On a summer night in Portland, Maine, the life of 24-year-old Matthew Blanchard, a White male, was tragically cut short. In the early morning hours of July 11, 2012, Blanchard was walking with relatives near the intersection of Congress and India Streets when they were suddenly met with a hail of gunfire. Blanchard was fatally wounded by a gunshot to the chest, while two of his family members suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
The shooters fled, leaving a void in the lives of Blanchard's loved ones and a case that would remain unsolved for nearly a decade.
For years, the investigation into Blanchard's death continued, a persistent effort by the Portland Police Department. A significant break in the case finally came in April 2021, when a Cumberland County grand jury indicted two men, Zachary T. Phach and Khang Tran. They faced a slate of serious charges, including murder, aggravated attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault, and criminal conspiracy. The investigation revealed that the shooting was not a random act of violence but stemmed from a prior dispute Tran had with Blanchard and his brothers, which led Tran to instruct Phach to bring a gun to confront them that night. At the time of their indictment, Tran was already in custody in Pennsylvania on other charges, and Phach was arrested in Modesto, California.
The resolution of the case came through the justice system in the years that followed. In October 2022, Khang Tran pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy and received a four-year prison sentence, with the more severe charges against him being dismissed. Zachary Phach, the individual who fired the shots that killed Blanchard, pleaded guilty to felony murder and three counts of attempted murder in July 2023. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with all but 12 years suspended, followed by four years of probation. The convictions of the two men responsible for his death finally brought a measure of closure to Blanchard's family, who had waited so long for answers and accountability.
