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32-year-old Akron man sentenced to life in prison in the stabbing deaths of two men

32-year-old Jason Shockley was sentenced in the deaths of Ben King and Garry Ballis.

AKRON, Ohio — An Akron man was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for the murder of two people. 

32-year-old Jason Shockley was sentenced in the deaths of Ben King and Garry Ballis in Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce's courtroom. 

Ballis and King were Shockley's elderly neighbors. According to reports, in April 2020, 69-year-old Ben King was found fatally stabbed to death in his Akron home. A month later, 68-year-old Garry Ballis was also found stabbed to death inside his home. 

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At the time of the murders, Shockley was living in an abandoned home a few houses down from Mr. King and less than a mile from Mr. Ballis.

Shockley was linked to both of the crimes after being found in procession of several of Mr. King's belonging including his vehicle, knives and credit cards. 

Police investigation revealed that Shockley was familiar with the two men as his mother was their caretaker. 

In March, Shockley pled guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated robbery. 

He will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 25 years of his prison sentence. 

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*Editor's Note: The video in the player above is from a previous report. 

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