‪@MrBallen‬

[@laurengarner7911]

I turned this on to be background noise while I did some chores, but froze when he said “in Strongsville”. When you’re from the town it stops you in your tracks

[@TheycallmeHatGuy]

Daaaaang

[@lucascoval828]

Yikes.

[@freddymcshreddy6586]

i literally had the same thing happen for another video but it was slightly different. I forget which video it was but it was one that took place in a town called "Kingston". Now admittedly it is a different town called kingston i live in but yeah hearing a story like this and then hearing it takes place in an area with the same name as yours (even if it isnt EXACTLY the same area) does make your heart skip a beat for a moment.

[@fruitsalad5036]

pov:Mr ballen starts to tell a story about you

[@disableddragonborn]

After two or three incidents, there should have been at least one or two officers assigned to monitor that property 24/7.

[@ziggyzap1]

that last part about the kid looking out the window, expecting his mother to come when they are out to eat, this hurts on so many levels, it is heart-breaking.😢😢😭

[@franl155]

The most deadly insult you can give some people is to offer them help when they're down. I'd have had security cameras installed after the second incident, once the first one had been proved not to be an isolated event. Kyle might be non-verbal, but he's not deaf: he'd have heard the attack on his mother, her screams as she was repeatedly stabbed, he'd have heard the gunshots - he'd probably have gone into the kitchen to find the source of the noise and be totally unable to understand what was going on. And then this poor kid was left totally alone with his dying mother while the murderer went out to have a meal. And I feel for the daughter; imagine knowing that you made a baby with this person; what's she going to say when her daughter grows up enough to ask where Daddy is?

[@cartooncritique6625]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Ballen mentioned how Kyle didn't understand that his mother was gone, and that's sad...but how tragic will it be for Anna to explain to her daughter why her dad isn't around?

[@BenjaminFlagg_GameDesigner]

To be fair, anyone that is insulted by an offer of help doesn't deserve to succeed in the first place.

[@taydestiny38]

You can tell Nikki has a good heart. She always tears up a little, when the sad parts of Mr. Ballens stories are revealed.

[@xfaultyxlogisticsx]

Girl, this video made me cry, too! I watched the original and my boyfriend responded like yours - he did the rub-your-back-I-love-you thing, which is quite sweet. Also like you, I then went OFF on how horrible this all is and with poor Kyle who's now alone and they can't explain why and... UGH! It's honestly really good to see someone as wrenched by this as I am! Just coincidentally, I grew up and lived most of my life in a small town right next to Strongsville. I spent a lot of time there. So bizarre.

[@barbarapeffer9161]

❤️ u Nikki. I totally felt your reaction.

[@DisorientedWanderer]

I just want to say Nikki that if you don't want to hit someone's off switch then definitely don't aim for the leg. That is the second quickest way to kill someone because the leg holds the largest artery in the body which if severed will cause the person to bleed out in less than a minute. Torso is quite literally your safest option because big target and muscle density. Won't flip that switch except for blood loss or until you fire many shots but unless they're on drugs or completely mentally gone and on adrenaline then they are not gonna continue after a few hits. Part of the reason cops always go for center mass and shoot till the suspect is not getting up also because if they get up after a few shots then they are serious about flipping YOUR switch. Depending on the circumstances like adrenaline and your bodies condition among other factors you can survive 15 or more shots to the torso but the leg will more likely than not hit the off switch. So if you want to just stop them then DON'T aim for the legs. Plus depending on the state even if the person broke into your home you can still be charged with at least manslaughter for defending yourself if that person ended up passing away and setting up traps can get you charged for a pre-meditated harm type of charge.

[@TheAngryXenite]

Yeah, using lethal force AT ALL means accepting that you are willing to cause someone else to die in the name of protecting your own life. Shooting to maim is not only likely to kill the person anyway if you hit them, not only a much harder shot to make, but liable to get you arrested because it demonstrates that you had options other than using lethal force and still used it. Anyone who can consciously line up a shot to the leg or the shoulder, on a person in motion no less, is not worried about their own life enough to sabotage it by trying to down someone without killing them. It's easier to explain if you just shoot them in the chest.

