A California man has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of a man in Northwest Arkansas. The sentencing took place in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville, with Judge Timothy L. Brooks presiding.
Court documents reveal that Daniel Paul Blanks, 46, and his co-defendant, Reginald Baker, 37, broke into a Springdale apartment in November 2021. Witnesses reported that they were armed and assaulted a local resident before abducting him. The victim was transported to Mark Twain National Park in Barry County, Missouri, where Blanks fatally shot him. The victim’s body was discovered days later by a hunter.
Both Blanks and Baker faced charges on November 29, 2021, in the Circuit Court of Washington County for Capital Murder, Kidnapping, and Residential Burglary. By April 5, 2024, Baker pleaded guilty to lesser charges in Arkansas Circuit Court and received a 60-year sentence. Blanks later pleaded guilty in federal court to aiding and abetting the kidnapping leading to death on October 25, 2024.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Brooks highlighted Blanks’ ties to white supremacist groups as a factor in the life sentence decision.
The collaboration for this case included the 4th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes from the Western District of Arkansas announced the sentence.
Investigation of the case involved the Springdale Police Department, Barry County Missouri Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Bentonville Police Department, and the Arkansas Office of Probation and Parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts handled the prosecution for the United States.