“Grossly grossly insufficient”: Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney on Travis Ball sentencing
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - The man charged with killing Virginia State Police Special Agent Mike Walter was sentenced to 36 years behind bars, Thursday. The decision came down after a more than six-hour sentencing hearing. It was an extremely emotional day of testimony for the loved ones of Walter, who packed the courtroom.
Jaime Walter, Michael Walter’s wife, gave a tear-filled description of the devastation and immense hole left by his loss. She described how their three children will now grow up without their superhero.
“Death came from the very place he sought to protect,” said Jaime Walter while testifying. “It’s so unreal and so numbing because this was never supposed to be us… My heart is hollow and always will be.”
Jaime said her family lost their sense of security, after Walter’s death while on duty in Richmond last year.
Travis Ball fatally shot Walter at close range as Walter approached the car Ball was sitting in, according to police. Ball entered an Alford Plea last month, in order to avoid the death penalty in the capital murder charge.
"I think this sentence was grossly grossly insufficient,” said Mike Herring, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney. Herring said he was hoping for at least 50 years, even though prosecutors asked the judge for 60. Herring told the court that Travis Ball admitted in text messages prior the shooting that he didn't want to go back to jail, so much so that he'd have a “shoot out” with an officer. "There was nothing in the way that the police officers related with (Ball) that would have warranted killing, other than him not wanting to go back to jail,” said Herring. Defense attorneys outlined Ball's poverty and abuse-stricken childhood, at the hands of his parents. Ball grew up in a trailer in Lancaster County with eight brothers and sisters, and parents who abused alcohol, drugs, and their children. Attorneys said that Ball leaned on a school counselor at the time, who testified as to the pain and neglect he experienced. "You've all heard about his absolutely horrendous upbringing. And that really played a large part in his mindset,” said Jennifer Stanton, a defense attorney for Ball.
Stanton is the Capital Defender for the Southeast Region of Virginia. She and her team of defense attorneys also asserted the gun accidentally fired during the struggle between Ball, Walter and the other officer on scene, at the time.
Ball himself addressed the court saying, in part, that he was "very sorry for everything that happened to everybody's family." Ball went on to say that he hoped everyone left the courtroom “at peace and not at war.”
“I think that’s all about Travis,” commented Herring. “That is him trying to find some semblance of peace for himself… There was a reference to the Walter family. But the overwhelming point of Mr. Ball’s comments, in my opinion, were focused on his adjustment to what he’s done.” "As the judge pointed out, (the sentence) is not going to make anyone happy, ultimately. This is not a win win. It's a lose lose," said Stanton. "He's impulsive, and when he snaps, other people suffer,” said Herring. “So, I'm not nearly as disappointed by the sentence as the Walter’s are, but I am at least perplexed."
Special Agent Walter was also a light in the Powhatan community, founding a youth wrestling gym. Walter also focused on troubled children, and never turned any child away, even if it meant paying costs out of his own pocket.
Ball must also fill another sentence on top of the 36 years. He won’t be out of jail until he’s in his mid 60′s, at the least.
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