Following a trial, 37-year-old Neely Raye Pesognellie Petrie-Blanchard was found guilty of Murder in the First-Degree with a Firearm.
Pesognellie Petrie-Blanchard represented herself in her murder trial of 50-year-old Christopher Hallett; jurors deliberated on Friday, April 19, 2024, for roughly 30 minutes before finding the woman guilty.
Petrie-Blanchard was indicted by a grand jury back in 2021 for one count of Premeditated Murder in the First Degree with a Firearm.
Petrie-Blanchard had originally been arrested on November 16, 2020, in Lowndes County, Georgia, after a deputy with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office noticed a vehicle matching the description of the BOLO entered into the national information center by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).
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MCSO officials had previously secured an arrest warrant on Petrie-Blanchard, who was determined to be the suspect in the homicide of Christopher Hallett just a day prior.
MCSO officials had responded to a residence off SW 34th Court Road in Ocala in reference to a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the victim, Christopher Hallett, deceased on the kitchen floor from numerous apparent gunshot wounds.
Eyewitnesses on the scene identified the shooter as Petrie-Blanchard. The witnesses stated to investigators that they had heard what they believed to be a firecracker go off.
Upon further inspection, they exited their room into the living room, where they observed the victim near the kitchen, with a pained look on his face while Petrie-Blanchard was standing behind him holding a black pistol.
The witnesses told officials that Petrie-Blanchard had turned and aimed the gun at them, attempting to shoot, but the firearm jammed, giving them the opportunity to flee to safety.
Both witnesses revealed that Petrie-Blanchard stated something to the effect of “You’re hurting my children” prior to firing off additional shots.
It was later learned that Petrie-Blanchard had enlisted the help of Christopher Hallett in a last attempt to regain custody of Petrie-Blanchard’s children. Both Petrie-Blanchard and the victim were determined to be associated with and conducted activities consistent with the practices of the Sovereign Citizen movement, as well as the group QAnon.
Based on the totality of the circumstances from the eyewitness accounts and the physical evidence collected at the scene, an arrest warrant was issued for Petrie-Blanchard.
After her trial, Petrie-Blanchard was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Herndon to Life in prison and was taken into custody and remanded in the Marion County Jail to await her transport to the Florida Department of Corrections.
“I want to thank the jurors for their diligence during the trial,” said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. “Being called upon to serve as a juror is one of the highest forms of community service. I also want to thank the prosecutors who worked tirelessly to seek justice on behalf of the victim and on behalf of the people of the great state of Florida.”
Assistant State Attorneys Amy Berndt and Toby Hunt successfully prosecuted the case.
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