[@Robertz1986]

They really should have installed security cameras. I live in Strongsville and Melinda was actually my teacher many many years ago. Strongsville is a very safe town, but even I have security cameras.

[@mapleflag6518]

Damn. How is her family doing?

[@ZION73082]

Everybody Gangsta till Nikki start blasting! lol You go girl! ;3

[@cartooncritique6625]

21:35 I know it's a long-running trope in media to despise the in-laws (Tex Avery would often make jokes about hating his mother-in-law), but this dude took a step or two too far. 22:09 Over a year building up a fantastical alibi to get away with murder and he gets caught because he was dumb enough to keep incriminating evidence in and around his person. Way to go Moriarty! 22:40 Kyle is heart-breaking, no doubt...but I can't imagine how difficult it was to explain to Jeff and Anna's daughter why daddy isn't around anymore.

[@freddymcshreddy6586]

Bro it’s so aggravating but also funny to think that this guy orchestrated this elaborate alibi for over a year to get away with murder only to be undone and found out a few days after the murder just because he didn’t dispose of the murder weapon which you’d think would be the first and most obvious step in “how to get away with murder 101”

[@cartooncritique6625]

@@freddymcshreddy6586 I guess creativity doesn't translate to intelligence.

[@kirausamaria5409]

'The upside down forest', booooo, spooky! XD

[@webbess1]

Please do more MrBallen!

[@myTERAexperience]

Any specific one? I'd recommend "This box will kill you," at like 2am so it's nice and dark right b4 u sleep. 😏

[@michaelbugner7011]

@@myTERAexperience "this frat boy did the unthinkable."

[@myTERAexperience]

@Michael Bugner ya that's a pretty good one. Case where I'd have been fine if cops shot him point blank. May have saved a life.

[@LightningDragon975]

The cops should've done a stakeout after the second or third incident. For the reason he did it my guess is he either hated how loved the mother was in the town or he hated that he had to rely on HER to take care of HIS family or he was deranged like GuyWithAHat said

[@morphman86]

Thing is we don't really know if Jeff did it. The stuff was found in his car and he confessed, but that's about as far as evidence went. He planned this for 3 years, but as soon as a bloody shirt is found in his car, he's like "Yup, I did it" and then never giving any motivation whatsoever? And he's behind all the strangers, yet no evidence for this is ever given? To me, if I was an investigator on this case, that would send up so many red flags and make me investigate deeper, not just checking a box and saying "yup, this is solved now"... I'm not saying Jeff is innocent, I'm just saying this was clearly not investigated past his confession.

[@kimson305]

It's not hard to believe. He was always the only one home.

[@mapleflag6518]

But they would have did forensic stuff on the stuff and found his DNA and/or fingerprints.

[@morphman86]

@@mapleflag6518 They had the forensic stuff, but since he never contested any claims, they did not bother to use it. Waste of resources, in their minds, if he's already confessed to everything. Confessions are taken as such good evidence in court, there's a long-running tradition of "jailbirds". Professional fall guys who are paid to confess to crimes they did not commit.

[@mapleflag6518]

@@morphman86 But thing is, the mother was liked by EVERYONE except this one dude and the other three that Jeff was using as willing scapegoats for the murder. Jeff most likely got cocky and paid the price.

[@WillPutYouInYourPlace12386]

I would really love to know why he loathed her so much. Like did she do something or was he just insane and decided to attack someone that was loved by everyone? Sucks we’ll never know.

[@adambloodsong25]

This story actually struck a nerve with me. You see my cousin has downsyndrom and if something like would happen to him I would not live with myself.

[@michaelbugner7011]

One of the craziest stories Mr Ballen ever told was "this frat boy did the unthinkable." Definitely check that one out. It's absolutely insane.

[@sunny90908]

Truly heartbreaking

[@Lunashadow-qn3ms]

33 years ! That's a joke he deserves the chair !

[@mapleflag6518]

Hey just because he would be eligible for parole in that time doesn’t mean he will automatically get it. Plus if he did, then there is a chance that he will get a taste of his own medicine.

