Child Murder Suspect Ricky Blackwell Arraignment Delayed
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Child Murder Suspect Released From Hospital
Ricky Blackwell?s estranged wife says ?He Smiled At Me When He Did It?
Murder Victim Brooke Center
Published: July 16, 2009
Updated: July 16, 2009
**Thursday 8:25 a.m.**
The Spartanburg County magistrate’s office says Ricky Blackwell’s arraignment has been postponed. The Spartanburg County solicitor’s office requested to do the arraignment and bond hearing in circuit court. No date has been scheduled.
**Thursday 5:35am Update**
Ricky Blackwell is due in court on Thursday morning for his arraignment. A judge will read the charges against Blackwell to make sure he understands them and how the criminal justice system will handle his case.
Blackwell’s estranged wife is dating Brooke Center’s father. Investigators said Blackwell grabbed the girl and shot her four times right in front of his wife.
Angela Blackwell did not want to go on camera but gave News Channel 7 a statement about her husband being taken to jail. “I hope they keep him there for the rest of his life. He killed an innocent little girl. brooke was the sweetest girl in the world. And he smiled at me when he did it”, she wrote.
**Wednesday 1:35pm Update**
Angela Blackwell, the estranged wife of the suspect spoke with News Channel 7 Wednesday in an interview and said “I hope they keep him there for the rest of his life. He killed an innocent little girl. Brooke was the sweetest girl in the world. And he smiled at me when he did it.“
**Wednesday 1:15pm Update**
Ricky Lee Blackwell said nothing as he was taken into the Spartanburg County Jail. Blackwell was wearing a bullet proof vest. The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office says he wore the vest because of the nature of the crime. Blackwell is scheduled to be arraigned 11:00 a.m. Thursday morning.
**Wednesday 9:40am Update**
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office expects Ricky Lee Blackwell will be released from Spartanburg Regional Medical Center Wednesday.
Public Information Officer Tony Ivey expects Blackwell will have his arraignment Wednesday afternoon.
Reporting by Chris Cato, Rob Landreth
**Monday 10:30am Update**
Ricky Lee Blackwell is still a patient at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center on Monday.
Tony Ivey, Public Information Officer for the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, says doctors feel it may be later in the week before Blackwell may be released from the hospital.
Funeral services for a eight year old girl tragically shot and killed Wednesday was held Sunday afternoon in Duncan.
More than 500 bikers showed up to the funeral for Heather Brooke Center. “You look around look at the bikes that are here the love and passion of motorcyclists,“ Ira Barrett with Black Stallion Motorcycle Hearse said.
Rolling Thunder will be escorting the Black Stallion Motorcycle Hearse, which will be carrying Center’s body “The little girl loved riding bikes,“ Mike Dalton with Rolling Thunder said. “To give her one last going away present, her last ride, what better way to do it?“ “She is looking down and smiling from ear to ear,“ Ira Barrett said.
Investigators with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Rickey Lee Blackwell with first-degree murder after they say he went to a home on Ridings Road and shot Center four times during a domestic dispute. Blackwell then shot himself and is currently hospitalized and expected to survive. Solicitor Trey Gowdy says they will seek the death penalty against Blackwell.
Heather Brooke Center
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Reader Reactions
If she was flaunting this child in Ricky’s face, as shortyc says, and as I suspect in my own mind that she was, then she may as well have pulled back the hammer on the gun.
Sorry had a lil more to sat after i finished reading more comments. Heathers children WERE NOT OUTSIDE, THEY DID NOT WITNESS IT!!! And Angie told Rickey she was bringing Brooke with her! So befor eyou go running your mouth and accusing people, please get the full story, and the true story!!! AND YES GOD BLESS THE WHOLE FAMILY, AND HEATHER, YOU KNOW IM HERE WHEN U NEED ME! I LOVE YOU GIRL!!
Im not saying that what Rickey did is ok by any means. I am a close friend of the family and I know Big Rickey and Little Rickey, Heather, and Angie. I have been around them for about 2 years now and Little Rickey lived with me for a while and i have had numerous conversations with Big Rickey and Angie. I dont think it was right for Angie to be flaunting her boyfriends daughter in her soon to be ex husbands face. He really was a nice man, he was always polite to my children he treated my 3 year old daughter as if she was his own grandchild. I will never understand what he was thinking or why he did it. I just know that Angie was in the wrong to, everyone just letting it blow off but what she was doing was not right. Like I said what he did is not right by any means and i hope he rots for it, but Angie was in the wrong too, going between 2 men constantly will make the one u have been with for 30 some odd years go crazy and this is perfect example!
I think it was poor judgement on angies part to put the child in that situation, any time there’s a divorce or separation, emotions are distorted, depression,feelings of loss and usually these are the feelings of the abusive partner, justified or not. Bad time to tempt fate. Sorry it came to this. Prayers to the family.
You people are just so quick to blame Angie. Who knows, maybe the daughter told him that Brooke was coming to swim with her children and that he should stay home while she was there??? Maybe the daughter knew something might happen and tried to keep him from coming. If so, IS SHE NOW TO BLAME????? People just stop with the craziness. Angie brought Brooke to swim and play with her grandchildren, not to be killed by a lunatic. Ricky did this pure and simple. And then wasn’t man enough to end his own pathetic life - he just chose the way that he thought would get him some sympathy and buy him some time. He is an adult who made a stupid decision and it is his price to pay. Those were Angie’s grandchildren who saw what he did - you think that was part of her plan too??? You people are just too crazy for words. Let’s go ahead and speculate that their daughter called her dad and blame her.
Debjam..Felix…I so agree with you both. This tragedy has affected so many people. May God bless them all.
You are exactly right! Ricky needs our prayers and I know his family does too. His actions cannot be excused but they must be forgiven on a moral level if we are to be forgiven ourselves.
Felix- You are right it will be hard for us to figure out why all this happened. As my grandmother use to say “honey it will all come out on wash day.“ Justice will be served but we need to pray for all involved in this even the shooter “Ricky” as hard as it may be for some to do.
This is interesting…I’d never thought that he might have known beforehand that the child was coming over. If he did, you’re right DJ somone had to have told him. Who besides Angie would have known? We can speculate all we want and never figure it out, although you have all brought up some good points. I just sincerely hope that the authorities will look at all the angles in this case, not just at the fact that Ricky Blackwell was the shooter and be satisfied with that. I hope they will investigate the woman and her motives in having the child there…and if she is found to be guilty of anything other than ignorance, I hope they prosecute her as well. I hope ANYONE and EVERYONE who played a role in this child’s death will face the maximum penalty. If Angie is innocent then she has my apologies for suspecting her.
Bingo DJ, as I have said there is more going on between husband and wife that most people know.
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