The teenager who allegedly strangled his ex-girlfriend to death on a senior class trip in Myrtle Beach is now accused of locking himself in his room with her dead body while he attempted to kill himself.
Natalie Martin, 18, of Roseville, was enjoying a trip to South Carolina to celebrate her recent high school graduation when her ex-boyfriend Blake William Linkous, also 18, of Blue Rock, allegedly strangled her to death inside a hotel room on Maison Drive on June 7.
Brooklyn Ferrell, Martin’s best friend but who was not on the trip, described what she was told the morning after Martin’s death when she saw Linkous emerge from his room with a stab wound.
‘At about 9 a.m., Blake came out, he had stabbed himself in the chest and everyone got up and was freaking out and asking ‘Where’s Natalie? Where’s Natalie?”
Two other friends of Martin then walked into the room where they hopelessly attempted to revive her.
Brooklyn Ferrell (pictured left), Natalie Martin’s (pictured right) best friend but who was not on the trip, described what she was told the morning after Martin’s death when she saw Linkous emerge from his room with a stab wound
Ferrell further described Linkous’ violent behavior toward Martin, saying that he assaulted her in front of their friends, leading Martin to break with up with him.
‘He took her and threw her across the room. He was trying to make amends and apologized to her all the time. He would text me constantly asking what I should do to get her back,’ she told Fox News.
Despite his violent history, Ferrell maintains her shock that he would actually kill Martin.
‘I’m angry at him because he is a better person than this. He truly is,’ she said.
Ferrell, who has raised $32,000 for Martin’s family on Gofundme, said ‘you couldn’t find anyone else like Natalie.’
She described her as ‘really goofy’ and someone who loved to hunt, fish, wrangle snakes
Linkous was arrested Thursday, according to Horry County Police Department, and charged with murder.
‘Blake William Linkous did with malice aforethought cause the death of Natalie Martin. The defendant did so by manually strangling the victim,’ says the incident report.
Ferrell further described Linkous’ violent behavior toward Martin, saying that he assaulted her in front of their friends, leading Martin to break with up with him
Natalie Martin, 18, of Roseville, Ohio, was enjoying a trip to South Carolina to celebrate her recent high school graduation when her ex-boyfriend Blake William Linkous, also 18, of Blue Rock, allegedly strangled her to death inside a hotel room on June 7
Linkous was arrested Thursday, according to the Horry County Police Department, and charged with murder for the suspected manual strangulation of the teenager before abandoning her body
Police have not released a motive for the crime.
However, the former couple had broken up at the beginning of the year, a friend said.
Their Facebook pages show the pair had attended prom as a couple. The couple had been together for years prior to their breakup, the friend said.
Linkous is currently being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center without bond.
The pair had graduated from Philo High School in Ohio on May 26 and Martin was working as a childcare provider at Sundale Kids at the time of her death.
Police have not released a motive for the crime. However, the former couple had broken up at the beginning of the year,
Linkous is currently being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center without bond
The teens were staying near Myrtle Beach on a senior trip, which was not funded by the school, Superintendent Kacey Cottrill of the Franklin Local School District said.
The school received confirmation of their former student’s death on Thursday.
Visitation for the teen’s funeral will be on Tuesday at Cornerstone Full Gospel Church and her funeral be held at 11am on Wednesday.
She was described in her obituary as being a ‘free, pure and wild spirit with a contagious laugh,’ who had a ‘personality out of this world that could bring anyone out of their darkest of days.’
‘Natalie enjoyed all of nature’s beauty. She loved to hunt, shoot guns, fish, wrangle snakes, plant and nurture flowers, and could gut and skin a deer better than most grown men,’ it read.
The pair had graduated from Philo High School in Ohio on May 26 and Martin was working as a childcare provider at Sundale Kids at the time of her death
She was described in her obituary as being a ‘free, pure and wild spirit with a contagious laugh,’ who had a ‘personality out of this world that could bring anyone out of their darkest of days’
‘Natalie’s beauty shined like a ray of sunlight and her smile could brighten a whole room. Her glowing blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes represented that she was truly an angel here on Earth.’
Linkous will be held in the county jail until he can appear before a circuit court judge, who will consider bond. His lawyer, Fran Humphries, did not respond in time for this report.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the murder charge.
