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Kansas Teen Sentenced To Life For Murdering Friend's Mom With A Bat
Amadeus Ballou-Meyer was sentenced to life in prison after allegedly confessed to murdering his friend's mother, Hester Workman, with a baseball bat in April 2021.
A teen accused of killing his friend's mother has been sentenced to life in prison.
Amadeus Courage Ballou-Meyer, 17, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least 50 years on Wednesday, according to Topeka, Kansas news station WIBW.
The teen allegedly confessed to the April 2021 murder of his friend's mother, Hester Workman, 46, whose remains were found in the garage by her 16-year-old son, Dillon Jay. Court records stated that Workman had suffered severe trauma to her head; she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two days later, investigators zeroed in on Ballou-Meyer, then-16, after reviewing surveillance footage from neighbors' homes, WIBW reported. The footage showed Ballou-Meyer walking about three blocks from the scene of the crime and carrying a baseball bat, which was found in Shunganunga Creek by disc golfers, Detective Luke Jones said during a preliminary hearing in March, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.
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Jones said that after Ballou-Meyer was taken into custody, he allegedly confessed to beating Workman — though he gave varying accounts of how it happened. In one account, Jones testified, Ballou-Meyer claimed he had tried to "scare" Workman and she fell, hitting her head.
Ballou-Meyer said he used a bat to move Workman's head "a little bit," before panicking and discarding the bat in the creek nearby, Jones stated.
Court records reviewed by Oxygen.com show that Ballou-Meyer pleaded guilty to intentional and premeditated murder in the first degree in July. At the same time, multiple other charges, including aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, were dismissed.
Workman's son, Jay, said he had welcomed Ballou-Meyer into his home "for months" prior to the alleged murder. “I hung out with Amadeus the day after it happened,” Dillon told NBC affiliate KSNT. “He hugged me and told me he couldn’t imagine what it was like to lose a parent.”
An obituary for Workman stated that she was a legal support staff supervisor for the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts. "She enjoyed waterparks, watching crime and medical shows, puzzles, reading and her beloved dog, Peanut. Her kids were her pride and joy and the upmost importance. She will be dearly missed," the obituary read.
