Nearly three years after Jesse Geoghagan was fatally shot in his own home by Jacob Colville, a judge sentenced his girlfriend to life in a Florida prison for her role in ensuring Geoghagan was home before he was shot.
Alyssa Blackburn, who was convicted as a principal to second-degree murder after her August trial, will spend her life in prison without the possibility of parole after Judge Amy Brodersen levied the decision Oct. 8.
“I think what I’ve heard from both families today, and I think it’s very true, nobody wins in this situation,” Brodersen said before sentencing Blackburn. “Our actions have consequences, and I think Ms. Blackburn knows that.”
Blackburn and her attorney, James Barnes, argued for a downward departure in the case, which allows a judge to legally sentence a defendant below the required minimum if certain criteria are met. While Brodersen didn’t believe the criteria were met, she also noted the law allows a judge to determine if the court should allow a departure, which she said she did not believe was appropriate in the case.
Prior to Brodersen announcing the sentence, Blackburn asked for a second chance to prove herself to the community, just as her father, John, did when he was released from prison over two decades ago. Her dad told the judge his own time in prison kept him from doing anything that would lead to his return behind bars.
“There are consequences, and I’ve taught them their whole life,” Blackburn’s father told Brodersen. “I ask of you to take all things into consideration and make a fair decision, and I have no doubt that you would. Like my story, she very well could have a story in the same light as a possibility.”
‘A whole part of me is gone’: Family describes aftermath of Jesse Geoghagan’s murder
Before Brodersen announced Blackburn’s sentence, Geoghagan’s family had the opportunity to tell the judge how his death affected the family.
Geoghagan’s only “full-blooded sibling” Ashley Arnold spoke, telling Brodersen that “a whole part of me is gone” since the fatal shooting.
“Now that he’s gone, everything is different,” Arnold said. “He was just trying to come home that day, and now he’s sitting on a shelf in my house.
“He has nephews that will never get to know him,” she added. “He was the one who was always there.”
Geoghagan’s mother, Dorreen Allen, told Brodersen that her son’s death impacted every facet of the family’s life, saying it’s going to “be a lifetime of adjusting to living without him in our lives.”
“People’s egos sometimes cause things like this to happen, and it’s sad for everyone involved, not just my family,” Allen said. “It’s a domino effect.”
When asked which sentence she would prefer, she responded by saying she’d like a life sentence because “my son’s life is gone, (and) our lives are forever changed.”
Geoghagan’s father, Andrew, was also scheduled to speak during the hearing, but, with tears in his eyes as he sat in the courtroom, he elected to forgo the opportunity.
What was Alyssa Blackburn accused of doing?
Blackburn was originally charged as a principal to first-degree premeditated murder, but the jury in her trial elected to convict her of the lesser-included offense of principal to second-degree murder. Under Florida law, being a principal means the defendant is alleged to have helped the commission of the crime regardless of their presence when the crime is carried out.
Based on surveillance obtained at the scene, Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies identified Blackburn as the female passenger in Colville’s vehicle in front of Geoghagan’s home the day of the shooting. Video played during the trial showed Blackburn armed herself with a firearm while in the vehicle and looked for Geoghagan in his home.
“The video surveillance reveals that Blackburn arrives at the residence armed with a black semi-automatic handgun where she enters the residence to look for Geoghagan,” a 2022 report says. “Based off the video surveillance and an eyewitness statement, Blackburn exits the residence and notifies Colville and Bonner that Geoghagan is inside the residence.”
Colville and Lawrence Bonner Jr., Colville’s accomplice, then entered the home and found Geoghagan hiding. Colville then unleashed a volley of shots into Geoghagan.
Prosecutor Amy Shea said text messages sent by Blackburn confirmed she knew the shooting was likely to happen and appeared to show she orchestrated or had a hand in enticing the shooting.
What happened to Jacob Colville and Lawrence Bonner Jr.?
In June 2024, Colville was convicted by a jury of first-degree premeditated murder and was immediately sentenced to the mandatory minimum life in prison without parole. He is currently serving his sentence at the Hardee Correctional Institution in Bowling Green, Florida.
Bonner, who was also indicted as a principal to first-degree premeditated murder, pleaded no contest to the lesser-included offense of principal to second-degree murder and was sentenced to five years in prison with credit 1,046 days of time served in jail. Brodersen noted in Blackburn’s hearing that she believed Bonner had minimal involvement in the incident, saying there seemed to be evidence he was not aware Colville was planning to shoot Geoghagan.
Bonner is serving his sentence at the Northwest Florida Reception Center Annex in Chipley, Florida. He is scheduled to be released in 2027, according to Florida Department of Corrections records.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola woman who helped boyfriend’s killer gets life in prison
Reporting by Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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