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Juan Ignacio Blanco  

 

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Omar BLANCO

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics: Armed Burglary
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder: January 14, 1982
Date of arrest: Same day
Date of birth: July 4, 1950
Victim profile: John Ryan
Method of murder: Shooting
LocationBroward County, Florida, USA
Status: Sentenced to death on June 21, 1982
 
 
 
 
 

Supreme Court of Florida

 
opinion 83829 opinion 85518 opinion SC03-1328
 
 
 
 
 
 

AKA: Omar Curro

DC# 084582
DOB: 07/04/50

Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, Broward County, Case #82-453
Sentencing Judge: The Honorable Stanton S. Kaplan
Attorney, Trial & Direct Appeal: Michael D. Gelety, Esq. - Private
Attorney, Collateral Appeals: Ira Still, Esq. - Registry 

Date of Offense: 01/14/82

Date of Sentence: 06/21/82

Circumstances of Offense:

The defendant, Omar Blanco, murdered the victim, John Ryan, by shooting him death in the Ryan’s home.

The victim’s 14-year-old niece, Thalia Vezos, testified that at approximately 11 p.m. on January 14, 1982, she was in bed in her Ft. Lauderdale home when she saw a man standing in hallway holding a gun and carrying a brown wallet-type object under his arm. 

He indicated that Vezos was to keep quiet.  He then cut the wires to her telephone and left the room.  Ryan appeared in the hall and tried to take the gun from the intruder.  Ryan was shot in the scuffle and landed on top of Vezos.  The intruder shot six more times, then fled.

A short while later police responding to a BOLO stopped Blanco, who was riding a bicycle, and arrested him.  A man’s purse containing Blanco’s ID papers and a watch belonging to Vezos was found near the door to Vezos’ bedroom.  On the day following the murder, Vezos identified Blanco in a lineup as the perpetrator.

Additional information:

Blanco was convicted in 1984 of an armed robbery he committed two weeks prior to the murder.

Trial Summary:

06/11/82          Defendant was found guilty of First-Degree Murder and Armed Burglary.

06/15/82          Upon advisory sentencing, the jury, by a vote of 8 to 4, recommended that the defendant be sentenced to death for the murder conviction.

06/21/82          Defendant was sentenced to death for the murder.  He also received 75 years imprisonment for the burglary conviction. 

Resentencing Summary:

05/05/94          Upon advisory sentencing, the jury, by a vote of 10 to 2, recommended                         that the defendant be sentenced to death for the murder conviction.

01/06/95          Defendant was sentenced to death.

Case Information:

Blanco in 1982 appealed the murder conviction and sentence to the Florida Supreme Court.  He appealed the armed burglary conviction and sentence to the Fourth District Court of Appeals the same year.  The DCA transferred the case to the Supreme Court, which consolidated it with the murder appeal.  The court affirmed the convictions and sentences in 1984.  The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in 1985.

Governor Graham signed a death warrant in January 1986.  That same month, the defendant filed a 3.850 motion with the trial court and asked the court for a stay of execution.  The trial court in February 1986 stayed the execution, but denied postconviction relief two months later.

The defendant petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus in February 1986 and appealed the denial of the 3.850 Motion to the court in May of that year.  In a consolidated opinion, the court in 1987 denied the habeas petition and affirmed the trial court’s denial of the 3.850 Motion.

Governor Martinez signed a second death warrant in August 1987.  Blanco petitioned U.S. District Court, Southern District, for a writ of habeas corpus.  The court granted a stay of execution and in 1988 remanded the case for a new sentencing hearing. 

The State appealed the decision to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and Blanco filed a cross-appeal.  The court affirmed the district court’s decision in 1991.  The State and Blanco then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari.  Both petitions were denied in 1992.

Blanco filed his second 3.850 Motion with the trial court in 1989, which the court denied in 1994.  In his appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, Blanco presented two claims:  that the trial court erred in denying the motion, and that the trial court erred in denying the motion to recuse the judge.  The appeal was held in abeyance pending the outcome of Blanco’s resentencing.  Following the resentencing in 1995, the Supreme Court in 1997 rejected both claims and affirmed the trial court’s ruling.

The defendant filed his second direct appeal with the Florida Supreme Court in 1995.  The court affirmed the sentence in 1997.  The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in 1998.

Blanco filed his third 3.850 Motion in 1999 that was denied on 07/01/03.  Blanco filed an appeal of that decision in the Florida Supreme Court on 07/31/03.

Floridacapitalcases.state.fl.us

 
 


Omar Blanco

 

 

 
 
 
 
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