A Washington state man is in custody after shooting and killing his new wife, according to law enforcement in the Evergreen State.
Josiah Ballinger, 42, faces charges of second-degree murder in the death of Rachael Ballinger, 41, according to a press release issued by the Spokane Police Department.
The incident unfolded late Sunday afternoon at a house on North Hawthorne Street, police said. The victim’s 14-year-old son called 911 and reported that someone had shot his mother dead and that his stepfather had fled in a silver Jeep.
The slain woman’s 9-year-old son said he heard the couple arguing in the basement and went downstairs to see what was happening, according to court records obtained by The Spokesman-Review. At some point during the dispute, the husband said he wanted to leave, while the wife urged him to stay and continue talking, police said.
The argument then turned physical, with the man beginning to push and hurt her, the younger boy told law enforcement.
The 9-year-old then watched Josiah Ballinger pull out a black handgun, police said. The boy told investigators it was the first time he had ever seen his stepfather carrying any such weapon.
“You can’t shoot a girl,” Rachael Ballinger allegedly told the defendant. The soon-to-be slain woman warned her husband that he would “go to jail” for the rest of his life if he followed through.
He followed through anyway, firing the gun, police said.
“[The 9-year-old] watched as his mom fell onto the wooden staircase and hit her head,” according to court documents obtained by Yakima-based ABC affiliate KAPP and Kennewick-based ABC affiliate KVEW, which collectively broadcast as Apple Valley News Now.
Josiah Ballinger then stepped over Rachael Ballinger’s body and “just left her there,” the 9-year-old told police.
Meanwhile, the victim’s 14-year-old son had bolted from the house when he heard the gunshot, but eventually went back inside and found his mother lifeless at the bottom of the stairwell, police said. The older boy told police he was “so scared he could not cry,” according to law enforcement.
Responding officers performed lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived, but their efforts proved futile — the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the police department.
Another officer en route to the residence spotted Josiah Ballinger near East Wellesley Avenue and North Haven Street, conducted a traffic stop, and took him into custody without incident. Police recovered a handgun from inside the defendant’s car.
At the time of her death, Rachael Ballinger and her husband had been married just over a year, according to law enforcement.
During an initial court appearance Monday, a crime victim advocate read a statement about the slain woman, describing her as “a devoted mother of two sons” who “brought joy, laughter and love to everyone around her,” Apple Valley News Now and Spokane-based CBS affiliate KREM reported.
“Our family will carry the pain of this loss for the rest of our lives,” the advocate added.
Josiah Ballinger remains held in the Spokane County Jail on $1 million bail and is due to enter his plea Thursday.
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