Kendrick Ball — Direct/Cross - Day 54 - 2015 Federal Trial

Defense witnesses described Tamerlan Tsarnaev's social contacts and boxing conduct, while Mark Spencer reviewed computer evidence. The court limited FBI interview-report readings and cautioned jurors about their use without sworn testimony or cross-examination. Sam Lipson began testimony about the family's home and his encounters with its members.

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Kendrick Ball - Direct Examination

DirectDirectKendrick Ball - Direct Examination

KENDRICK BALL, Sworn

COURT CLERK: Have a seat. State your name and spell your first and last name for the record.

KENDRICK BALL: My name is Kendrick Ball. K-e-n-d-r-i-c-k, B-a-l-l.

DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. WATKINS:

MR. WATKINS: Mr. Ball, good afternoon.

KENDRICK BALL: Good afternoon.

MR. WATKINS: Where do you currently live?

KENDRICK BALL: Worcester.

MR. WATKINS: Were you born and raised in Worcester?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: Are you currently employed?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: What are you employed doing?

KENDRICK BALL: I do PCA work.

MR. WATKINS: PCA. For the jury, what does that stand for?

KENDRICK BALL: Personal care.

MR. WATKINS: That means you help people who need help in daily activities of daily living?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: In addition, do you operate a boxing gym in Worcester?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes, I own a boxing gym in Worcester.

MR. WATKINS: You're going to have to pull that mic towards you.

KENDRICK BALL: I own a boxing gym in Worcester.

MR. WATKINS: What is the name of the boxing gym?

KENDRICK BALL: Camp Get Right Boxing Gym.

MR. WATKINS: How long have you owned Camp Good Get Right Boxing [sic]?

KENDRICK BALL: Going on six years.

MR. WATKINS: Is that a moneymaking proposition?

KENDRICK BALL: No.

MR. WATKINS: Why do you do it?

KENDRICK BALL: For the love of boxing.

MR. WATKINS: When did you first get involved with boxing?

KENDRICK BALL: When I was seven years old.

MR. WATKINS: How did that come about?

KENDRICK BALL: I had an older cousin that was a boxer, so we basically followed his footsteps into it.

MR. WATKINS: Did you box yourself when you were younger?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes, I did.

MR. WATKINS: How long did you -- how far did you get in your boxing career?

KENDRICK BALL: I boxed until I was, like, 17. I won a couple JO titles.

MR. WATKINS: Then why did you stop boxing?

KENDRICK BALL: I wasn't really that good.

MR. WATKINS: If you're not that good in a competition, what happens to you?

KENDRICK BALL: You don't advance.

MR. WATKINS: So in the times that you didn't advance in a competition, would you do something else to pass the time?

KENDRICK BALL: During the times when I made it to the Junior Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, I would -- when I would lose, I would work the corner with my coach, Carlos Garcia. So I would be the No. 2 in the corner.

MR. WATKINS: Did you find that you would enjoy that?

KENDRICK BALL: Yeah. That was -- I think that was my calling, to be a coach.

MR. WATKINS: So when did you start actually coaching and training?

KENDRICK BALL: I would assist Carlos with some JO kids a couple years after I left the JOs. And then I started home training my son.

MR. WATKINS: Is that what made you decide to open up a gym?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: Why was that? Explain how you decided that.

KENDRICK BALL: I had a couple other family members that was boxing, also, so I figured that this is what I like to do. And I went into it with a friend of mine. Then I kind of branched out on my own.

MR. WATKINS: Now, the sport of boxing, what is it that you enjoy about it? What is it that you like?

KENDRICK BALL: I just like the sport. It's just a -- when you're in there, it's a one-on-one type of thing. And when you're a trainer, you basically -- when you see somebody do something that you tell them to do to get the win, it's rewarding.

MR. WATKINS: What does it take to be a good trainer?

KENDRICK BALL: Time, dedication, patience, and you got -- I guess you've got to love the sport.

MR. WATKINS: Do you study lots of films and videos?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: Why is that important?

KENDRICK BALL: To be able to have the advantage over the other opponent that you're fighting.

MR. WATKINS: Do you also, as a coach, look for people with talent and abilities?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: I'm going to take you to 2010 and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Do you recall the first time you saw Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: Where was that?

KENDRICK BALL: It was at the Lowell Golden Gloves.

MR. WATKINS: What -- describe why you were there and in what capacity you were there.

KENDRICK BALL: I had a fighter that was fighting in the tournament.

MR. WATKINS: And who was that fighter?

KENDRICK BALL: That was Owen Minor.

MR. WATKINS: Was there another fighter from Worcester that you knew?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes, Bryan Daniels.

MR. WATKINS: Did you see Bryan Daniels fight Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2010?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: Was that once or twice?

KENDRICK BALL: Twice.

MR. WATKINS: What happened each time Tamerlan Tsarnaev boxed Bryan Daniels?

KENDRICK BALL: The first time it was a lopsided fight.

MR. WATKINS: One-sided in whose favor?

