Aug. 9 – A 20-year-old Kettering man pleaded guilty to the murder of a Moraine man who died after a fight on social media.
Eric Daniel Ball II pleaded guilty to a murder charge on Friday, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records. All other charges, including manslaughter, tampering with evidence, improper handling of a firearm and improper discharge of a firearm, were dismissed.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20.
The charges stem from the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Terry Martin Jr. in the 2700 block of Gladstone Street in Moraine on July 9, 2023.
Martin’s grandmother called 911 and told dispatchers that he was shot and that blood was running from his head, according to Moraine police records.
He was shot three times in the head and neck, Moraine Deputy Police Chief Jason Neubauer said.
Martin was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe Martin was standing behind his grandmother, who was not injured, at the time of the shooting. She was sitting in a recliner near the front door when several shots were fired into the house.
Ten bullets struck the residence, including five that went through the front door, police said.
Neighbors helped lead police to Ball and another suspect. Both were arrested, but the second person was released without being charged.
Ball and Martin attended Fairmont High School together. The shooting appeared to be the result of a social media fight, Neubauer said.
“It seemed like there was some rivalry going on on social platforms that really started and intensified the argument between these parties,” he said.
Ball told police during an interview that Martin threatened him on social media, according to Kettering Municipal Court records.
“This was not the way to do it,” Neubauer said. “If there were threats initially made by half of the parties, they simply could have reported it to the police. It didn’t need to escalate to the level it did and result in a shooting with the death of another person.”
