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Defensive back Corey Ballentine was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.
In the wee hours of the morning following his selection, Ballentine was a victim of a shooting in his hometown of Topeka, Kansas. His friend and college football teammate, Dwane Simmons, was killed in the incident.
Three years later, finally, justice is served.
Shawnee County District Judge Cheryl Rios presided over the case against Francisco A. “Franky” Mendez, the convicted shooter in the incident. He spent three years in jail awaiting his trial, during which he refused to give up his accomplice’s names and never showed remorse for his actions.
As such, Judge Rios did not hold back at sentencing.
“You will pay for the decision that you made,” she told Mendez before handing out a harsh penalty, via the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Rios sentenced Mendez to prison for 50 years, without the chance of parole, for the murder of Simmons. Then she added 41 years to be served after that for the four counts of attempted murder, plus seven counts of aggravated robbery that were part of a three-day crime spree in April 2019.
Ballentine, who signed a reserve/future contract with the Atlanta Falcons in January, played for the Giants for two seasons before being waived. While wearing blue, he appeared in 22 games. He recorded 38 tackles, including 33 solo and seven sacks as a defensive back, and returned 19 kicks for 447 yards.
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