Murfreesboro man accused of killing mother with baseball bat wants new trial

Mar 23, 2015 at 08:38 am by bryan


A man charged with first degree murder in Rutherford County and later plead guilty to second degree murder is asking for post-conviction relief. Roger Van Blarcom killed his 81 year old mother who lived near Sulpher Springs Road in Murfreesboro. After pleading guilty to second degree murder, he filed a notice with the Court of Appeals in 2015 suggesting he had ineffective assistance of counsel and that his guilty plea was not knowing and voluntary.

Looking back to what landed Van Blarcom behind bars... In 2009 Murfreesboro Police found 81-year old Loraine Van Blarcom lying in a pool of blood with her son standing over her. Police had to kick the door open to gain access to the Independence Way home.

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Loraine Van Blarcom was evidently asleep on the sofa when her son woke her up and asked her, "Do you want to go to heaven?" Roger Van Blarcom then beat her with a baseball bat. He then called 9-1-1 telling a dispatcher, "He would like to report a premeditated first degree murder," according to court documents. When police arrived, they found the mother in the garage. At the time, she was crying in agony. She later died as a result of the injuries received at the hands of her very own son.

Here is the 911 call that was made by Roger Van Blarcom...

The courts did not agree that Van Blarcom's received ineffective counsel and did not grant him a new trial as he requested this March (2015). He will remain behind bars until the age of 74. He is currently behind bars at the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility next to Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville.

Source:

Nashville Court of Appeals: No. M2012-00949-CCA-R3-PC

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