Five details about Janie Ballard's murder

The brutal murder of Janie Ballard in Little Rock, Arkansas, brought the town to a standstill as the investigations revealed the attack to be from her only daughter, Leslie MacKool. Leslie was allegedly working under the influence and pressure created by her husband, Mike MacKool, whom the Ballards did not approve of.

Leslie MacKool was known to be a good girl who had studied at an all-girls convent school in Little Rock. However, she had become a transformed person after she started seeing 23-year-old muscular Mike in 2000.

The Seduced to Slay episode The Good Girl brings the shocking details of the murder as the synopsis reads,

"When recently widowed Janie Ballard is found brutally murdered in her home, police suspect it's a home invasion gone wrong; when detectives learn that Janie's husband left her with a sizeable estate, their list of suspects turns personal."

Season 1 Episode 5 airs on Monday, December 18, 2023, at 10 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery.

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Five details about Janie Ballard's murder

1) Janie Ballard's belongings were missing when her body was found

Janie Ballard was found dead by her friend, Mickey Holloway, in her Cedar Hill Road home on September 13, 2003. She was stabbed 70 times and her neck was cut so deep that it almost severed her head from the spine.

An old dated image of Janie Ballard (Image via Ballard family)

However, apart from the murder, there was evidence of theft as Fox News reported that the phone line had been cut and the cabinet doors were left open. A valuable coin collection belonging to Janie Ballard's husband, Lester Kenneth Ballard, was missing along with some jewelry and a car.

2) Leslie MacKool was described as a good girl by her neighbors and friends

During the investigation of Janie Ballard's murder, the Little Rock Police Department contacted the only daughter of the Ballards - Leslie "Jane" MacKool. Her reaction to the news of her mother's passing made the officers suspicious of her involvement.

A still of the Ballards (Image via X/@southfriedtruth)

However, the friends and family of the Ballards allegedly described Leslie MacKool as a good girl. She attended an all-girls Catholic school and pursued higher studies at the University of Arkansas with good grades.

3) The Ballards were disapproving of their son-in-law

Despite Leslie MacKool being a daddy's girl in her teenage years, all changed when she met Mike MacKool in 2000. He was a muscular man who was 23 years older than her. MacKool offered to be her trainer which led to the two seeing each other.

Most people close to the Ballards believed that Leslie had undergone a drastic change after she met Mike MacKool. She had become blonde and underwent a breast augmentation to transform herself for Mike.

The Ballards allegedly made their dislike for Mike evident as Steve Moore, the former Detective working on the case, spoke to Fox News saying,

"Both of her parents couldn’t stand Mike. They didn’t want Leslie anywhere near him. … Janie especially didn’t have any love or even likeness for Mike. And when Janie’s husband died [in August 2003], she became increasingly worried about Leslie. No, Janie didn’t want Leslie anywhere near Mike MacKool. She made that pretty clear to Leslie. She just wouldn’t accept him. And that’s when it all went south."

4) Mike MacKool had a criminal past

During the investigations into Janie Ballard's murder, Mike's criminal records resurfaced as he was found to have been charged with manslaughter in 2017. MacKool had knocked a friend over when he was 17 which caused him to fall back on his head and end up with fatal injuries.

A still of Leslie and Mike MacKool (Image via X/@southfriedtruth)

With the option to serve the Marine Corps, he chose to work for the nation for several years before he moved back to Little Rock where he was allegedly known as "a bad boy."

5) Janie Ballard had previously informed her friend of her suspicions

According to court documents, Leslie had already expressed her concerns about Leslie wanting to kill her to her friend, Mickey Holloway, a crime scene specialist for the Little Rock Police Department who had allegedly previously dated Katy Perry.

Leslie MacKool had confronted her mother, Janie Ballard about the changes in the family will and the redecorations in the family home right after her father's death in August 2003. Leslie and Mike were under the impression that she would receive all of the $2 million inheritance if both her parents passed away within a month.