Judge Releases Admitted Child Rapist, He Murders Girlfriend, Burns Her Body 10 Days Later

Milwaukee, WI – A judge released a man who pleaded guilty to child sexual assault just 10 days before he murdered his girlfriend and burned her body inside their home.

Wisconsin court records showed that prosecutors requested that 47-year-old Ernest Blakney be held in custody on Aug. 15 after he changed his plea for the rape of a 13-year-old girl to guilty, WISN reported.

The defense objected to the prosecution’s motion and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Borowski ruled in their favor.

Borowski allowed Blakney to remain free on his original $5,000 bail while he awaited a scheduled sentencing hearing on Oct. 20, WISN reported.

“As the defense points out, there have not been any violations or any issues while the defendant has been out of custody. He’s been out of custody for a very long period of time,” the judge ruled, according to a transcript. “The defendant will stay out of custody. He does not need to be remanded under these circumstances.”

JUST IN from @NickBohrWISN – the transcript detailing a judges decision to not jail a man after he pleaded guilty to raping a 13-year-old. 10 days after the decision, the man, Ernest Terrell Blakney, is accused of killing his ex. Here is the judges reasoning @WISN12News pic.twitter.com/1IUEklfuuu

— Derrick Rose (@DRoseTV) August 31, 2022

Police said 10 days later, Blakney set the home he shared with his girlfriend, Nikia Rogers on fire and burned both the house and her body.

An autopsy later revealed the Rogers had been shot multiple times in the head and back before she was set ablaze, FOX News reported.

Blakney was identified as a suspect in Rogers’ murder and the next day, he was spotted by police in a stolen pickup truck, WISN reported.

A witness told police that Blakney approached him at a construction site on the night of the fire at Rogers’ home, FOX News reported.

He said Blakney pointed a gun at him and demanded the keys to his truck.

Then he ordered the man inside a trailer at the construction site and locked him in, FOX News reported.

The witness called 911 as soon as he escaped from the trailer, according to police.

Police found Blakney in the stolen truck just before 11 p.m. on Sept. 26 at 22nd and National Avenue, WDJT reported.

Cell phone video showed Blakney tearing down a Milwaukee street in the work truck with police in hot pursuit.

Surveillance video from a highway showed at least eight police cars chasing the suspect vehicle.

The chase ended near Juneau and Edison Street and Blakney was fatally shot by police, WDJT reported.

Before he succumbed to his wounds, authorities had announced their intention to charge him with first-degree reckless homicide, armed robbery, attempted mutilating a corpse, possession of a firearm by a felon, felony bail jumping, and false imprisonment, FOX News reported.