Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 61

Thread: Michael Eric Ballard - Pennsylvania Death Row

  1. #1
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217

    Michael Eric Ballard - Pennsylvania Death Row


    Denise Merhi, Dennis Marsh, Alvin Marsh, Jr. and Steven Zernhelt


    The faces of Michael Eric Ballard from 1992 to 2010




    June 28, 2010

    Pennsylvania DA to seek death penalty in quadruple slaying

    A Pennsylvania prosecutor said Monday he will pursue the death penalty against a man charged over the weekend with a quadruple murder in Northampton County.

    "This is a capital case," said Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli in a telephone interview. "He's a killer that needs to be put down."

    Michael Eric Ballard, 36, was charged Sunday with four counts of murder for Saturday's killings in Northampton, about six miles north of Allentown and 50 miles north of Philadelphia.

    A neighbor alerted police Saturday afternoon to a disturbance at the house where Denise Merhi, 39, lived with her father, Dennis Marsh, 62, and her grandfather, Alvin Marsh, 87, Morganelli said.

    Inside, police found the bodies of the three relatives as well as that of another neighbor, 53-year-old Steven Zernhelt, Morganelli said.

    Morganelli described Zernhelt as a "Good Samaritan looking to assist the other victims."

    "He yelled over to his wife, 'Call 911;' he went in and he never came out," Morganelli said.

    All four had been fatally stabbed; the elder Marsh's body was found in a wheelchair facing a television, a knife wound to the neck; Merhi's body was in the kitchen; the younger Marsh's body was in the basement; Zernhelt's body was just inside the front door, Morganelli said.

    About a mile away from where police were investigating the grisly scene, an off-duty state trooper witnessed Ballard lose control of the vehicle he was driving -- which belonged to Merhi -- and wreck, Morganelli said.

    When the trooper approached the vehicle, he saw Ballard covered in blood and asked him to explain, Morganelli said.

    "It's obvious -- I just killed everyone," Ballard told the officer, Morganelli said. "I just killed four people."

    Ballard was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown for treatment of what appeared to be knife injuries to his legs, Morganelli said.

    "He'll be all right, unfortunately," Morganelli said.

    Once Ballard is discharged, he will be sent to Northampton County Prison, Morganelli said.

    Though a motive was not immediately apparent, "there was some relationship" between Ballard and Merhi, who had two children and worked as a phlebotomist, Morganelli said.

    Ballard had been on parole -- living in a halfway house in Allentown -- since April, when he was released from prison. He had served approximately 15 years of a 20-year sentence for third-degree murder in neighboring Lehigh County, though it was not clear whether his release was for that crime.

    Ballard had pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing a man in 1990, Morganelli said. "He was a career criminal," he added.

    Merhi's children were with a grandmother at the Jersey Shore, Morganelli said.

    The weapon in Saturday's killings is being sought, he said.

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/06/28/pennsylvania.quadruple.slaying/index.html?section=cnn_latest

  2. #2
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Edited

    June 28, 2010

    'Some people can't be fixed'

    Sisters of Donald Richard opposed parole for stabbing suspect Michael Ballard.

    Gloria Sieber still remembers the chilling coldness in admitted killer Michael Ballard's eyes. It was 1992, and a Lehigh County judge had asked Ballard if he had anything to say to the family of the man he stabbed to death.

    Ballard, then 19, had confessed to stabbing Sieber's 56-year-old brother, Donald Richard, 13 times. Ballard had told authorities Richard made sexual advances toward him while showing him an apartment for rent. The sentencing hearing was Ballard's chance to show remorse.

    "He turned to us with his hands on his hips and said, 'I owe apologies to no one'," recalled Sieber, now 80 and living in Breinigsville. She attended the 1992 sentencing with her sister, Elaine Keim of Emmaus. "At that moment, I knew he was the kind of man who should never be released. Some people can't be fixed."

    Not only was Ballard released long before his 30-year maximum sentence, but he was "pre-released" from the state prison at Laurel Highlands on Nov. 27, 2006 — 15 years after he killed Richard and nearly three weeks before he was eligible for parole.

    In a state prison system that is more than 5,000 inmates over capacity, it's common for inmates to leave at their minimum sentence. But Ballard, 36, has been charged with stabbing to death four people in Northampton, putting the state's probation and parole system under a microscope.

    http://articles.mcall.com/2010-06-28/news/mc-northampton-homicide-folo-20100628_1_parole-system-multiple-stab-wounds-morganelli

  3. #3
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Edited

    Michael Eric Ballard preliminary hearing for Northampton murders scheduled in August

    The preliminary hearing for a 36-year-old man accused of murdering four people inside a Northampton home last month is set for Aug. 31, according to court officials.

