Prosecutors are recommending a judge keep a bond at $1 million for a Columbia man accused of first-degree murder, saying the proof against him is strong and that he is a “special danger to the community.”
Assistant District Attorney Laurel Brinkley filed a response this week to Gerrod Ball’s request for lowering his bail to at least $200,000.
Ball, 39, is being held at the Marion County Jail, accused of fatally shooting Jaron Burton, 30, on June 11 inside a home on Barbara Drive in Popetown.
“The State would argue that the evidence is great in this case, that the crime charged is violent, that the crime carries life in prison, that the defendant’s actions prove he is very dangerous, reckless, and poses a risk to the community,” Brinkley’s court response said.
On Aug. 14 Ball had filed a motion arguing that his bond is excessive and that he is not a flight risk.
The documents say he has never been arrested or convicted of a felony and is a college graduate who was employed as an off-shore oilman before being arrested.
The motion to reduce the bond will now await a judge’s decision.
Meanwhile, the three-page document filed Monday by prosecutors summarizes what happened during the shooting.
It said officers on June 11 found Burton unresponsive and suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. They also encountered Ball walking in the area with a gunshot wound, the document says.
The document said Wendy Silas witnessed the shooting.
“Silas stated that she had been at her home with Jaron Burton when Gerrod Ball, with whom she had a (former) dating relationship, forced entry into her bedroom. Ball immediately began shooting into the bedroom at Burton. Ball fled the home when Burton began returning fire,” the document says.
Silas’s son saw Ball shooting into the bedroom, according to the court document.
It also said Ball and Silas had exchanged text messages earlier in the evening that included him threatening her.
“Why you can’t answer I know where you at I will come show out you better answer,” a text message from Ball to Silas stated, according to the court document.
The Mississippi Constitution says that judges can deny bail for offenses carrying penalties of 20 years or more when the proof is evident or it’s determined that releasing the person would constitute a “special danger” to another person or the community or no condition will reasonably assure that the accused person will appear in court.
“The State contends that the proof against the Defendant in this case is evident, Defendant is a special danger to the community, and no conditions will reasonably assure the appearance of the Defendant,” the document states.
Ball’s motion said he has family locally who will ensure he attends court hearings.
It said his family could likely post a $200,000 bond or that he would be open to wearing an electronic monitoring device.
