On August 26, 2002, six members of the Ball and Haslip families were killed at their property in Luverne, Alabama. Victims included 14-year-old John Lewis Ball; his grandmother, Mila Ruth Ball, 65; his mother, JoAnn Ball, 35; his father, Willie Edward Haslip, 40; and his brothers, Jerry C. Ball, 19, and Tony Lamar Ball, 17. The family members were shot in multiple locations around the property, including the farmhouse, a nearby mobile home, a hog pen, and in a car trunk.

The only survivor was 16-year-old Janice Ball. Investigators focused on her 22-year-old boyfriend, Westley Devone Harris, who was alleged to have been angry over the family’s attempt to end his relationship with Janice. Harris was charged with six counts of capital murder. After a 2004 mistrial, a 2005 trial resulted in convictions on all counts; the jury recommended life without parole by a 7 to 5 vote, but the trial judge overrode that recommendation and imposed death sentences, and Harris was sent to Holman Correctional Facility.

This attack killed three generations of a single family and began with a domestic dispute that escalated to mass violence. If anyone knew the Ball family or has information about the case, please come forward.