    Court officials said Ballard was assigned a pair of public defenders, Michael F. Corriere, the chief public defender, and James M. Connell.

    At a preliminary hearing a district judge determines whether there is enough evidence to reasonably believe a defendant committed the crimes of which he's accused and cases are either bound to county court for trial, or dismissed for lack of evidence.

    Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli has referred to Ballard as a rabid dog and made clear his intention of seeking the death penalty.

    http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2010/07/preliminary_hearing_for_allege.html

  4. #4
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Man To Stand Trial For 4 Killings In Northampton

    Coroner: One Victim Stabbed 45 Times


    EASTON, Pa. -- A judge has decided there is enough evidence for a man to stand trial for the stabbing deaths of his girlfriend and three other people in Northampton County.

    Michael Ballard was in court in Easton for his preliminary hearing this morning.

    He is charged with four counts of criminal homicide for allegedly killing Denise Merhi; her father, Dennis Marsh; grandfather, Alvin Marsh; and neighbor Steve Zernhelt, inside Merhi's home in Northampton on June 26.

    Ballard was arrested a short time later after he crashed Merhi's car about two miles away from the scene.

    Today in court, family members of the four victims wept openly and intensely as they heard the details of the four killings.

    "I did spend some time with them prior to the hearing today, trying to at least give them some sort of overview of what to expect, but it's never pleasant," said District Attorney John Morganelli.

    A teenage neighbor testified she saw Michael Ballard on Merhi's porch the day of the killings. The girl told the judge Ballard was covered in blood and was trying to shake it off. She testified when Ballard saw her mother he bolted back inside Merhi's home.

    The Northampton County coroner also testified about the injuries Ballard allegedly inflicted on the victims.

    He said Merhi suffered 45 stab wounds; Zernhelt was stabbed 20 times; Dennis Marsh suffered 15 stab wounds; and Alvin Marsh, who was in a wheelchair, had his throat cut and suffered eight stab wounds.

    "These victims bled out quiet a bit and it was a very grisly scene," said Morganelli.

    Investigators also testified that Ballard wrote something derogatory about Merhi in blood on a partition in the basement and that, after crashing Merhi's car, Ballard repeatedly confessed to the killings and blamed the parole board.

    Investigators said Ballard also told them he would plead guilty to the killings, but his defense team said it is still to early to determine what course of action it will take.

    Morganelli said he will seek the death penalty for Ballard, who had been living at a halfway house in Allentown since his release from prison in April.

    "It's a death penalty for a couple of reasons," said Morganelli. "One, because it's a multiple homicide means more than one person was killed and also because he has prior conviction for homicide."

    Ballard was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison in 1992 for the murder of Donald Richard in Allentown.

    He was paroled in 2006 and released to the same state-run halfway house on Hamilton Street.

    He was sent back to prison in 2008 for failing anger management therapy.

    http://www.wfmz.com/lehighvalleynews/24824948/detail.html

  5. #5
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Michael Eric Ballard could have outside jury for quadruple murder case

    The jury who decides Michael Eric Ballard’s fate in his trial on quadruple murder charges could be from outside Northampton County.

    Ballard was back in court today for a pretrial hearing, where attorneys talked about evidence that has been gathered, including photos of Ballard dressed up as Jason from “Friday the 13th” movies for Halloween.

    Ballard is accused of killing Denise Merhi, 39; Alvin Marsh, 87; Dennis Marsh, 62; and Steven Zernhelt, 53, the morning of June 26 inside Merhi’s 1917 Lincoln Ave. home.

    He is being held at the state prison in Frackville, Pa., while awaiting trial.

    In court this morning Ballard was in his customary orange prison jumpsuit and shackles, but he has grown out his hair and was wearing glasses and a trimmed beard. No one from the victims' families were in the courtroom today.

    At previous hearings Ballard has only given cursory answers to questions from the judge, but today he spoke with Judge Edward Smith about his right to a speedy trial.

    Chief Public Defender Michael Corriere said his mitigation teams needs time to accrue records as well as a MRI and CAT scans in case Ballard is convicted of first-degree murder and faces the death penalty. Following the hearing Corriere refused to comment if the medical tests he discussed would be used for an insanity defense for Ballard.

    The trial was initially scheduled for March, but Corriere argued he would need it to be moved to later in the year.

    “I agree with my attorney on this. There’s still a lot of things that need to be taken care of,” Ballard said before speaking in Corriere’s ear and smiling and laughing.

    District Attorney John Morganelli said he’s ready to start the trial tomorrow.