KENDRICK BALL: In Tamerlan's favor.

MR. WATKINS: When you say one-sided, can you explain?

KENDRICK BALL: I think Tamerlan was a little bit more advanced than Bryan Daniels, had more experience.

MR. WATKINS: And then the second round -- well, maybe we can explain again about the Golden Gloves. There are local fights first, and then there's the Tournament of Champions?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes. They have Regionals. So there's Northern, Southern, Western, and Central. So whoever wins out of the division, you would meet up in Lowell for the Tournament of Champions. So you would go against those regions, and you'd come down to the finals.

MR. WATKINS: So the second time that Tamerlan Tsarnaev met Bryan Daniels was in the Tournament of Champions?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: And what happens if you win the Tournament of Champions ordinarily?

KENDRICK BALL: You would advance to the Golden Glove Nationals.

MR. WATKINS: Have you had fighters that have advanced to the Golden Gloves Nationals?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

MR. WATKINS: Have you trained and coached at the Golden Gloves Nationals?

KENDRICK BALL: Yes. I was picked to be a coach of the nationals, I think, two years of the Golden Glove Nationals.

MR. WATKINS: Now, I want to show you a clip from a --

MR. MELLIN: Your Honor, objection to the clip. This is cumulative evidence at this point.

THE COURT: I'll permit it.

MR. WATKINS: I'm sorry?

THE COURT: I will permit it. What's the number?

MR. WATKINS: I'm sorry. The exhibit is 3577, and the actual clip is 3577A.

(Video recording played.)

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MR. WATKINS: Can you see the clip on your screen?

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KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

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MR. WATKINS: Can you identify who you see in there?

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KENDRICK BALL: In the red, with the red headgear, is Bryan Daniels. In the blue, with the yellow headgear, is Tamerlan.

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MR. WATKINS: You can actually tap on the screen, and it will make an arrow for you. Can you identify Bryan Daniels?

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KENDRICK BALL: (Indicating.)

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MR. WATKINS: And Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

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KENDRICK BALL: (Indicating.)

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(Video recording played.)

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MR. WATKINS: So that is the end of the Tournament of Champions for the Heavyweight Division where Tamerlan Tsarnaev won?

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KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

111

MR. WATKINS: Now, in addition to winning, was there anything that impressed you about Tamerlan Tsarnaev as a coach?

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KENDRICK BALL: I thought he fought really well. I thought he had a lot of experience. And I remember speaking with him and asking him to -- so we can get together and get some sparring.

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MR. WATKINS: Was anything about his style that struck you, the way he boxed?

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KENDRICK BALL: His style was a little -- it was a little different than the normal fighters that come around New England. He boxed with his hand down, his left hand down low.

115

MR. WATKINS: Is that something that you recommend to boxers? Is that the way you train them?

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KENDRICK BALL: No, I don't recommend that.

117

MR. WATKINS: I'm sorry?

118

KENDRICK BALL: I don't recommend that.

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MR. WATKINS: Why not?

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KENDRICK BALL: Because you basically -- you're taking head shots. So you basically want to have your hands up high to protect from the punches. With your hand down low, you're open for a right hand, which, if you're fighting a righty, you're open for a power shot, which is a right hand.

121

MR. WATKINS: Was there anything about his personal style that also had an impression on you?

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KENDRICK BALL: What do you mean his personal style?

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MR. WATKINS: The way he dressed.

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KENDRICK BALL: He stood out. I remember in the -- at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, when I first seen him, he was walking down the hall where all the guys get -- basically see the doctor and everything. And he stood out to me. He was walking down the hall. He had a trench coat on, a button-up shirt that was buttoned halfway to the middle of his chest, a pair of jeans on that were pretty tight fitting, and a pair of boots that looked like aluminum foil or something. Like, the color was aluminum foil. He kind of stood out. He looked a little bit different than everybody else, basically.

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MR. WATKINS: Your Honor, I'd like to show Mr. Ball Exhibit 3242. This was a government exhibit at one time, but I don't think there's an objection.

126

MR. MELLIN: That's fine, your Honor. I give up.

127

THE COURT: No mas.

128

MR. MELLIN: I was going to say that, but I took it back.

129

MR. WATKINS: Is that similar style to how Tamerlan Tsarnaev dressed when you saw him?

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KENDRICK BALL: Yeah, a little, yeah.

131

MR. WATKINS: So did you give -- make an invitation to Tamerlan Tsarnaev that night at the Golden Gloves?

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KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

133

MR. WATKINS: What did you invite him to do?

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KENDRICK BALL: I asked him could we get some work, some sparring with one of my heavyweights.

135

MR. WATKINS: Did he come over to your gym to spar with some heavyweights?

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KENDRICK BALL: Yes. He came over to spar with my cousin, which is Owen Minor, once. He came to my gym twice to spar, but that time he came to spar with Owen, the first time, with the heavyweight.

137

MR. WATKINS: Did anything strike you about the way he showed up?

