Written byJennifer Shutt
SNOW HILL -- James Edward Ballard will spend the next 30 years behind bars for stabbing and killing Russell Matthew Bailey, the maximum possible sentence for his crime.
Worcester County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Groton sentenced Ballard during a court hearing Friday.
Bailey's mother, Mattie Fletcher, spoke to the judge about how her life, and the life of her family, has changed since the death of her 18-year-old-son.
"It's just been one thing after another since the death of my son," Fletcher said. "It's been hard... I've just been trying to take it one day at a time."
Ballard was charged with first-degree murder last fall for stabbing Bailey after an altercation in Pocomoke City. He was found guilty of second-degree murder at trial.
During the jury trial, witnesses testified that Ballard, Bailey and several others were involved in a fight the day Bailey was killed. Ballard called police, and once they arrived, everyone scattered, according to witness testimony.
Ballard stayed in the area and later saw Bailey returning from behind a house on the 700 block of Ninth Street.
A witness, Keonte Laws testified at trial that once Bailey saw Ballard, Bailey turned to run away, slipping on wet grass and slamming his shoulder into the side of the house as Ballard caught up to him.
"It looked like a punch... but when (Ballard) pulled his hand back you could see the blade of the knife," Laws testified.
"You started as a juvenile with assault and battery," Groton said from the bench, later citing additional crimes -- resisting arrest, and fleeing and eluding. "This indicates to me you are a person with no respect for authority."
Ballard took the opportunity to speak during the sentencing, and apologized to Fletcher.
"Yes, I have been in trouble half of my life," Ballard said. "I didn't mean to kill nobody."
When rendering the sentence, Groton told Ballard that it is unfortunate there are "some people in Pocomoke who feel like the way to solve these kind of problems is with guns and knives."
"I didn't mean to kill nobody."
ReplyDeleteCould someone please see to it that this guy takes some grammer classes while in prison?
Judge Groton, AAAAaaammmeeeen!
ReplyDeleteNow, can someone please try to make our local officials see this and stop pretending we live in Pleasantville, USA!
Let's get real, and really deal with the problems!
They just aren't going to disappear because someone lies and says we have no problems in this town.
Let's deal with it, straight on!
Otherwise, our town doesn't need a National Night out or other funding, because we 'don't have any crime'. Hog wash!
I'm sick and tired of dealing with it, 7:47. It's not me with the problem. No one in my family produced multiple illegitmate kids with multiple useless "baby daddys." No one in my family engages in high risk behavior, making them more likely to become a victim.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to deal with it "straight on" then the truth needs to be spoken to the useless parents who can't do anything beside dropping their drawers. Oh and I forgot committing crimes themselves!
Sorry but it's not my problem anymore!