Teen Went to Myrtle Beach After High School Graduation. Her 'Controlling, Insecure and Jealous' Ex Killed Her

A 20-year-old Blue Rock, Ohio, man pleaded guilty to killing his ex-girlfriend when they were on a high school graduation trip to Myrtle Beach in June 2023.

Shortly before his trial was due to start on Monday, Blake Linkous admitted to strangling 18-year-old Natalie Martin of Roseville, Ohio, to death. At the time of the murder, the former couple were on a group trip with friends.

Martin had reportedly broken up with Linkous about two weeks before they left for the trip. The breakup had been triggered by a “pushing incident,” Chief Deputy Solicitor Scott Hixson told the court, according to My Horry News.

After attending an event at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach on June 6, 2023, Martin, Linkous and another friend began heading back to where they were staying, per WMBF News. Linkous reportedly told the group he had tried to end his own life because he couldn’t live without Martin. The students later found Martin’s body on the floor and called 911.

Linkous reportedly texted his father after the murder and told him he’d “killed his best friend,” per My Horry News.

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“Although they were broken up and agreed to see other people, he became mad at her for texting another boy,” Chief Deputy Solicitor Scott Hixson said in court, according to WBTW.com. Hixson described Linkous as “controlling, insecure and jealous.”

Martin’s father told the court Linkous’ 45-year sentence didn’t help him feel better about what had happened to his daughter. “There’s nothing you could say here today or do that’s going to make me feel better,” he said, per WMBF News. “But we’re not here about making me happy. … You owe the people of South Carolina, you owe the citizens, and taxpayers of Horry County, you owe them the knowledge that the judicial system has their back. Right now, from where I’m standing, it doesn’t feel like that.”

Linkous himself told the court he felt like he’d “failed.” 

“[Martin] was the love of my life,” he said, per WMBF News. “I swore to protect her, and I failed.”

A judge sentenced Linkous to 45 years in prison without the possibility of parole. His guilty plea allowed him to avoid going through a trial.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.