Tree-trimmer found guilty in throat slashing murders in California

A California tree-trimmer has been found guilty of brutally murdering three people in a violent spree, according to the Tehama County District Attorney.

The DA said that Ryan Scott Blinston had worked at the homes of some of his victims. Blinston also killed an acquaintance and lit her car on fire, Fox 40 reported. 

After working for them, he returned to the home of elderly couple Loreen and Homer Severs – 88 and 91, respectively – and slashed their throats on May 18, 2020. Loreen died immediately, but Homer survived the attack, later dying due to an unrelated illness in December of that year, authorities said.

Nearly a month later, Blinston worked on the home of Sandra George, 82, before allegedly returning to slit her throat as well. 

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The burned body of the acquaintance, Vicky Cline, 57, was discovered in June 2020 with a slashed throat, according to officials. Blinston had lit her car on fire.

Cline was last seen alive with Blinston on June 6, 2020. She was found more than two weeks later when a fisherman retrieved her body from the Feather River, officials said. 

Blinston was arrested in June 2020 after police located him at a motor home in Butte county, the DA said. He was attempting to break into the home of a man with whom he had been staying with by using a hatchet when officers arrived to arrest him. He had tried to slit the man’s throat, but the man was able to lock Blinston out after the attempted assault. 

He tried to flee the scene, but officers were able to find him in nearby woods and carried out the arrest. 

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He will face life without parole for the murders of clients Loreen Severs and Sandra George, and acquaintance Vicky Cline. He was also convicted on two counts of attempted murder, arson and resisting arrest.

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Since the killings took place in both Butte and Tehama counties, the Tehama County DA and the Butte County DA agreed to combine the charges and have the case tried in front of a Butte County jury.

Fox News’ Peter Aitken contributed to this report.