Jury finds Douglas Ball guilty of killing his wife

A jury of six women and six men took less than half an hour Tuesday afternoon to find Douglas Edwin Ball Jr., 39, guilty of murdering his wife, Lydia Ball, 30.

Ball was found guilty of first-degree murder and torture charges.

"It's nice that Lydia Ball has some justice," said Jennifer Deegan, St. Clair County senior assistant prosecutor after the jury came back with the verdict.

More: Jurors in Ball murder trial hear 911 call

More: Jury hears police interview of man accused of killing wife

More: Dead mother's testimony played during murder trial

Earlier, during her closing argument, Deegan had counted 14 blows, striking her hand on a lectern.

"I ask you to think about how much time and effort it would take, how much time and effort it took to kill Lydia Ball," Deegan said after picking up an 8-pound hammer believed to have been the weapon used to kill Lydia Ball, 30.

"Fourteen blows, 14 times all over her head," Deegan said. "I ask you to find him guilty of first-degree murder and torture."

St. Clair County Medical Examiner Dr. Daniel Spitz, who had testified on April 5, had told jurors there were 14 blunt force injuries on Lydia Ball's skulls that were consistent with having been caused by such a hammer.

Ball's trial started two weeks ago with jury selection on April 4 in Circuit Judge Michael L. West's courtroom.

Jurors heard from a long list of witnesses, including Lydia Ball's parents, Larry and Roxanne Jackson, and her brother, Edward Jackson. They also heard from Douglas Ball's mother, Vickie Ball, and his half-brother, Joshua Wark.

Port Huron police officers and forensic scientists from the Michigan State Police also testified about the investigation.

Lydia Ball's body was found Aug. 20 in a home she and Douglas Ball shared with their now-6-year-old son Douglas Edwin Ball III and with Lydia Ball's parents, Larry and Roxanne Jackson. Ball was arrested Aug. 21 at his mother's home in Orion Township to where he had fled with his son.

Ball faces life in prison. Sentencing will be at 9 a.m. June 1.

Defense lawyer Edward Marshall, in his closing argument, said several times investigators had focused on Douglas Ball "like a laser beam" and had ignored or overlooked evidence that might have pointed to someone else having killed Lydia Ball.

He at several points tried to establish that Lydia Ball might have been killed by her brother, Edward Jackson, who had been living with the Balls at 1201 Rawlins but had left by July 1.

Marshall called into question testimony about what Larry and Roxanne Jackson did when Roxanne Jackson found their daughter's body.

"Who are we covering for here?" he asked. "Is it possible you (Douglas Ball) are worrying about white shoes and hiding because you are being set up for something?"

Deegan, however, said the case was about lies. She said Douglas Ball had lied numerous times about what he was doing, including a lie about being employed at HP Pelzer and lies about where Lydia Ball was on Aug. 19, the day before her body was found, and on Aug. 20.

She showed the jurors photos of Lydia Ball's wounds. She said Douglas Ball intended to kill his wife, striking her head 14 times.

"The force from this hammer caused her head to be cracked open," Deegan said. "This was someone who cruelly intended to hurt someone."

Marshall said jurors had been handed a pile of bricks by investigators and the prosecution and some of the bricks did not fit.

"If you use their bad bricks in this wall, this wall is going to fall down at some time," he said.

Deegan, however, extended Marshall's metaphor and asked jurors to look at the totality of the evidence presented.

"... Absolutely this crime has been proved beyond a reasonable doubt," she said. "You don't have to jump to conclusions.

"There is no explanation other than the defendant committed these crimes."

Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com., Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477.