DOMESTIC RELATIONSHIP TURNS DEADLY: ROBERT BALLARD JR. RECEIVES 95 YEARS FOR MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER OF GIRLFRIEND AND HER FAMILY

VANDERBURGH COUNTY, Ind. — Prosecutor Diana Moers announces that on Friday, May 15, a convicted murderer was sentenced to nearly a century in prison after opening fire on a vehicle that had two women and two kids inside back in 2018.

The Honorable Magistrate Judge Ryan C. Reed of the Vanderburgh Circuit Court ordered Robert Lee Ballard Jr. to serve 95 years at the Indiana Department of Correction at his sentencing hearing Friday, for crimes including murder, attempted murder, battery by means of a deadly weapon, and intimidation.

In April, Deputy Prosecutors Audrey Beckerle and Keaton Maurer took the case to trial and secured a guilty verdict after presenting indisputable evidence against Ballard to the jury.

In May of 2018, Ballard fired multiple shots into a vehicle parked at a home on West Delaware Street, which had Amanda Weir, Ladonna Davis, and two kids inside.

A week before the shooting took place, an 18-year relationship between Ballard and Davis had ended. It was tradition that they would go out to eat on Friday – information used by Ballard to conduct his murderous plan. Ballard’s intentions were further revealed when he indicated that he had parked his motorcycle in an alley to conceal his vehicle at the time of the attack, and that he was “planning” a few days before the shooting occurred.

After fatally injuring Weir and injuring Davis, Ballard attempted to flee the scene – but a nearby resident was able to stop him. As that resident was confronting Ballard, Ballard fired a shot at him, leading to a firefight between both men before Ballard was taken into custody by police.

At trial, Deputy Prosecutors Beckerle and Maurer presented firearm forensics connecting Ballard’s gun to the shell casings recovered from the scene, an autopsy report

and testimony from a doctor, bodycam footage and crime scene photos, 911 calls, and witness testimony. The State also presented a phone call made by Ballard eight days after the shooting as evidence, where Ballard said he would be going for that “temporary psychiatric thing” and he asked family to send 18 black roses to Weir’s funeral for the “18 years of hell her momma gave him.”

Ballard’s trial was delayed for several years due to his intentional efforts to portray himself as incompetent – but he was eventually found to be “malingering” by doctors and competent to stand trial.

After hearing all the evidence against Ballard, the jury found him guilty as charged. Despite Ballard’s efforts, the jury did not find him “guilty but mentally ill,” indicating they saw past his attempts to portray himself as mentally impaired and recognized his true murderous nature.

Prosecutor Moers stated: This case underscores the importance of our domestic violence unit and the good that our $500,000 grant award can do in Vanderburgh County. Ballard’s attempts to present himself as having a mental illness proved unsuccessful thanks to the unrelenting efforts from this office and expertise of medical professionals. Ballard continued to attempt to make a circus out of the proceedings in court, but the jury saw him for what he was and, at last, justice has been served. He is a calculated and violent person, and he will now spend the rest of his life behind bars. These innocent victims can now heal and move on with their lives. I commend my staff and victim advocates in this case as well as law enforcement who were all unwavering in their efforts to push this case to a final resolution.

The Prosecutor’s Office would like to thank the law enforcement officers involved in investigating this case, including EPD Detective D. Smith, who worked as the lead detective on the case, as well as Officer M. Reid and Officer B. Hallmark. Staff members at the Prosecutor’s Office who also substantially assisted with the case include Jessica Pollock, Tony Carden, Morgan Richardville, Robyn Mastison, and Jen Savage.