    “I want to get this case to trial as soon as possible,” Morganelli said.

    Smith officially moved the trial date to May 9.

    In preparation for the trial Corriere said he will be requesting a change of venue and change of venire, meaning an outside jury.

    Morganelli said he would agree to an outside jury and that would require an order from the state supreme court.

    With a change in venire, the jury can be chosen in their home county and then brought to Northampton County for the trial. In 2008 a Northampton County jury was used in a Reading trial of a Reading man who fatally shot a police officer.

    Morganelli said he has given defense attorneys all the evidence he has, including autopsy reports on the four victims, surveillance video and the aforementioned photos.

    The seven photos show Ballard in a plaid shirt, Jason hockey mask and holding a fake machete, and some of then have him posed with Denise Merhi, who is dressed up as a witch.

    At the end of the hearing a woman in the courtroom audience waved to Ballard and he winked at her before being taken back to the prison.

    http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nort..._have_out.html

  6. #6
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Michael Ballard to claim insanity in quadruple homicide case

    Michael Ballard’s defense attorneys intend to claim he suffered from insanity or mental infirmity when he goes to trial for allegedly murdering four people.

    Defense Attorney Michael Corriere filed notice today, and said he plans to use the defense during the guilt or penalty phase of the trial. District Attorney John Morganelli will seek the death penalty if Ballard is convicted of first-degree murder.

    Included with the paperwork is a preliminary list of witnesses who would testify on Ballard’s behalf, including Dr. Susan Rushing, a psychiatrist at Penn Behavioral Health; Ruben Gur, director of the Brain Behavior Laboratory in Philadelphia; and Dr. Frank Dattilio, a clinical and forensic psychologist who has repeatedly testified in Northampton County Court.

    Ballard is being held at the state prison in Frackville, Pa., while awaiting trial, which is currently scheduled for May 9.

    Ballard, 36, is accused of fatally stabbing Denise Marie Merhi, 39, Alvin Marsh Jr., 87, Merhi's grandfather; Dennis Marsh, 62, Merhi's father; and Steven Zernhelt, 53, a neighbor, in a Northampton borough home in June.

    At the time, Ballard was on parole for a 1991 murder; Ballard pleaded guilty to stabbing Donald Richard.

    http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nort...aim_insan.html

  7. #7
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Michael Ballard bragged about "other killings"

    Michael Eric Ballard bragged to a fellow prison inmate about other killings he claimed he had committed, including two in the Poconos that "police didn't know about," according to a legal filing by prosecutors on Tuesday.

    Ballard, a convicted murder, faces the death penalty if convicted of stabbing to death his former girlfriend, her father, her grandfather and a neighbor this summer in Northampton while he was free on parole.

    He's been held without bail in the state prison in Frackville, where police said he boasted about the Northampton murders and said he was suspected in "seven (7) other killings" and also "killed two (2) other persons in the Poconos."

    The account is according to Wilfredo Riddick, a fellow prison inmate who contacted the district attorney's office after, he said, Ballard confided to him while they were both in the prison's restricted housing unit in November and December. Riddick was interviewed by a state police investigator last week.

    "It could just be tough talk," District Attorney John Morganelli said Tuesday of claims of other murders. "That's probably what it is, but we'll look into it obviously."

    Michael Corriere, Ballard's lead defense attorney, did not immediately return a phone call on Tuesday.

    Ballard is charged with four counts of homicide in the June 26 slayings of Denise Merhi, 39; her father, Dennis Marsh, 62; her grandfather, Alvin Marsh Jr., 87; and neighbor Steve Zernhelt, 53, who had heard screams at 1917 Lincoln Ave. and tried to help.

    The case has garnered headlines given the number of victims, and the fact that when the killings occurred, Ballard had recently been paroled from state prison on a 15-to-30-year sentence for fatally stabbing and slitting the throat of an Allentown man in 1991.

    Morganelli's filing Tuesday seeks to add another factor to justify the death penalty against Ballard. It says that Ballard told Riddick he killed Zernhelt, Dennis Marsh and Alvin Marsh Jr. to prevent them from testifying against him in Merhi's death.

    Prosecutors were already seeking the death penalty due to the number of victims, and his prior conviction for murder.

    http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/m...,5538366.story

  8. #8
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217

    Michael Ballard is seen being brought out of the Allentown Police Station after he was booked in the killing of an Allentown man in this 1991 photo.


    Judge hears testimony from Ballard's 1991 Allentown murder

    A judge took testimony Tuesday on whether Michael Eric Ballard's prior murder should be allowed as evidence in his trial on charges he killed four people last summer in Northampton.

