Rainbolt sentenced to 60 years, 5 suspended

After several hours of testimony and discussion, Judge Larry Medlock returned to the courtroom around 8 p.m. to deliver his decision on the sentence of Joshuah Rainbolt — 60 years, with five years suspended.

"A group of young people with no goals, some with no jobs, smoking dope daily, is a recipe for disaster and, in this case, tragedy," Medlock said, referencing the friend group both victim Blake Box-Skinner and Rainbolt were a part of, who admitted to daily or near-daily marijuana use and doing nothing much aside from going to work during statements given in court Monday. "The lifestyle you lived resulted in the loss of life of your friend, Blake Box-Skinner. You've done irreperable harm to his family and to yours."

Testimony that morning came from members of Box-Skinner's family, including his uncle, State Trooper Jonathan Cain, who found the body of his nephew upside down in a shed on the property, underneath a washing machine. That afternoon, testimony came from Detective Joshua Banet and then from defense witnesses, including Dr. Bart Ferraro, who said Rainbolt's psychological state was so fractured and chaotic that he couldn't remember exactly how events unfolded the night of the murder. He said Rainbolt, based on psychological testing and exams, would be more likely to express anger passive-aggressively than become violent. Others who had been friends with both Box-Skinner and Rainbolt described Rainbolt as very calm, kind and quiet, not the kind of person who ever got aggressive.

For more on the hearing, see upcoming editions of The Salem Leader-Democrat.