Local
Waterford man indicted in 1995 Washington County killings of mother and toddler
Johnny Ball, 64, faces murder and obstruction-related charges in the deaths of Kimberly Fulton and her 17-month-old son, Daniel. The indictment follows the 2025 conviction of another Waterford man and a renewed investigation that began in 2019.
A Waterford man has been indicted in the 1995 killings of a Washington County mother and her toddler son, nearly three decades after the pair were found dead in their burned mobile home.
Johnny Ball, 64, was indicted Sept. 15 on charges connected to the deaths of 28-year-old Kimberly Fulton and her 17-month-old son, Daniel. He faces three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, four counts of perjury, one count of obstructing justice, one count of tampering with evidence and two counts of obstructing official business.
The Fultons were found dead March 5, 1995, after a fire at their mobile home in southeastern Ohio. Investigators initially believed the fire caused their deaths, but later determined the mother and child had been smothered or strangled before the blaze was set.
Authorities have said for years that more than one person may have been involved. Prosecutors previously argued that Scott Hickman, also of Waterford, helped facilitate the crime. Hickman was convicted in 2025 of aggravated murder and other offenses and received a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office reopened the investigation in 2019. That work led to Hickman’s conviction and, as detectives followed additional leads, to the case against Ball.
Ball had already been indicted in May 2024 on perjury and obstruction of justice charges related to the killings. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office Special Prosecutions Section is prosecuting the new case.
Prosecutors have identified Daniel’s biological father as a person connected to the investigation, but he has not been charged in the killings. The indictment against Ball is an allegation; he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.