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By
Andrew Michaels
, Alyssia Davis [former] - March 24, 2023
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Suspects
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Victims
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Defense counsel William Buie III turned the jury’s attention away from his client, homicide defendant Stefanie Colon, and toward her co-defendant, Dion Ball, as Colon’s trial came to a close on March 23 for the death of 15-year-old Hezekiah Pettiford in 2021.
On March 28, the jury found Colon guilty of child abuse resulting in severe physical injury, second-degree child abuse, and two counts of neglecting a minor. The jury found Colon not guilty of a second count of second-degree child abuse and did not render a verdict for first-degree child abuse resulting in death and an additional count of child abuse resulting in severe physical injury.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin Schreiber previously granted Buie’s motion for judgment of acquittal in regard to first-degree murder on March 22.
Colon’s sentencing is currently scheduled for July 6.
“The person who jacked up Hezekiah was the person who was in charge—not my client,” Buie said during closing arguments. “Social Services questioned why they gave the victim to Dion Ball. Ball is a killer.”
Buie said that Social Services blamed Colon for Pettiford’s death after having allegedly made the mistake of placing the boy in Ball’s custody. Baltimore Police reported that Pettiford was starved and neglected, Buie said, yet, there was no evidence.
“My client didn’t do anything; she was just there,” Buie said. “The evidence is against Ball and Social Services.”
During her closing argument, the prosecutor agreed that the system failed Pettiford; however, “the defendant admitted she felt responsible for that child.”
“The defendant testified that she had responsibility of the victim and that she saw her boyfriend smack the victim’s head into a wall, causing him to pass out,” the prosecutor said.
Colon did not get help for Pettiford, she added.
“[The defendant] watched Hezekiah get stomped on,” the prosecutor concluded. “The reason Hezekiah didn’t receive treatment was because [the defendant] decided to take a bath and take a nap.”