An Ohio teenager allegedly strangled his ex-girlfriend while they were in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on a senior graduation trip.
The suspect, 18-year-old Blake Linkous, is accused of the murder of Natalie Martin. The incident occurred in the early hours of June 6 inside a vacation rental where the pair, along with five other students, were celebrating their high school graduation. Linkous is said to have locked himself in a room with Martin’s body for several hours before emerging with a self-inflicted chest wound.
Upon realizing Martin’s absence and Linkous’ visible distress, two friends found Martin unresponsive in the room. Despite resuscitation attempts, Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. Brooklyn Ferrell, a close friend of Martin’s who wasn’t present during the incident, has been in constant communication with the other teens and Martin’s family. She divulged that the ex-couple had broken up in February after Linkous in a fit of anger threw Natalie across a room.
Tensions had also been high between the former couple following a disagreement over a text message Martin had sent to another boy. Despite having seemingly resolved the argument, Martin, feeling unwell, left a club early with Linkous.
Linkous is being held without bail at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on murder charges. The community has rallied behind Martin’s family, raising over $32,000 via a GoFundMe campaign.
