Man Charged with Murder Claims Self Defense

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

A man from West Van Lear, who has been charged with the murder of Richard Roberts of River, on Saturday, Aug. 1, claimed he shot Roberts after he lunged toward him with a knife.

Court documents state that Blake Allen Webb, 27, admitted to shooting Roberts, but only after he brandished a handgun, that Webb took from him. The arrest citation said Webb told officers that Roberts then produced a knife and “advanced toward him,” at which time Webb shot Roberts in his face.

Witnesses stated after the shooting, Webb fled on foot into the woods and mountain area behind the Thealka residence.

In his report, Kentucky State Trooper Jonathan Rouse wrote, while officers were on the scene the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Webb saying he wanted to surrender and told police after shooting Roberts, he dragged him by the feet from the area where he was shot to the driveway so he could check Roberts’ pulse and determine whether CPR could be performed.

The citation said Webb also admitted to officers that he threw the handgun into the weeds while fleeing. However, officers conducted multiple searches, but were unable to locate the firearm.

According to a statement from KSP, Roberts was pronounced dead at the scene by the Johnson County Coroner’s Office.

It was reported that Webb is currently serving a five-year on probation sentence according to records from Kentucky Department of Corrections.

The sentence stems from a 2022 conviction from, according to court records, Webb forced himself into the bedroom of a Flat Gap residence and stabbed a man in the back of the head several times. In that crime he was charged with assault under extreme emotional disturbance.

The current charges from the shooting on Aug. 1, are murder, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

He is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.