According to online court records, 42 year old Khanh Phan pleaded guilty to the murder of 51 year old Jeffrey Blankley in August 2021.
Phan was sentenced to 45 years for the family violence enhanced murder.
According to a College Station police arrest report, Blankley was shot while driving his SUV, and the vehicle crashed into a former trampoline park building connected to Walmart.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
On June 22, 2023, Khanh Phan, 45, of College Station, Texas pled guilty in the 361st District Court to the Murder of Jeff Blankley, which occurred on August 15, 2021. As a result of the plea, the defendant was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
On the night of August 15, 2021, College Station Police responded to the College Station Wal Mart upon reports that a vehicle had crashed into a building. Police responded and found the victim, Jeffrey Blankley, in the driver’s seat with gunshot wounds. In the passenger seat was the defendant, with a firearm in her possession.
College Station Police, led by Detective Steven Schoellman, began an investigation which revealed the defendant’s pattern of stalking and obsessive behavior targeting Blankley after their breakup in late July, 2021.
On August 10, 2021, Blankley called College Station police to file a harassment report. Blankley reported that the defendant had repeatedly initiated unwanted contact with him after their breakup. Blankley also reported that he believed that the defendant had stolen a key fob to his vehicle and had placed a GPS tracker somewhere on the car.
An officer from the College Station Police Department made contact with the defendant and told her to cease contact with the victim. College Station Police also issued Phan a criminal trespass warning for Blankley’s apartment. During the incident, Phan pretended not to understand English as the
reason for her continued contact with Blankley and her disregard of the instructions to leave him alone.
In the early morning hours of August 15, 2021, Blankley again called the College Station Police to report that Phan had shown up at a local restaurant he was eating at with friends and confronted him about being out with other women. When Blankley attempted to leave the restaurant, the defendant followed him. Officers responded to Blankley’s apartment and found the defendant hiding underneath a vehicle in the apartment complex. Phan was arrested for criminal trespass.
After her arrest, a Vietnamese speaking officer spoke with the defendant to inform her that she was not allowed to have contact with Blankley. During the conversation, the defendant questioned the officer about what would occur if she and Blankley were to run into each other at Wal Mart.
After bonding out of jail on August 15th, Phan convinced Blankley to meet her at the College Station Wal Mart. Once Blankley arrived at Wal Mart, the defendant entered his vehicle, where she killed him.
Further investigation by College Station Police determined that Phan had recently purchased multiple GPS trackers, one of which was located underneath the back passenger floorboard of Blankley’s vehicle. A search of the defendant’s electronic devices found multiple videos indicating that Phan was following and stalking Blankley, as well as recent search history for firearm laws and the potential punishment for shooting and killing someone.
Statement from assistant district attorneys Jessica Escue and Anjelica Harris: “Stalking behavior after a breakup is extremely dangerous for victims—both men and women. Our office will stand firm to protect victims of stalking and domestic violence to ensure that everyone can safely leave a dangerous and violent relationship.”