[@o5-258]

This is scary and sad at the same time

[@farlonmuentes6004]

this is like a movie plot. they knew the killer all along.

[@DirtMaguirk]

some of the events mimic the plot of the movie "The Strangers"

[@jenicdarling9425]

Ya it reminds me that thriller/horror movie quote “it’s coming from inside the house!”

[@mapleflag6518]

@@DirtMaguirk Which happened first though?

[@BareBandSubscription]

@@mapleflag6518 The Strangers came out about a decade prior to this.

[@MessickGreg]

You're making me cry by your tears

[@brandong3469]

Having watched this video before, I realized he kinda gave away that the mother died when he said she "made" her son happy. Past tense.

[@philo2189]

i love how you guys make facial reactions and movements in response to what mr ballen is saying s if hes there actually talking to ya lol maybe thats a testament to how good of a storyteller he is

[@PurpleFlowerwork]

I would have gotten cameras after the first incident, police would have been able to locate them before the next incident (5 months in between)

[@CampCrystalCharlie]

Yoooooo! I was definitely about to start Archive 81. Thanks for letting me know it's worth it =D

[@JSainte17]

I'm a 911 operator and police dispatcher. The police did NOT drop the ball. They had nothing to go on. Sure, the family could've requested a heavier police presence but police have other calls to take care of. They can't just sit outside a house every day waiting for these attacks that came months apart. I'm not blaming the victims but if they had installed cameras at ANY point, that would have been tremendously. Police are not all-seeing superheroes. Most of their job is reactive in nature. Of course when they're driving around in between calls they're looking for suspicious things but keep in mind that involves traffic stops too. Which for my officers result in many arrests. However, if they happen to see something odd, they check it out. Depending on call volume, size of the city, size of the department, weather conditions, etc., response times can greatly vary. Most departments at LEAST from 2016 on were and still are, heavily short-staffed.

[@mapleflag6518]

They could have at least done more (like a stakeout after say the 3rd or 4th call)

[@JSainte17]

@@mapleflag6518 No police department has the staffing to dedicate an officer or two for a stake out at one residence because weird things happen once every six or so months. It's not reasonable or feasible. If there were legit break-ins, or legit attempted break-ins, every night or every other night in the same area for a week or so, they still couldn't really do a stake-out. They'd definitely list that area as a place to patrol more often, but nobody has the staffing to do more. Again, I'm not victim-shaming, but had they installed cameras, even ONE, or even motion detecting lights, it could've helped. And that's not even touching on how "stake-outs" are really done. Perhaps by FBI for large criminals, but even houses where cops know they're running crazy drugs, all they can do is patrol a bit more. Stake-outs are done by PI's. They'll be hired, call the PD and let us know their name, number, what house they're watching, why, where they're parked and their vehicle, and that's bc neighbors are nosey.

[@mapleflag6518]

@@JSainte17 Ok

[@Melissa_Cat13]

That is so heartbreaking. Makes me mad how people treat people.

[@dragos-lucian]

4K resolution... Nice! My 1080p monitor is gonna love that

[@disableddragonborn]

I wasn't even paying attention at the beginning. Everything behind y'all is exactly what my ADHD will force me to focus on.

[@disableddragonborn]

14:16 "But the police can't do anything." Can't or won't?

[@hillbillyvagabond1011]

Yall should look into Mr Ballen series "Top 3 places you can't go and people who went there anyway"

[@kakonoteouji4876]

Heck why not use phone to take pictures when ever they see them. Or even putting up cameras. It could have been prevented. Also wouldn't recommend doing boobytraps that is illegal after all look what happened with certain person putting hot sauce in used condom he thrown away.

[@jonathanjones6984]

Chad man you have found your niche with Nikki too amazing show man I never knew you had a KZbin had no clue but on my trip back home from Durham North Carolina I've listened to like five of your podcasts

[@kirausamaria5409]

You should also react to 'Blame it on Jorge' and 'Creepy Reading' s videos too. They're really good :).

