Jason Shockley Murder Case: Guilty Plea and Life Sentence

The Jason Shockley murder case ended in April 2022 when the Akron, Ohio man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 to 30 years for stabbing and robbing two older men he knew through his mother. Shockley, 30 at the time of the killings, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated robbery in the deaths of Benjamin King, 69, and Gary Ballis, 68, both killed in their Akron homes in the spring of 2020.¹

Who the Victims Were

Benjamin King was a 69-year-old Marine veteran who had been disabled since a 2008 accident. He lived alone on Kent Court in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood. His daughter, Patricia Jodon, later said he had been saving about $3,000 in a can to pay for his own cremation.²

Gary Ballis, 68, lived less than a mile away on Wilmot Street. His niece, Kathleen Deakin, described him as witty, intelligent, and an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.³

Shockley lived in an abandoned house on Kent Court just a few doors from King. Investigators determined he knew both men because his mother had served as their caretaker.³

The Two Killings

King was found stabbed to death inside his Kent Court home on April 8, 2020. According to Jodon, he had been stabbed 33 times, with the wounds concentrated on his head. Investigators believed he was targeted for the cremation money, which was the only item reported missing.²

About six weeks later, on May 21, 2020, officers conducting a welfare check found Ballis stabbed to death in his home on Wilmot Street.⁴ Jail records later indicated Shockley had been drinking with Ballis before the attack and admitted killing him and stealing his property, including a bank card and a 2005 Subaru Outback.²

Arrest and Charges

Akron police arrested Shockley the day after Ballis’s body was found, around 2:00 p.m. on May 22, 2020, at a vacant home on Kent Court. Ballis’s stolen Subaru was nearby.⁵ Shockley was carrying Ballis’s credit cards and knives at the time of the arrest.⁶ He also had outstanding warrants for parole violations.⁴

He was initially charged with aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, breaking and entering, and criminal damaging in the Ballis case, with bond set at $1 million.⁵ A Summit County grand jury added felonious assault, murder, and theft counts.⁷ In November 2020, he was separately indicted on aggravated murder and aggravated robbery charges in King’s death.²

Guilty Plea and Sentence

In March 2022, Shockley pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated robbery. Prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges, including the aggravated murder counts, as part of the plea agreement.¹

Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge Christine Croce sentenced him on April 18, 2022, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 to 30 years. Croce urged Shockley to take part in prison programs for education, substance abuse, and trauma counseling, warning that without them “the next 25 years will be very difficult for you.”¹

Victim Impact Statements and Defense

Jodon addressed Shockley directly at sentencing: “What if this was your mom, your dad? You’re worried about your life. You didn’t care about my dad. You didn’t care that my dad was disabled. Why should anyone care about you?” She noted that Shockley had stolen the $3,000 her father had saved for cremation. King’s other daughter, Debra King, told the court Shockley “showed me there is true evil.”¹

Deakin, Ballis’s niece, appeared via Zoom and said she would “forever be haunted by Gary’s final moments on earth, the horror that he must have felt when he realized you were going to kill him.” She said Shockley was “incapable of making the right decision” and warned that releasing him too soon could lead to similar violence.⁸

Shockley’s attorneys cited an abusive childhood, substance abuse, and mental health conditions including PTSD, anxiety, and depression as factors in his conduct. Shockley apologized in court, saying, “I’m somebody that’s lost. I’m somebody that’s struggled throughout my whole life. I’m another person who didn’t know what he was doing.” The apology was not well received by the families.⁸

1
Akron Beacon Journal. Akron Man Sentenced to Life for Two Men’s Fatal Stabbings
2
Akron Beacon Journal. Man Accused of Killing, Robbing Older Neighbor Already Charged in Another Death
3
News 5 Cleveland. Akron Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Stabbing Deaths of 2 Men in Their 60s
4
Cleveland 19 News. Akron Police Make Arrest in Murder of 68-Year-Old Man
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Akron Beacon Journal. Arrest Made in Death of 68-Year-Old
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Fox 8 Cleveland. Akron Man Sentenced for Murdering Two Neighbors
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Cleveland 19 News. $1 Million Bond for Akron Man Accused of Killing 68-Year-Old, Stealing His Car
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Cleveland 19 News. Suspect Sentenced for Killing 2 Men Who Were Found in Their Akron Homes