Bledsoe dies at TRCI

By on Friday, October 21st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

UMATILLA – Leman Louis Bledsoe, 81, died Thursday at Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla. He was in the infirmary on hospice care. Both the Oregon State Police and next of kin have been notified.

Bledsoe entered Oregon Department of Corrections custody in March of this year. His earliest possible release date was Aug. 14, 2028.

Bledsoe was re-sentenced earlier this year because his first conviction for manslaughter was the result of a 10-2 jury verdict. He was unanimously convicted on several other counts.

Bledsoe drove through a construction zone on Highway 11. He then hit head flagger Tyresa Monaghan, 39, of Kennewick. She was drug under his vehicle and he collided with a water truck. One of the unanimous verdicts from the original trial was on the charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants.