VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach man who struck his ex-girlfriend around a dozen times in the head with a brick in an attempt to kill her will spend more than 20 years in prison.
63-year-old Bobby Randall Bland, formerly of the 4100 block of Front Royal Road in Virginia Beach, was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty back in February to charges of malicious wounding, statutory burglary of building with the intent to commit rape/rob/murder/arson and assault and battery of a family member.
Bland was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Steven C. Mahan to 21 years in prison, well above the high end of Virginia’s sentencing guidelines that called for just under six years in prison.
The Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office says had the case gone to trial, evidence showed Bland brutally attacked the victim back on October 23, 2023, at the victim’s home. Prosecutors say victim, who had evicted Bland just days earlier, woke up to Bland breaking into the sliding glass door of her bedroom with a brick.
She was able to grab her phone and run to the front door of the apartment, but Bland struck her in the head with the brick as she tried to escape out of the front door. Prosecutors say Bland struck her at least 10 more times in the head while yelling he was going to kill her.
Eventually a neighbor heard what was going on and called 911, and held Bland at gunpoint until police arrived. Police found Bland’s covered in blood at the scene, and he told the victim she was lucky to be alive and that “she got what she deserved.”
The victim survived, but had a brain bleed, deep lacerations to her head and injuries to her fingers.