Remembering Cassandra Blondheim

 

A Great Life and One Big Problem

15-year-old Cassandra Blondheim had it all. Cassandra, a sophomore at Garfield High School, was one of the top students in her class. She had a wonderful family, many friends, and was always happy and smiling. Cassandra loved to help others and dreamed of one day becoming a veterinarian or a teacher. She also loved to spend time volunteering and spent much of her time working in her church’s restaurant. Cassandra had only one problem: 27-year-old Shane Partin.

Partin, who also volunteered at the church, was obsessed with Cassandra. Cassandra regularly spurned Partin’s advances, however he was relentless. It got so bad that the church fired him from his volunteer job. A short time later, Partin convinced the church to give him his job back after assuring them that he was no threat. Partin’s obsession with Cassandra escalated and he began regularly calling Cassandra’s grandmother, who he knew from church, begging her for permission to date Cassandra. She always politely told him no and explained to him that Cassandra was only 15 years old. Partin got so frustrated he told Cassandra’s grandmother, “If I can’t have her, no one can.” A little over a month later, Cassandra would be dead.

A Senseless and Horrific Murder

On January 31, 1999, Cassandra was volunteering at her church’s restaurant. She was in the kitchen cleaning dishes with another volunteer. Partin was also volunteering that day and Cassandra was doing her best to stay away from him. His obsession with her had gotten totally out of control. At 4:30 p.m., Partin walked up behind Cassandra and tapped her on the shoulder. Cassandra’s friend said to her, “Look behind you.” Knowing it was Partin, Cassandra responded “No thank you,” hoping Partin would leave. Partin then reached into his pocket and pulled out a folding stiletto knife with a 4 1/2-inch blade. He wrapped his arms around Cassandra and used both hands to plunge the knife into Cassandra’s chest. Cassandra fell to the floor and Partin got on top of her. Cassandra was fighting for her life and trying to use her arms to push Partin away. Partin used his left arm to push Cassandra’s arms aside and the plunged the knife, which he was holding in his right hand, into Cassandra’s neck for a second fatal wound.

Hearing Cassandra’s screams, several volunteers came running to help her. They found Shane Partin on top of Cassandra holding a bloody knife. Partin got up and waived the knife at them and told them to “get back.” Cassandra, who was lying on the ground crying and holding her chest, tried to scoot towards help. Knowing Cassandra was dying, one of the volunteers dived at Partin and knocked him into some trash cans. Partin then fled the building and was confronted by two volunteers in the church parking lot. One of the volunteers grabbed Partin and twisted the knife out of his hand. Partin fled again and surrendered a short distance later when confronted by another volunteer who shouted, “In the name of God, man, stop.” Police arrested him moments later.

While several volunteers were chasing Partin, Cassandra lay scared and crying on the floor of the church restaurant kitchen. Friends and co-workers did their best to comfort her until the rescue squad arrived minutes later. Cassandra was rushed to the hospital, however doctors were unable to save her. She was pronounced dead at 5:12 p.m. Cassandra, whose mother passed away 18 months earlier in a car accident, was survived by her father, one sister, three half-sisters, one half-brother and her grandparents.

Guilty of Murder

After his arrest, Partin confessed everything to police, including demonstrating the move he used to inflict the first wound. Partin was charged with the murder of Cassandra Blondheim.

At trial, more than 20 church parishioners said they heard Cassandra’s screams and saw Partin standing over her with a knife. Multiple witness described Partin’s obsession with Cassandra. They also described the “evil look” Partin got on his face when he became angry. This was the same look prosecutors said was on Partin’s face when he brutally murdered Cassandra.

Partin’s defense attorney blamed “evil spirits” for his actions. Partin took the stand in his own defense and openly admitted stabbing Cassandra. He stated he drew the knife on Cassandra, “maybe to scare her, to hurt her. Never to kill her.” He never explained why, after stabbing her once, he delivered a second fatal stab wound while a defenseless Cassandra lay on the ground scared and crying.

The jury had the option of convicting Partin of involuntary manslaughter (an unintended killing) or murder (a purposeful killing). It took the jury only 2 1/2 hours to convict Partin of murder. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.