Jan 15, 2024

Suspect captured in Iowa going to prison for Kansas murder

Posted Jan 15, 2024 1:00 AM
Balance-photo Johnson Co.
Balance-photo Johnson Co.

JOHNSON COUNTY—A man from Iowa is going to prison for the 2021 killing of a man in Kansas.

According to the Johnson County District Attorney, Michael Balance, 60, Des Moines, was sentenced to just more than 51-year-years in prison for the death of 70-year-old John Hoffman, of Prairie Village.

In May of 2021, police found Hoffman’s body in his apartment. He had been shot several times. Police quickly identified Balance as a suspect in the shooting and contacted Des Moines police, who arrested him.

Balance following his arrest in Iowa
Balance following his arrest in Iowa

In October, a Johnson County jury found Balance guilty of second-degree murder. He was originally charged with premeditated first-degree murder, according to the district attorney's office.

A Johnson County jury found Michael L. Balance, 60, of Des Moines, Iowa, guilty of second-degree murder. He was originally charged with premeditated first-degree murder.