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Arrest Made in Deadly Weekend Shooting

Updated: Tuesday, February 5 2013, 10:22 PM EST
HEBRON -- The man police say shot-and-killed a friend is locked up in the Licking County Jail, charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Police say Cody Williams admitted to shooting James Ballman, 19, at an apartment in Hebron Saturday night.

James Ballman is the brother of a young pregnant woman, whose body was found in her car in a Delaware county field.

According to the Licking County Sheriff's Office, James Ballman, 19, was shot-and-killed at an apartment on Ridgely Tract Rd. in Hebron at around 9:00 p.m. Saturday.  The person who shot him admitted to detectives that he had been drinking and handling a gun when it went off, striking Ballman.

According to his mother, James Ballman is the brother of Deanna Ballman, whose pregnant body was found back in August inside her car in a Delaware County field near New Albany.  She was nine months pregnant.  The coroner said Deanna died of acute heroin intoxication, but ruled her death suspicious.

Lori Ballman has told ABC 6 News that her daughter wasn't a drug user.  She also said Deanna had recently answered a Craigslist ad for work and had started a new job the week her body was found.  It's unknown if that played a roll in her death.

According to Lori, her son James had a huge heart for his sister's children, and was even trying to get custody of them, so he could raise them for his sister.

As new details surface, we will update this story.
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Web Producer:  Joe StollArrest Made in Deadly Weekend Shooting