Not guilty: Jury clears Springfield man who shot and killed daughter’s fiance

A Springfield man who shot and killed his daughter’s fiance during an altercation in Humansville acted in self-defense, according to a Polk County jury.

Steven Wayne Ball was found not guilty of murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child — a charge that had been included because one of Ball’s teenage grandsons was standing nearby at the time of the shooting.

There was never any disagreement that Ball, 60, pulled the trigger of a shotgun and killed 37-year-old Daniel Houston. At issue was whether Ball, who told investigators he confronted Houston in order to protect his daughter, was within his rights to do so.

Questioned after the March 18, 2014, shooting, Ball told investigators he drove to Humansville after hearing his daughter, Kristy Ball, argue with Houston while he was on the phone with her.

Steven Ball said he arrived in Humansville about 8 p.m. Kristy Ball’s 16-year-old son and another 16-year-old cousin were in the truck with him.

An argument ensued, during which Houston reportedly pushed past Kristy Ball and stood outside Steven Ball’s truck. The two men began “mouthing” each other through the truck window, according to court documents, and Steven Ball said he would shoot Houston if he pushed Kristy Ball again.

The confrontation escalated from there, according to statements from Kristy Ball and the two teen witnesses, who said Houston repeatedly told Ball to shoot him before punching and breaking the windshield of the older man’s truck.

Houston reportedly pushed Kristy Ball away again during the altercation. Her son told investigators he tried to pull Houston away when he saw his grandfather point the shotgun, after which Steven Ball said “Oh hell no” and shot Houston in the torso.

As Houston lay dying, Steven Ball allegedly told his grandsons to “let him sit there and die.”

Polk County Prosecutor Kenneth Ashlock said the testimony at trial was broadly similar to what was released when Steven Ball was charged, with one exception.

“The thing that popped up at trial that we weren’t aware of until recently … Mr. Ball testified that Mr. Houston reached inside the truck and grabbed at him and bit him,” Ashlock said. “That was omitted from his earlier statement and was substantially different from what he told the officers initially.”

Kristy Ball made a similar statement, which also was not included in her earlier interviews, he said.

Ashlock — who did not sound entirely convinced by the new testimony — said the information came to light about a month before trial and “was an important fact” supporting the argument that Steven Ball felt threatened by Houston.

“Of course this was a self-defense case, and that’s what the defense argued throughout the case,” he said. “There’s no question Mr. Ball shot Mr. Houston and killed him.”

An attorney for Steven Ball did not immediately return a call for comment.

Although Ball was found not guilty, Ashlock said he thinks it was important for the case to go to trial. He noted that the jury began deliberating about noon Wednesday and didn’t come back with a decision until 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m.

“It was a case that needed to be tried, to let those 12 people decide it. It wasn’t clear cut that he was in self-defense and Mr. Houston did die,” Ashlock said. “I may not like the ultimate outcome but I think that’s the way it ultimately should be, that those folks make the decision. That’s what the system’s set up for.”