A Chattooga County jury convicted Ricky Lamar Blackmon on February 19 of raping and sexually abusing a child family member. Chief Superior Court Judge Brian House sentenced him to life in prison immediately after the verdict.
What’s Happening: The three-day trial ended with Blackmon, 46, guilty on all seven counts, including rape, incest, and child molestation. Judge House ordered the first 30 years served without the possibility of parole.
What’s Important: The abuse began when the victim was 12 years old. She first told a friend’s mother in February 2020, who reported it to the Department of Family and Children Services. The department then notified local law enforcement.
How This Affects Real People: Victim Witness Advocates Ashley Nicholson and Jordan Thomasson, along with Chief Investigator Christy Smith of the District Attorney’s office, supported the victim and her family throughout the trial.
What We Know: The child was interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center by forensic interviewer Janet Burch. She told Burch that Blackmon had taken topless photos of her and touched her inappropriately multiple times, starting when she was 12. After years of therapy, she also disclosed that Blackmon raped her at age 13.
Key Evidence: When Investigator Wendell Flood of the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Blackmon, he denied any wrongdoing and said his phone was at work when detectives asked to search it. He turned the phone over about a month later, but evidence showed he had wiped all data from it three days before doing so. The jury also saw text messages from the victim’s phone in which she confronted Blackmon about the abuse. He did not deny it in his responses.
