On February 29, 2012, 67-year-old Betsy Ball was spending a quiet evening alone at her farmhouse in Vinton, Ohio. Her husband, David, was working a double shift at a local power plant. She had no reason to expect that the evening would end in tragedy.
Earlier that night, Betsy had spoken with a man carrying a shotgun on her property. She recognized his name as a friend of her husband and believed he had been hunting coyotes near their cattle farm.
But a few hours later, Betsy disappeared.
When David returned home around midnight, he found her farmhouse empty. Her wine glass and pretzels were still on the coffee table. At first, he thought she might have gone out with friends. But as the hours passed, his concern grew.
A discovery in the detached garage led him to call 911.
What followed was a murder investigation involving several suspects, conflicting accounts, forensic evidence, and an unexpected tip from a local mechanic. The person responsible was someone who had worked for Betsy and David for nearly 20 years.
Betsy Ball’s Life on the Ohio Farm
Betsy Ball was 67 years old and lived with her husband, David, on a large cattle farm in Vinton, Ohio.
She loved the farm, although maintaining it required considerable effort and did not provide much income. To support themselves, both Betsy and David worked at a local power plant.
Their busy schedules often kept them apart. David regularly worked long hours, while Betsy preferred spending time with friends and attending social gatherings.
Their personalities were different, but Betsy still considered their marriage strong. Her friends and adult sons from her previous marriage had initially questioned the relationship, but they eventually accepted David.
The couple also employed a farmhand named Lee Hawkins, who had helped them with farm work for almost 20 years.
Lee was quiet and rarely socialized with them. He usually completed his work and left without spending time at the farmhouse.
Another person connected to the farm was Sean Petri, a new employee at the power plant. David had recently asked him to hunt coyotes that were attacking their cattle.
These connections would become important during the investigation.
The Last Evening Betsy Ball Was Seen Alive
The Stranger Carrying a Shotgun
Just before 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29, 2012, Betsy was preparing to spend a quiet evening at home.
She poured herself a glass of wine, collected some pretzels, and went into the living room to watch television.
But something outside caught her attention.
Looking through the back window, she noticed a man standing near the old barn that the couple used as a garage. She could not identify him because he was too far away.
At first, she assumed the man was Lee Hawkins, their longtime farmhand.
However, the stranger began walking towards the farmhouse. As he came closer, Betsy realized that he was not Lee.
She also noticed something alarming. The man had a shotgun slung across his back.
Betsy became nervous. She was alone, and an armed stranger was approaching her house.
She considered calling the police, but then the man looked towards the window and waved at her.
Betsy waved back and opened the back door slightly.
The stranger apologized for frightening her and introduced himself as Sean Petri.
Sean Petri Explains Why He Was There
Once Sean gave his name, Betsy remembered what her husband had told her.
David had recently mentioned that Sean was a new employee at the power plant. He had also asked him to hunt coyotes that were attacking their cattle.
Sean explained that he had been hunting coyotes and was finished for the evening.
The two spoke briefly. Sean then said he needed to leave because he had work the following night.
Betsy thanked him for coming and watched him walk back across the field.
She had no reason to believe that anything was wrong.
Betsy Talks to Her Friend Sharon
Around 8:00 p.m., Betsy was sitting in her living room talking to her friend Sharon on the phone.
She mentioned that she was bored staying home alone while David worked late.
Betsy also discussed the differences between their lifestyles. She enjoyed going out with friends, while David preferred working or staying at home on the farm.
Although they sometimes disagreed about his work schedule, Betsy said she loved him and believed they had a good relationship.
After their conversation ended, Betsy returned to watching television.
A little later, bright headlights appeared through the front window. Someone was driving onto the property.
This would become one of the last known details from the evening before Betsy disappeared.
David Ball Discovers His Wife Missing
An Empty Farmhouse at Midnight
Around midnight, David returned home after completing his double shift at the power plant.
He expected to find Betsy inside, but the farmhouse was empty.
The living room lamp was still on. A half-finished glass of wine and a bag of pretzels remained on the coffee table.
David tried calling his wife, but she did not answer.
He then called his stepson, John, to ask whether he had heard from Betsy.
John suggested that she might have gone out with friends. Betsy was independent and sometimes left without telling David where she was going.
David accepted this explanation, although he was becoming concerned.
The Discovery in the Detached Garage
Around 2:00 a.m. on March 1, David was still waiting for Betsy.
He decided to walk around the property to look for her.
Eventually, he entered the detached garage and switched on the lights.
What he saw made him immediately reach for his phone.
David called 911.
About 30 minutes later, Detective Chris Gill from the Gallia County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the farmhouse.
David told him that he believed Betsy had been taken by force.