    Ballard, a convicted murderer, faces the death penalty if found guilty of stabbing to death his former girlfriend, her father, her grandfather and a neighbor in June while Ballard was free on parole.

    The case has captured widespread attention because of the number of victims, and the fact that when the killings occurred Ballard had recently been paroled on a 15-to-30-year sentence for fatally stabbing and slitting the throat of an Allentown man in 1991.

    Usually, prior crimes are excluded from trial to avoid prejudice by the jury. But District Attorney John Morganelli says the Dec. 2, 1991, slaying of Donald Richard should be permitted at trial because of its similarity to the new allegations. Ballard's defense lawyers are seeking to keep it out.

    On Tuesday, the lead detective in Richard's killing, police Capt. Dean Schwartz of Allentown, took the stand, as did state police Trooper Raymond Judge, who heads the investigation into the Northampton slayings.

    The hearing will continue with separate testimony on whether Ballard's statements to investigators should be barred at trial, as well as evidence police seized.

    Ballard is charged with four counts of homicide in the June 26 deaths of Denise Merhi, 39; her father, Dennis Marsh, 62; her grandfather, Alvin Marsh Jr., 87; and neighbor Steve Zernhelt, 53, who had heard screams at 1917 Lincoln Ave. and tried to help.

    Ballard, 37, was arrested two miles away after he was found in a wrecked car with a broken leg and knife wounds, police said. When a state trooper asked him what happened, Ballard told him, "It's obvious, I just killed everyone," the trooper has testified.

    Morganelli has labeled the deaths a "revenge killing" because Merhi was involved with another man.

    Richard, 56, was the victim of multiple stab wounds, as were the four killed in Northampton, Morganelli says.

    After Richard's slaying, Ballard stole Richard's wallet and car and fled to Arkansas; Ballard is accused of taking Merhi's car and a check from her father's checkbook before he crashed the vehicle, Morganelli said.

    The similarities help establish "intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity and/or absence of mistake or accident" in the crime, Morganelli said in legal filings.

    The law strictly limits the introduction of past crimes at trial, recognizing that they are powerful evidence. To be allowed, a judge must find the proof they offer outweighs their potential of prejudicing the jury.

    Defense attorneys Michael Corriere and James Connell have until Feb. 25 to submit briefs on the issue. Judge Edward Smith will rule at a later date.

    Ballard's trial is scheduled for May. His defense has said it may claim insanity at trial or use mental illness as a reason he shouldn't be put to death if convicted.

    http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/m...,5946551.story

  9. #9
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Wayne County jury to be pulled for trial of Michael Ballard

    Michael Eric Ballard will be tried in Easton before a jury picked from Wayne County on charges he stabbed to death his former girlfriend, her father, her grandfather and a neighbor last year in Northampton.

    Northampton County Court Judge Edward Smith on Tuesday approved the change of venire for Ballard, a convicted murderer out on parole at the time of the Northampton killings.

    Ballard, 37, faces the death penalty and four counts of homicide in the June 26 stabbings of Denise Merhi, 39; her father, Dennis Marsh, 62; her grandfather, Alvin Marsh, Jr., 87; and neighbor Steve Zernhelt, 53.

    Authorities have deemed the deaths "revenge killings" against Ballard's ex-girlfriend, Merhi, who had become involved with another man.

    A state trooper has testified Ballard admitted to the knifings at 1917 Lincoln Ave. when he was found in a crashed vehicle less than two miles away from the home.

    Ballard was living in an Allentown halfway house at the time of the slayings. He was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in 1992 for stabbing to death an Allentown man before fleeing with the man's wallet and car.

    The trial on the Northampton killings is scheduled for May.

    http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/m...,5652283.story

  10. #10
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Wayne County jury to hear Northampton slaying trial

    Wayne jury going to Easton trial

    ALLENTOWN - Michael Eric Ballard of Allentown will be tried in Easton before a jury chosen from Wayne County on charges he stabbed to death his former girlfriend, her father, her grandfather and a neighbor last year in Northampton.

    Northampton County Court Judge Edward Smith on Tuesday approved the change of venire for Mr. Ballard, a convicted murderer on parole at the time of the Northampton killings.

    Mr. Ballard, 37, faces the death penalty and four counts of homicide in the June 26 stabbings of Denise Merhi, 39; her father, Dennis Marsh, 62; her grandfather, Alvin Marsh Jr., 87; and neighbor Steve Zernhelt, 53. The trial is set for May.

    http://thetimes-tribune.com/wayne-co...#ixzz1EynWCOqx

Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •