What happened to the killer of Charles Nash on 62nd Street in 1988?

– Garry, Roseville

Karen A. Ballard, then 32 years old, was sentenced to seven years in prison for the March 18, 1988 stabbing death of Charles Nash, 60, of Sacramento.

According to a story in The Sacramento Bee, Ballard, whose fingerprints were found as the crime scene, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after she was found five months after the crime at a women’s correctional facility in San Diego, where she was being incarcerated.

Nash suffered 22 stab wounds to his ear, head, back, shoulders, chest, abdomen and left arm, including one that penetrated his heart, according to court documents.

He was found lying on the floor of his home in the 5100 block of 62nd Street about 6:30 p.m. on a Sunday by a daughter who had just arrived from Los Angeles. His wallet and pickup truck were missing.

Ballard reportedly told police that she picked up a knife and stabbed Nash after a long argument at his home.