An Oklahoma man will now serve a life sentence after pleading guilty to killing three people. The murder scene included a woman whose heart was cut out of her chest, and apparently eaten.
The three murders happened weeks after being released from prison as part of a mass commutation effort.
Oklahoman pleads guilty to killing 3, cutting heart from one https://t.co/DwyRd0H6PO
— AKA LAURA (@SemiAutoLaura) March 16, 2023
Lawrence Paul Anderson, 44, pleaded guilty in the Grady County District Court to three counts of murder and single counts of maiming and assault and battery.
On the request of the victim’s families, a plea deal was offered to Anderson in which he was given life in prison and prosecutor Jason Hicks dropped plans to seek the death penalty.
“They don’t want a trial,” Hicks said of the Families at a news conference. “They don’t want to sit in a courtroom and listen to all the gory details of what happened to their loved ones.”
Oklahoma cannibal, Lawrence Paul Anderson, pled guilty yesterday for the 2021 murders of his neighbor, Andrea Lynn Blankenship, his uncle Leon Pye and his four-year-old niece, Kaeos Yates, in Chickasa. Anderson cut out his neighbor’s heart then cooked it with potatoes for his… https://t.co/vA5EfwTkNO pic.twitter.com/vMznCTmMSm
— Southern Man (@MagicBelle1) March 16, 2023
Law enforcement officials state that Anderson broke into the home of Andrea Lynn Blankenship, 41, and fatally stabbed her. He then cut out her heart, taking it to the home of his uncle and aunt, Leon Pye and Delsie Pye.
Anderson cooked and tried to serve the dead woman’s heart to the Pyes when they questioned him he then turned on his own family. Anderson fatally stabbed his uncle, Leon Pye, 67, and Pye’s 4-year-old granddaughter, Kaeos Yates. According to authorities, Delsie Pye was wounded but later recovered from her injuries.
During sentencing Delsie Pye, 66, said she is heartbroken. The gentle lady could not understand how a family member would commit such a crime.
Today on #CrimeStories: a CANNIBAL next door?! An Oklahoma man released from prison after serving 9 yrs of a 20yr sentence does the unthinkable just weeks after his release. Tune into Crime Stories with Nancy Grace on Apple Podcast at 2pm ET!
????: https://t.co/bFtA1OU5z7 pic.twitter.com/Ax3GMsimv8
— Nancy Grace (@NancyGrace) March 26, 2021
Tasha Yates, the mother of Kaeos Yates, was more forceful in her courtroom appearance. She cursed her cousin before rushing out of the courtroom.
“Who kills a baby … who does that?” Yates yelled.
Anderson was released from prison less than a month before the attacks after his 20-year prison sentence for drug-related crimes was commuted by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
A grand jury investigation later found Anderson was wrongly placed on the commutation docket in August 2019 after the board in July 2019 rejected his commutation request. According to board rules an inmate must wait three years before reapplying for commutation.
