HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (Court TV) — An Ohio man was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend.
Before his trial began Monday, Blake Linkous pleaded guilty to killing 18-year-old Natalie Martin while on a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
FILE – Blake Linkous (Horry County Police Department)
The teens were on a group trip celebrating their recent high school graduation when Linkous strangled Martin on June 6, 2023, following an argument over her texting another man. In court Monday, prosecutors said the former couple had broken up weeks before the trip.
Other members of the group previously told Fox News that Linkous tried to take his own life after killing Martin.
While awaiting trial, Linkous was released on a $150,000 bond and the condition that he undergo a mental health evaluation and waive extradition to be on house arrest at his parents’ home in Ohio, reported WMBF.
Linkous, now 20, was facing up to life in prison if convicted at trial. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 45 years, which the judge said “was more than appropriate given the circumstances.”
