Friend noticed changes in Marine accused of Okinawa killing after possible head injury

A longtime friend of a U.S. Marine accused of killing a woman on Okinawa says he noticed changes in Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard’s behavior after a reported head injury. Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, far right, has been indicted on a charge of robbery causing death in the killing of Anna Yagi, 39, on Oct. 3, 2026, in Naha, Okinawa. (Threads) A longtime friend of a U.S. Marine accused of killing a woman on Okinawa says he noticed changes in Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard’s behavior after a reported head injury but never knew him to be violent. “I’ve never seen a bad side of Devin, especially one that might have been driven to such a gruesome act,” Conner McDonald, 19, told Stars and Stripes in recent exchanges on Facebook Messenger.

Ballard, 20, of Rittman, Ohio, was indicted Oct. 25 on a charge of robbery causing death in the killing of Anna Yagi, 39, early Oct. 3 at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa’s capital. Yagi’s relatives issued a statement on Oct. 26 through their attorney, Kenichi Kobayashi, calling for the “perpetrator to face what they have done and make amends that are commensurate with their actions.” McDonald, who described himself as Ballard’s best friend of nearly five years, said the two met at Rittman High School and last