• forged documents
• stole his money

She pleaded guilty to nine counts before Judge Tony Frohlich.

Sentencing

At sentencing, Willa Blanc stood silent as the judge sentenced her to life in prison.

Judge Tony Frohlich imposed a life without parole sentence on January 4, 2012. Under state law described in the case, kidnapping someone who is not released alive carried the same penalty as capital murder. Blanc was not eligible for parole.

Commonwealth’s attorney Linda Tally Smith said Blanc expressed no remorse in court for the death of Walter Sartory and that she had not shown any remorse to date.

Tally Smith stated:

“There’s a difference between feeling bad for what happened and feeling bad for the fact that you got caught,” she said. “She’s a very proud person, and I think in her own mind she’s found justification.”

Blanc’s attorneys were identified as public defenders Joanne Lynch and James Gibson. They did not want to comment after the guilty plea and sentencing.

Victim background cited at sentencing

At sentencing, Sartory’s burned body was described as found in March 2009 in Indiana, about two weeks after friends from an Internet bulletin board reported him missing.

Elizabeth Kearley, of Charlotte, N.C., said she met Sartory online 16 years ago and described Sartory’s mental health as including paranoid schizophrenia and a severe social phobia.

Kearley said:

“He had a heart of gold. He had no reason to be killed like that,” Kearley said.

Appeals

No appeals were included in the provided material.

Outcome

Willa Blanc pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without parole on January 4, 2012.

Aftermath and related civil matter

After Sartory’s death, Blanc used forged documents to raid his bank accounts, getting more than $200,000.

A federal lawsuit hoping to recover money was filed in April, according to the material. The suit alleged that Fifth Third Bank and Fidelity Investments should have known that documents, including a power of attorney, were fake. The suit was described as in the process of being settled according to federal court records.

The suit also blamed Fifth Third for giving Blanc access to Sartory’s safe deposit box, from which she removed 13 gold coins worth $950 each.

A report also stated that Blanc transferred $210,000 from Sartory’s Fifth Third account and had access to a Fidelity account with $1.3 million, as described by investigators.

Other details

Defence and procedural details

• A pretrial hearing in the case was scheduled for Sept. 7.
• Trial had been scheduled twice before and was pushed back because prosecutors and defense attorneys were waiting on laboratory results.
• Boone Circuit Judge Tony Frohlich set the trial for Jan. 26, 2012.
• Wilkinson was scheduled for a hearing to decide if he was fit to stand trial, and a competency hearing was scheduled for Jan. 7.

Statements about motive and characterizations

Commonwealth’s attorney Linda Tally Smith said:

“Unfortunately, Walter Sartory died at the hands of two people because they were greedy,” Tally Smith said. “It was unadulterated greed.”

Tally Smith also described Sartory as having worked hard, saved his money, and invested it wisely, stating:

“It’s extremely sad, and it demonstrates that some people’s greed can cause them to do things that none of us could ever imagine,” Tally Smith said.

Clothing and courtroom presence described around plea and sentencing

One report described Blanc as standing silent as the judge sentenced her and noted that Blanc wore Versace eyeglasses with a gray-and-black striped jail uniform during her guilty plea hearing.

Family presence

Five of Blanc’s family members attended the hearing. Her niece, Dorthea Smith, stood while Judge Tony Frohlich imposed the sentence. Dorthea Smith said:

“She’s a very nice person, loving,” said Smith. “Right or wrong, she took responsibility for her actions and she did it with pride and I’m proud of her.”