Johnson County Murder Being Investigated by Kentucky State Police

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

A brief altercation between two men on Saturday, Aug. 1, left one man dead and the other charged with murder.

According to a news release by Kentucky State Police Post 9, they were notified by Paintsville 911 dispatch of a shooting.

They responded to a residence on Main Camp Branch, where they located Richard Roberts, of River, unresponsive in the driveway of the residence. Roberts appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound.

The preliminary investigation indicates Blake Webb, 27, of West Van Lear, discharged a firearm, striking Richard Roberts after a brief physical altercation. Webb then fled the scene in an unknown direction, but was taken into custody nearby a short time later. Roberts was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Johnson County Coroner’s Office.

As a result of the investigation, Blake Webb was arrested and charged with Murder, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

He is currently lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center. Detective Joseph Coleman is leading the investigation and was assisted at the scene by additional KSP personnel, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Paintsville Police Department.