USAT: Giants Wire audio clip

USAT: Giants Wire

Mar 27, 2022

Francisco Mendez, the 21-year-old man who shot former New York Giants cornerback Corey Ballentine and killed his best friend, Dwane Simmons, has been convicted. - A Topeka, Kansas jury found Mendez guilty of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder on Friday. The three additional counts of attempted murder stem from the other men — Channon Ross, Kevin Neal Jr. and J.J. Letcher Jr. — who were also with Ballentine and Simmons at the time. - The shooting occurred in the early morning hours of April 28, 2019. Ballentine had just been selected in the sixth-round of the NFL draft by the Giants, and the Washburn college football teammates were attending an off-campus party. - Simmons died on the scene. Ballentine was struck in the buttocks and required medical treatment. The other three men managed to escape without injury. - “I think he helped me get here every step of the way,” Ballentine said of Simmons in July of 2019. “When I was out on the field myself, he would come out and join me and I kind of feeling I’m doing it for both of us. If he was here now, he would love to see where I’m at now. - “I’m going to keep him in my heart and at the same time strive for the goals of the team and my own personal goals and just do my best.” - Ballentine spent his first season and a half with the Giants before being waived in November of 2020. He was later claimed by the New York Jets and remained in East Rutherford through the 2020 season. - In 2021, Ballentine spent the season with the Detroit Lions. He was signed to a reserve/futures deal by the Atlanta Falcons this past January. - Although Mendez, who will be sentenced at a later date, has been convicted, his accomplices have never been found. - - RelatedCorey Ballentine's gunshot wound was 'worse than what people thought'Giants' Corey Ballentine will testify against his accused shooterCorey Ballentine's heart remains heavy, but he's pressing forward - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Giants Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Giants Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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