Photo: Ryan Scott Blinston
Originally published as a Tehema County Deputy Sheriff’s Association Facebook post –
“A Butte County jury this morning returned guilty verdicts on an Oroville man accused fo a series of murders and attempted murders in Butte and Tehema counties.
Ryan Scott Blinston, 38, of Oroville was convicted by the seven-man five-woman jury after deliberations began late yesterday afternoon and continued this morning. He was found guilty opf theree counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, arson and resisting arrest.
35 witnesses were called includung experts in DNA and cellphone GPS technology, as well as forensic pathologists and an anthropologist. Hundreds of pieces of evidence, including photos, diagrams, surveillance videos, phone data, and business records were given to the jury. Blinston did not testify.
The evidence established that Blinston worked for a tree-trimming service and was part of a work crew at the Los Molinos home of Loreen Severs, 88, and Homer Seevers, 91, on May 18, 2021. After the job was over, later GPS cellphone evidence showed, Blinston returned on an apparent “scouting trip” to Sever’s home on May 22. 2020 before returning to Oroville.
The following morning of May 23, Blinston went back to Los Molinas, killed Loreena and attempted to Homer after a forced entry into their home. Both had their throats cut. Homer survived the attack but later died of an unrelated illness in December of 20200.
Prosecutirs showed that Blinston was again part of a tree-trimming work crew that servied the home of Sandra George, 82, in Oroville on June 4, 2020. After the work was completed, ZBlinston returned alone to George’s home and killed her. As with the Severs, he throat was slashed.
The tree-trimming service that employed Blinston cooperated with the investigation and prosecution.
The jury was furthewr shown that on June 6, 2020, Vicky Cline, 57, an acquiantance of Blinston, was last seen alive with him in downtown Oroville. An arson fire destroyed Cline’s car later that night. Blood and DNA evidence on and in Blinston’s car forensically matched back to Cline, Her body was later discovered by a fisherman in the Feather River on June 21, 2020.
In the final counts, Blinston was convicted of attempting to murder a 50-year-old man in the man’s Brush Creek motorhome on June 14, 2020 while aButte County Sheriff’s SWAT team was approaching to arest Blinston for the Cline arson. Blinston fled but was taken into custody after a brief but violent struggle.
Blinston faces a mandatory term of lif ein prison without the possibility of parole. He is being held without bail.