[@dontassociate]

I really think we need a mandatory guide to parental finances to make people realize it takes like 250000$ to take care of a kid

[@edim108]

Stories like this make me genuinely hope I'm wrong as an Atheist, that God exists. Bc if he does, that little shit is going to rot in Hell for all eternity. How can anyone do something like this is beyond me.

[@Fuk-_King-_-Hell]

If he does exist, that raises even more questions. Like, why do he just sit there and watch? I would love to listen to these type of stories with somebody who considers themselves a christian, simply so that i can listen to the bs they come up with trying to explain why they play out the way they do....

[@DisorientedWanderer]

@@Fuk-_King-_-Hell if you want to call me a moron or whatever for saying this then fine but my beliefs often point out that pain and shit happens because the world in my belief is literally the devil's playground and God has done enough for us and expects us to do shit for ourselves rather than rely on him all the time. We've done so much shit throughout humanities beginning that God doesn't help us unless we try to help ourselves and really he is tired of helping us. Like a parent refusing to help their kid if their kid says "fuck you get out of my life" to them and we can't expect everything to be done for us. That would be like a spoiled child expecting their parents to bail them out all the time when something happens or they fuck up. Yes this was an awful situation and shouldn't have happened but we can't blame it all on one thing. We can however blame the person involved for doing it and the fact that the world itself is shit and will always be shit until the end of time and there is nothing we can do about that because it is humanities punishment for falling from grace in the beginning. If you want to go off on me then go for it. I'm just tired of seeing people shit talk religion like there's only one thing that acts and does things in our life. There is waaay more than just God in our lives but he is the only one that wants to see us succeed but we have to do that ourselves and not expect him to do it for us.

[@JoshJ12]

@@Fuk-_King-_-Hell It is crazy how little some Atheists know about the Bible. King David, who is said to be close to God’s heart cried this out once. “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.”

[@zeallust8542]

@@Fuk-_King-_-Hell Deist here myself, I dont think any kind of divine intervention has happened since creation, and I dont believe any will happen within the lifespan of our planet

[@JSainte17]

I was so frustrated that they didn't get cameras after the second incident, or third, or fourth. Obviously they are victims but whyyyyy?!

[@neogeo1670]

did you even watch the video before posting the comment?...

[@UndyingHatred_]

Yeah you clearly didn't watch the video.

[@neogeo1670]

@@UndyingHatred_ people that comment without watching the video are so cringy

[@UndyingHatred_]

@@neogeo1670 exactly.

[@TheTeamRE]

You guys should check out dire trip But he looks into really messed up cases

[@disableddragonborn]

I can't criticize them for using her car alarm to screw with her. I dreamed of doing that as a kid.

[@jokairou489]

Yeah, that was you as a kid, not a full-grown adult.

[@disableddragonborn]

@@jokairou489 Part of me would still love to tbh. Not to this extent, but it still sounds funny.

[@Callofduty134]

Love from india 🇮🇳🙏🏼

[@disableddragonborn]

I'd say they should buy a guard dog, but that may not work and may turn this harassment lethal.

[@Mark-mt4xt]

That's the most awful police I've heard. So they call you like 6 times and you are just like "oh nothing can do but sure call me if you happen to get killed"

[@MrEsphoenix]

Sugar did you suggest they do? We're talking about events spaced months apart with no evidence or signs to go on.

[@janetteestevez7235]

Great reaction. 👍🏼

[@disableddragonborn]

THEY DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY MAKE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE DUDE IN THE WINDOW AND THE GROUP SMOKING? You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot to know that those two events are almost certainly connected.

[@MrEsphoenix]

I mean, there was a 6 month gap between the events. It's easy enough to see the connection in a video talking about the events back to back, but when you're in fight or flight over an event possibly linked to something 6 months earlier?

[@disableddragonborn]

2017? They should have at least started keeping a camera of some kind on them so that if they see someone, they can get an image of the trespassers. Photographing the guy's face in the window would make it a lot easier to stop it.

[@mapleflag6518]

But since Jeff was the one, he probably would have countered it.