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KENDRICK BALL: He came to the gym. He came by his self. And I was asking is his coach coming, and he was, like, no, he came alone. And usually -- well, with me, I don't send my fighters out to go spar without somebody being there. So he came alone, and he basically assured us that he was good.

139

MR. WATKINS: What about equipment? Was there anything about his equipment that --

140

KENDRICK BALL: When we got ready to start sparring, he didn't have a cup. He didn't have headgear. He didn't have a mouthpiece. So we was, like, you know, we can give you a cup and headgear, but he says he spars all the time without that. So we basically kind of let it go. But --

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MR. WATKINS: Did he spar with Owen that day?

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KENDRICK BALL: He did spar with Owen that day.

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MR. WATKINS: How did that go?

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KENDRICK BALL: It was a good work. It was good work. They sparred for a couple rounds. Owen caught him with a good body shot. He took a knee and then he came right back and was good -- it was good work.

145

MR. WATKINS: Was there a second time where Tamerlan came to spar with one of your boxers?

146

KENDRICK BALL: Yes. I reached out to Tamerlan again to come down for some sparring. I told him there was a guy by the name of Edwin Rodriguez who was moving up in the ranks, that he can get some work with him also because the last time -- the first time when Tamerlan came down, he did four rounds with my cousin Owen, and Tamerlan wanted more rounds. But we choose to only do the four rounds because you box for three. I told him he could get more rounds in. We could use Edwin also.

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MR. WATKINS: Edwin, was he Golden Gloves? Was he an amateur at that point or had he moved --

148

KENDRICK BALL: At the time Edwin was a pro. He fought at middleweight, 168, super middleweight. I told Tamerlan he could come down and get some work with him. I told him who he was and that he was going to be fighting on TV, to take a look at him. I believe the next time we talked, he would come down and give him some work, but he was saying he'll take it easy on him because he was much bigger than him.

149

MR. WATKINS: Who was much bigger?

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KENDRICK BALL: Tamerlan was much bigger than Edwin. But I assured him that -- Edwin fights at 168, but he doesn't walk around at 168. He's a little bit bigger. I let him know that this kid is the real deal. He said, Don't worry. I'll come down. I'll take it easy with him.

151

MR. WATKINS: What happened when he actually started to spar?

152

KENDRICK BALL: They sparred. I believe Tamerlan got in first with Owen, and then he got in with Edwin, which we tried to stop him, the second time with no headgear, no mouthpiece, no cup. So we tried to tell him again, and other trainers there were trying to get him to put it on, but he wouldn't. So when he got in with Edwin -- Edwin is known as a body puncher. Edwin was digging into his body really hard, body, head. Boxing is like a game of chess. You kind of make the right moves, and Edwin was making a lot of good moves where Tamerlan was getting touched up a lot because of his hand being down. After the second round, Tamerlan got out the ring, and Owen got in with Edwin. And Tamerlan was spitting up blood into the spit bucket.

153

MR. WATKINS: Was it concerning to you about how much blood he was spitting up?

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KENDRICK BALL: Yeah. I went over to him, and he said that he was okay. He was good. He was good. He wanted to get back in.

155

MR. WATKINS: Did he get back in the ring?

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KENDRICK BALL: Yes, he got back in.

157

MR. WATKINS: Did he continue to take punishment?

158

KENDRICK BALL: He did; he did.

159

MR. WATKINS: What did he say afterwards?

160

KENDRICK BALL: After we talked and we said that we're going to link up again, he said that he's going -- he goes Edwin was better than what he thought. He's going to go back to the drawing board, and he'll come back and he'll spar with him again.

161

MR. WATKINS: When was the last time you saw Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

162

KENDRICK BALL: I seen Tamerlan at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. I can't remember the year, but 2000 -- it was the year of the bombing. But I seen him at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. I was there because I had fighters there. I was sitting in the -- I think my fighter was already over, so he was out in the crowd sitting. I went out to the concession stand and I was coming through the hall, and I seen Tamerlan.

163

MR. WATKINS: So as far as the date, you, of course, like we all do, know when the Boston Marathon bombing was?

164

KENDRICK BALL: Say that again.

165

MR. WATKINS: Was it the same year as the Boston Marathon bombing?

166

KENDRICK BALL: Yes.

167

MR. WATKINS: And the Golden Gloves, January and February. So this would be around that time?

168

KENDRICK BALL: February, yes.

169

MR. WATKINS: And did you have any kind of exchange with Tamerlan Tsarnaev then?

170

KENDRICK BALL: Yeah. I seen him and I said, What's up, Tamerlan? He came over. He was with a few gentlemen. We spoke for a little bit. I told him that Owen and I believe a couple of the other guys from the gym was sitting in the -- on the side over there. So we kind of walked into the arena, and he said hi to them, and we sat and talked for awhile.

171

MR. WATKINS: Did you see him again after that?

172

KENDRICK BALL: No.

173

MR. WATKINS: That's all I have.

CrossCrossKendrick Ball - Cross-Examination

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CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR. MELLIN:

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MR. MELLIN: Good afternoon, Mr. Ball.

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