Murder or self-defense?: Man accused in death of teen's boyfriend in Cantonment on trial

Opening statements began Thursday morning in the murder trial of a Milton man accused of driving to Cantonment and shooting the boyfriend of his friend's daughter.

Jonathon Hobbs has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death of Danny Blackmon Jr. on Feb. 1, 2021, on Lawson Lane in Cantonment.

Assistant State Attorney Amy Shea opened the trial by telling the jury members they will hear how Hobbs "executed Danny Blackmon on the side of the road" because Hobbs and his friend, Dawn Sluder, were worried about Sluder's daughter, Crystal Hassell, dating Blackmon.

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"Dawn Sluder and Crystal Hassell don't get along," Shea told the jury. "Crystal was 18 years old. Danny was in his 30s, and Dawn did not like the fact that they were in a relationship.

"So, there is an awful lot of tension going on there," she continued. "The gist of it is that Dawn Sluder just cannot accept the fact that she can do nothing about it."

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Although Sluder and Hobbs wanted the couple to break up, the prosecutor told the jury there is no excuse to break the law.

"However noble the defendant's intentions were, however noble his reasons were to help Dawn, at the end of the day they were unlawful and they were fatal and they were premeditated," Shea said.

Defense attorney argues shooting was self-defense

However, Hobbs' defense attorney, Randall Etheridge, told the jury member they will find Hobbs acted in self-defense and did not premeditate the killing.

"What you're going to hear from the doctor that performed the autopsy ... is that Mr. Blackmon was no altar boy, he wasn't a choir boy at all," Etheridge told the jury. "(The medical examiner) performed an analysis of the blood in Mr. Blackmon's body at the time of his death, and he's going to talk about what he found in Mr. Blackmon — d-methamphetamine."

Etheridge said the drugs found in Blackmon's blood are the crux of his self-defense argument, saying the medical examiner will testify certain levels of meth in the blood can make individuals more hostile and violent.

"Blood levels of 200 to 600 nanograms per milliliter have been reported in methamphetamine users who exhibit violent and irrational behavior," Etheridge told the jury. "(The examiner) will tell you the concentration in Blackmon's blood was over that — it was 720 nanograms per milliliter."

Etheridge told the jury that on the day Blackmon was killed, he was "all hopped up on meth" and "began to reach into his pocket and pull out something black."

"My client defends himself and shoots him," the defense attorney said. "He wasn't going to get shot first."

What unfolded in February 2021

Hassell reportedly told deputies in 2021 that Hobbs and her mother had arrived at their home unannounced. The daughter said she was afraid due to "ongoing issues" with Sluder.

Blackmon was in the street near their home and told Hobbs and Sluder to leave the couple alone when Hobbs allegedly walked up and pointed a handgun at Blackmon.

"Hobbs fired several shots at Blackmon while standing only a few feet from him," according to Hassell's statement in the arrest report. "Hobbs then walked up next to Blackmon, looked back at (the daughter), then leaned over Blackmon's body and fired at least two more rounds."

Hobbs fled the scene before later calling authorities and turning himself in.

Meanwhile, Hassell ran to Blackmon, "attempting to clear blood from his nose and mouth and perform CPR," but Sluder allegedly kept her daughter from tending to Blackmon.

"(Hassell) said Sluder began beating her, striking her in the head, face, and body," the report noted. "(She) said while Sluder was hitting her, she told her she was going to 'knock her out' and to 'let him die.'"

Sluder is also charged with first-degree premeditated murder and is expected to stand trial the second week of November.

Hobbs' trial is scheduled to end Friday.

Benjamin Johnson can be reached at bjohnson@pnj.com or 850-435-8578

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Jonathan Hobbs: Murder trial starts for Danny Blackmon case