Report: Blackburn killed wife, then committed suicide

SPRING HILL –
The sheriff’s office is now saying that prominent Hernando County physician, Robert Blackburn, beat his wife extensively before shooting her in the head and killing her Sunday afternoon at the couple’s upscale Spring Hill home.

Dr. Blackburn, after calling a longtime friend of the family and his office manager to the home and confessing his actions, went back inside his home and shot himself in the head, a sheriff’s report said.

His body was found next to that of his wife’s in the home’s master bedroom.

The murder-suicide has rocked the community, especially since Blackburn, 55, was heavily involved in the local community and was the medical adviser for both Hernando County and the independent Spring Hill Fire and Rescue District.

Sarah Blackburn, 40, was described as being active in her church, her children’s school and the community and devoted to her two children, who are now in the care and custody of family members. They were not home at the time of the murder-suicide.

Most of the details in the case were elicited from family friend Ruth Hooch, the doctor’s longtime office manager who called 911 shortly after speaking with Blackburn for the last time before he shot himself.

An emotional Hooch, fighting back deep sobs, relayed to the 911 operator in clipped sentences that it was imperative that somebody quickly respond to the Blackburn house because the doctor told her he was going to kill himself.

“He said he killed his wife this morning,” Hooch said in the 911 call, fighting back sobs.

“He said she (Sarah) stabbed him with a knife and came after him and he didn’t have any choice,” Hooch said.

Hooch said the doctor showed her his stab wound.

“He said he lost his temper, tried to fight her off and he killed her,” Hooch told the operator.

Hooch then said Blackburn told her he planned to lock himself in his bedroom and kill himself.

At about 11:30 a.m., Hooch said she received a call from Blackburn asking her to come to his home. When she arrived at about 12:50 p.m., Hooch said the doctor invited her inside.

Dr. Blackburn told Hooch that his wife, Sarah, had threatened to ruin him, take his children and everything he owned. He then admitted to Hooch that his wife stabbed him and that’s when he killed her, a report said.

Blackburn said he didn’t want to go to prison so he was going to kill himself, according to Hooch’s statement to deputies.

Dr. Blackburn then showed Hooch, 51, where he kept important documents and wanted assurance from her that his children were taken care of.

Hooch told deputies she tried to talk Blackburn out of committing suicide but the doctor forced her out of the house.

Hooch then called 911 from her vehicle parked outside of Blackburn’s home and waited for deputies to arrive.

When they got there around 1:30 p.m., they found the Blackburns’ bodies dead inside the closet of the master bedroom. A small-caliber handgun was found next to Dr. Blackburn’s body, which was lying next to that of his wife.

An autopsy was conducted Monday and the medical examiner determined that Sarah Blackburn had died from several factors, including blunt force trauma to the chest, arms and face.

There were multiple lacerations found on her face, she had a broken right collarbone, broken sternum, broken ribs, a lacerated liver, lacerated heart, aspirated blood in the lungs and was strangled.

There was also a gunshot wound to the head.

The autopsy revealed a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to Dr. Blackburn’s head as well as a minor wound, about one-eighth inches deep, on his chest. Detectives found a bladed instrument near the bodies.

The investigation remains open pending the medical examiner’s toxicology report. But the sheriff’s office has classified it as murder-suicide.

The tragedy has sent waves of disbelief across the county.

Debbie Andrews, executive director of the Dawn Center, met the Blackburns at community events. She said she is seeing a rise in abuse at her domestic and sexual violence shelter-center and attributes it to societal “stressors.”

“Everyone is affected,” Andrews said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, how much money your make or how little money you make.”

Often, people will put on a different face for their friends and in public when, in effect, problem may exist behind closed doors, she said.

“Right now, I feel for their children more than anything at this point,” Andrews said.

Blackburn was also medical adviser for the Hernando County Jail and chairman of the Hernando County Health Care Advisory Board.

As medical director, County Commissioner Jeff Stabins said he obviously knew Blackburn well.

“My heart just goes out to their children and the rest of the family,” Stabins said. “It’s an absolute tragedy.”

Former Spring Hill Fire Commissioner Bob Kanner said he knew the Blackburns for 19 years and there was never a hint of any marital or domestic discord.

Sarah, he said, was always helping the kids with their homework or taking them to baseball games. She also helps out at St. Theresa Catholic Church, he said.

“She was a good mom and a good wife,” Kanner said.

Kanner said he last spoke with Dr. Blackburn on Saturday night and the two made a date for all of them to get together this Saturday to exchange Christmas presents.

“I can’t imagine why this would happen,” Kanner said.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or [email protected].