Brother of homicide victim testifies about Joliet Township shooting

A man testified Wednesday that he held his brother’s body as he died in a Joliet Township shooting more than five years ago.

Prosecutors said the 2018 fatal shooting of Nathan Ballard, 20, was committed by Elijah Watson, 28, who worked out a plan with Anthony Francimore, 25, to rob Ballard of $75 by pretending to sell him drugs.

Watson is on trial this week on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery. Francimore, his alleged accomplice, was convicted of the same charges last year.

Watson tried to request a continuance for his trial Monday. However, Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius rejected his request after listening to jail calls that showed Watson was deliberately trying to delay his trial.

During the Oct. 28, 2018, incident, Ballard and his brother met with Francimore for the drug deal, but Francimore walked away with Ballard’s money and entered a vehicle without providing the drugs, prosecutors said.

Ballard’s brother testified Wednesday that he stood in front of the vehicle to prevent it from leaving. After Ballard took a photo of the license plate with his cellphone, a front-seat passenger pointed a gun at him, Ballard’s brother said.

The brother said he heard gunshots after he turned to Ballard to ask him what was going on. The brother immediately got down and ran away, but Ballard didn’t move with him, he said.

When the brother looked back, he saw Ballard on the ground bleeding.

“I held him as he died,” Ballard’s brother said.

He later said his hands were “way too covered in blood to touch anything.”

One of the first Will County sheriff’s deputies who responded to the shooting had to wipe away mucus and blood from Ballard’s face so he could breathe, according to Tuesday’s testimony.

The brother said he was upset about Ballard’s death. He also said he felt “lucky to be alive” after the shooting.

“It could have been me,” he said.

The photo of the license plate, along with Ballard’s cellphone, became key pieces of evidence in the investigation that led to the apprehension of Francimore and Watson in Chicago.

Deputy Alan Beckman, who was the lead detective in the case, said Wednesday that although Watson tried to downplay his role in the incident, he eventually admitted to firing the gun.