Police Find Evidence of a Violent Struggle
When Detective Gill entered the farmhouse, he noticed that nothing appeared disturbed.
There were no broken objects, overturned furniture, or visible signs of forced entry.
However, the detached garage told a different story.
Signs of a Struggle Around Betsy’s Car
Inside the garage was Betsy’s Subaru.
Detective Gill noticed several suspicious details around the vehicle:
- Handprint streaks covered parts of the car.
- Scratch marks appeared across the garage floor.
- Small pieces of fabric were scattered nearby.
- One of Betsy’s shoes was lying underneath the car.
The fabric appeared to match Betsy’s clothing.
These details suggested that a violent struggle had taken place.
Detective Gill ordered the area cleared and requested a forensic team to examine the garage.
The investigation was now being treated as a possible kidnapping.
Betsy Ball’s Body Is Found Near an Abandoned Barn
Around noon on March 1, Detective Gill received an important tip.
A local farmer had reported hearing a vehicle revving its engine and spinning its tires in a remote field around 9:00 p.m. on the night Betsy disappeared.
The field was approximately four miles from the farmhouse.
It contained an old, nearly abandoned barn that was difficult to see from the main road.
A Gruesome Discovery
When investigators reached the property, they found tire tracks behind the barn.
Following those tracks, Detective Gill discovered Betsy’s body.
She had suffered extensive injuries. Her face and arms were bruised and scratched. There were marks around her throat suggesting strangulation and injuries to both wrists indicating that she had been restrained.
Investigators also observed severe cuts to her abdomen and right wrist. Tire marks on her clothing suggested that a vehicle had driven over her.
The condition of her body indicated that she had been subjected to extreme violence.
Investigators needed an official autopsy to establish the exact cause of death and determine the full extent of her injuries.
Detective Gill also wanted to keep the crime scene details confidential. He did not want sensitive information spreading through the small community, and he needed to protect details that could help identify the killer.
The Killer Likely Knew the Area
The abandoned barn was not easy to find.
The field was hidden from the main road, and even Detective Gill had difficulty locating the unpaved path leading to it.
This suggested that the killer probably knew the area.
Investigators began considering people who lived or worked near the farm.
David Ball quickly became one of their main suspects.
Investigators Examine David Ball and Lee Hawkins
David’s Timeline Raises Questions
On March 2, Detective Gill visited the power plant where David worked.
He wanted to confirm whether David had actually been at work during the time Betsy was killed.
Investigators had learned from Betsy’s stepson, John, that David had called him around midnight.
But David had not mentioned this phone call when speaking with Detective Gill.
There was also a difference in the timeline he provided.
David told police that he became concerned around 2:00 a.m. and eventually called 911. However, he had already contacted John around midnight to ask about Betsy’s whereabouts.
The discrepancy made investigators examine his movements more closely.
David’s Work Records Provide an Alibi
Detective Gill learned from the coroner that Betsy’s estimated time of death was around 9:00 p.m.
This was the same time the farmer had reported hearing a vehicle in the field.
If David had been at work, he could not have committed the murder.
The power plant used an electronic attendance system. Employees had to scan their identification badges when entering and leaving the building.
David’s records showed that he had entered the plant early that morning for a double shift and had not left until 11:42 p.m.
The records placed him at work when Betsy was killed.
David was therefore effectively ruled out as the main suspect.
Lee Hawkins Also Has an Alibi
Police next questioned Lee Hawkins.
He had worked on Betsy and David’s farm for nearly 20 years and was familiar with the property.
Investigators also knew that Lee had been at the farm on the day of the murder.
During questioning, Lee said he had arrived in the early afternoon to complete his usual chores and feed the animals.
He claimed that he left around 4:00 p.m. and spent the rest of the evening at home with his wife and children.
Detective Gill contacted Lee’s wife, who initially confirmed his account.
With David’s work records and Lee’s wife’s statement, investigators had two apparent alibis.
But the investigation was far from over.
Sean Petri Becomes a Person of Interest
For several days, Detective Gill heard reports about a man carrying a shotgun on Betsy and David’s property on the night of the murder.
This information pointed towards Sean Petri.
A few weeks after Betsy’s death, Detective Gill visited Sean at his rental home in Vinton.
He told Sean that investigators believed he might have been the last person to see Betsy alive.
Sean Admits Visiting the Farm
Sean did not deny being on the property.
He confirmed that he had visited the farm with his shotgun and spoken to Betsy around 7:00 p.m.
He also explained that he had been hunting coyotes.
According to Sean, he never entered the farmhouse. After speaking with Betsy, he returned to his vehicle and drove directly to the power plant.
He said he had spoken to David at work and told him how the coyote hunting had gone.
Sean appeared cooperative and showed no obvious signs of nervousness.
