If not for that judicial determination, Ball would have been facing up to 10 years in prison. Judges in the case said she had "acted in self-defense but then deliberately advanced" on the 64-year-old man, Alem Tekeste. This, per judges, meant she was "shifting from defense to attack."
She was convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to two years suspended sentence as well as 500 hours of community service and drug rehabilitation.
Per surveillance footage, Tekeste grabbed Ball from behind. She tried to push him away before stabbing him. Ball told the court that the man had harassed her previously as well. She had not intended to take his life.
Tekeste was an immigrant from Eritrea who had been in Germany since 1980. His relatives, per The Daily Mail, "were shocked at the lenient sentence." The family's attorney said "There was never going to be justice for Alem, a father of two and a German citizen, the prosecutor was better than her defense."
The attorney said he intended to bring an appeal. He said that there was no reason for Ball to stab him since he was so much older than her. Prosecutors said that Tekeste died instantly.