[@disableddragonborn]

@@mapleflag6518 True, but that in itself could have raised some suspicions.

[@mapleflag6518]

@@disableddragonborn I imagine he would have had his friends get caught.

[@disableddragonborn]

@@mapleflag6518 Probably, but would they keep their mouths shut for him? Unlikely.

[@mapleflag6518]

@@disableddragonborn They already agreed to be a scapegoat though.

[@Doomturtlescottydemonking]

That happens to me I’m buying a gun

[@ultimateninjaboi]

I garuntee Jeff had so many red flags throughout his life. Like, this isnt a spur of the moment killing. Im sure if you really looked into what he was like, there would be signs everywhere. Were just remarkably bad, as a society, at teaching what red flags look like. And in some cases, weve normalized a LOT of them. And thsts the saddest part

[@MrEsphoenix]

Possibly, but you'd be surprised at how well people can hide their true emotions, or even just snap in a psychotic break. It's not that we've normalised things, it's that people can have vastly different personalities, and events like this are something most people will never witness. In order to teach people how to spot the signs you'd have to give everyone full training in psychology, and even then it can be near impossible to spot.

[@disableddragonborn]

That Facebook post was honestly idiotic, in my opinion. All these creeps want is to drive that family crazy and bother them, so posting that on Facebook only added to the sadistic pleasure they experienced, along with them becoming news. They are reminding me of Jack The Ripper and the Zodiac Killer, taunting everyone.

[@mapleflag6518]

Did you watch the video? It’s clear that those people were just being a scapegoat

[@disableddragonborn]

@@mapleflag6518 I comment as I watch, I paused the video to comment that.

[@backforblood3421]

As I mentioned and had to defend extensively in the comments section of the Lav Luka reaction to this, he cheats in this video. Imagine if you were to watch a true crime movie and then toward the end, things that had happened in the movie - not as flashbacks, hallucinations or anything like that, but things portrayed as though they actually happened - were totally contradicted and shown not to have happened.

[@jayhicks6778]

New subscriber….I love yall videos😁

[@jackofastora8962]

3 months late but I’m gonna throw my hat in the ring anyway, to me the story just doesn’t add up. I’ll preface by saying that Jeff 100% was involved, that’s undeniable, but thinking about it really makes the whole thing fall apart, all that planning, literal years of build up just to stab her, shoot her, hide the evidence in your car and just go “yeup it was me” the moment they find it just doesn’t make sense, I dare say it’s completely irrational. What I think happened is that for whatever reason he hired a group of people to harass his family in increasingly threatening ways, they can’t have been made up because multiple people saw them, for whatever twisted reason he may have, and it eventually blew up in his face when they eventually did break into the house to just take his stuff, possibly when he tried to break the deal off, and ended up killing his mother in law. Remember, they already had one of the car keys, they very well could have gotten the other, and planted the evidence on him. And knowing he would lose either way, or possibly even under threats, he confessed to the crime and it was a wrap.

[@mapleflag6518]

It’s possible that the others would have just been a scapegoat. Also it’s possible that Jeff actually made a mistake by waiting too long to get rid of the clothes and when the cops found it, he knew that he was caught and that it was pointless to try and fight it.

[@disableddragonborn]

They couldn't use the IP address of that laptop to find it? Seriously?

[@MrEsphoenix]

That's not how that works

[@laurence4352]

good reactions as usual but,,, after watching this video it made me feel. so ,,, not great. makes me feel kinda sick actually, its an interesting video but i don thing ill be watching any more if you decide to do more reactions.

[@arty560]

Yeah, MrBallen's murder covers are usually really grim. I recommend they switch over to his more paranormal stuff if they keep up with MrBallen.

[@jaytealstone1687]

Nah this has been one of my fav reactions by them so far

[@Lunashadow-qn3ms]

I'm only starting the video and have a bad feeling when he mentioned the pregnant daughter, hope the parents don't do anything

[@mdragarg]

People really just start crying at this much? Zamn

[@UndyingHatred_]

People are allowed to cry over something like this, bc its fucking sad. So how about you stop being sucha judgemental piece of shit.