Detective Gill decided to verify his account by contacting the power plant.
If Sean had been working at 9:00 p.m., he could not have been responsible for Betsy’s murder.
But before investigators could complete that check, another lead emerged.
A Local Mechanic Provides the Breakthrough
While Detective Gill was investigating Sean, a local mechanic named Robert Markum was working at an auto repair shop in Vinton.
One afternoon, a man brought a black pickup truck into the shop.
The owner wanted the truck bed replaced immediately.
As Robert ate his lunch, his coworker began working on the vehicle and talking with its owner.
During their conversation, the subject of Betsy Ball’s murder came up.
The Truck Owner Knows Details That Were Not Public
At first, Robert did not find the conversation unusual. Almost everyone in the small town was talking about Betsy’s death.
But something about the man’s comments caught his attention.
The truck owner began describing specific injuries to Betsy’s body.
He mentioned that her wrists and stomach had been cut and that someone had driven over her with a vehicle.
These details were not publicly known.
Robert also noticed that the man did not sound shocked or saddened. Instead, he seemed unusually excited while discussing the violence.
Robert found the conversation disturbing.
He kept the information to himself initially, but after about a week, he decided that he should contact the police.
He called the investigation’s public tip line and explained what he had heard.
A detective contacted him shortly afterwards and asked whether he could identify the truck owner from a photo lineup.
Robert said he could.
This tip gave investigators a new direction.
How Betsy Ball Was Murdered
Based on the investigation and forensic evidence, authorities reconstructed what they believed happened on the night of February 29, 2012.
The Attack Inside the Farmhouse
Shortly before 9:00 p.m., the killer entered Betsy’s unlocked farmhouse.
Betsy was alone. She was surprised by the visitor but initially welcomed the person inside.
However, she soon noticed the weapon the killer was carrying.
Realizing the danger, Betsy ran through the back door towards the detached garage, where her Subaru was parked.
She was trying to escape.
But the attacker caught up with her before she could reach the car.
A violent struggle followed. Betsy’s clothes were torn, and one of her shoes came off.
The killer eventually restrained her and tied her wrists together.
A ligature was then placed around her neck and pulled tight until she died.
The Killer Takes Her Body to the Barn
After killing Betsy, the attacker placed her body in the back of a black pickup truck.
The vehicle was driven to the isolated barn in the nearby field.
There, the killer sexually assaulted her body and inflicted further injuries.
The attacker then drove over her with the truck before leaving the scene.
Investigators believed the killer returned home afterwards, where his wife was waiting for him.
Lee Hawkins Is Identified as Betsy’s Killer
The person responsible for Betsy Ball’s murder was Lee Hawkins, the farmhand who had worked for her and David for nearly two decades.
His original account had placed him at home with his wife and children throughout the evening.
However, his wife’s statement later changed.
She recanted her earlier account and admitted that Lee had not been home all night.
This contradicted the alibi that had initially helped investigators rule him out.
Evidence of Lee’s Fascination With the BTK Killer
When authorities searched Lee’s home, they discovered a hidden collection of articles about the BTK serial killer.
BTK was the name given to a serial killer who operated in Kansas during the 1970s and 1980s.
He was known for attacking victims in their homes, restraining them, and strangling them.
Investigators found that Lee had collected material about BTK and appeared fascinated by his crimes.
The similarities between BTK’s methods and the way Betsy was attacked raised further questions about Lee’s possible motivation.
However, Lee never explained why he killed Betsy.
The exact motive remained unknown.
Lee Hawkins Is Sentenced to Life Without Parole
The investigation ultimately established that Lee Hawkins was responsible for Betsy Ball’s murder.
His original alibi had delayed investigators’ focus on him, but his wife’s changed statement and the evidence gathered during the investigation exposed his involvement.
Lee was convicted of aggravated murder.
He received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Betsy Ball’s death had shocked the small community of Vinton, Ohio. The person responsible was not an unknown outsider but someone who had been trusted to work on her family’s property for almost 20 years.
Conclusion
The murder of Betsy Ball shows how a criminal investigation can take unexpected turns.
David Ball initially appeared suspicious because of inconsistencies in his account, but electronic work records established that he was at the power plant when his wife was killed.
Lee Hawkins also appeared to have an alibi. His wife initially supported his claim that he had been home with his family.
The breakthrough came through a local mechanic who reported hearing a man discuss confidential details about Betsy’s injuries.
That information helped investigators uncover the truth about a man who had spent nearly two decades working for the victim’s family.
Lee Hawkins was ultimately convicted of aggravated murder and sentenced to life without parole.
Betsy had welcomed someone she knew into her life and onto her property. She could not have known that the man she trusted to care for the farm would become her killer.