{"slug": "san-leandro-police-detail-accused-two-time-killers-emotionless-confession-after", "title": "San Leandro police detail accused two-time killer’s ’emotionless’ confession after gym shootings", "summary": "San Leandro police detective Cole Pricco testified that Joshua Elijah Ballard, 25, confessed emotionlessly to fatally shooting Sebahattin Ciftci and Emre Bozkurt outside a San Leandro gym in September 2023, showing no remorse. Ballard, who waived his Miranda rights, told police he shot the victims during attempted carjackings but fled without taking their vehicles. He faces life without parole if convicted.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...DUBLIN — A San Leandro police detective revealed new details about the man accused of [killing two people in near-identical shootings](https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/10/19/suspect-charged-in-two-killings-outside-san-leandro-gym/) outside a San Leandro gym, publicly recounting the suspect’s “emotionless” confession and apparent interest in violent literature, including a book on the Zodiac killer.\n\nAfter his October 2023 arrest on two murder charges, Joshua Elijah Ballard, 25, waived his Miranda rights and sat down with detectives, confession to fatally shooting both Sebahattin Ciftci, 46, and Emre Bozkurt, 21, over a 10-day span, Det. Cole Pricco testified at Ballard’s preliminary hearing. The motive? Ballard wanted to steal a car for him and his sister to use, but in both cases declined to take the victims’ vehicles, telling police that he felt he’d been “taking too long” and needed to leave, Pricco said.\n\n“I remember him speaking almost monotone, being emotionless and I don’t recall the exact words that he used. But I remember whatever he did say, walking away, thinking that he hasn’t shown any remorse,” Pricco said on the witness stand last January. “He wasn’t feeling any remorse for these two individuals.”\n\nBallard has been in jail for nearly three years, and finally at June 18 he received a potential trial date for this October, court records show. Prosecutors have charged him with committing two murders during carjacking attempts and with a multiple-victim enhancements, making him eligible for life without parole. Aside from his confession, surveillance footage links Ballard to both shootings, police testified.\n\nBoth Ciftci and Bozkurt were shot in broad daylight, outside the 24-Hour Fitness at the Bayfair Center in San Leandro, both while sitting in the driver’s seat of Toyotas in the parking lot. At around noon on Sept. 14, Ballard allegedly approached Ciftci and demanded the keys to his Toyota Camry, then shot him in the head. He later claimed his victim grabbed the barrel of his 9 millimeter pistol, according to police.\n\nBozkurt was engaged in a video call with his cousin in Turkey when Ballard allegedly approached, forcing his cousin to remotely witness the homicide. The cousin later told police he heard a commotion and a gunshot, then watched as Bozkurt’s killer took the cellphone, Pricco testified. Again, Ballard allegedly told police he demanded the keys to Bozkurt’s Toyota Prius, and shot him when he grabbed the barrel of the pistol. Bozkurt was also shot in the head, authorities said.\n\nBallard later allegedly repeated his confession in a recorded jail call with his mother and sister, according to police testimony. Ballard has pleaded not guilty.\n\nAfter both shootings, Ballard simply tried to move on with his life and convince himself that neither shooting had really happened, he told two investigators in a second interview, Pricco testified.\n\n“I remember him telling the District Attorney and the inspector that he was doing his best to tell himself that what had occurred wasn’t real. Trying to disassociate himself from the incidents,” Pricco said.\n\nInvestigators later linked him to a third shooting, which occurred two weeks before the first homicide, outside the now-defunct In-N-Out in Oakland. Ballard and another man allegedly got into a fight and Ballard shot the man in the ankle, according to court records.\n\nIn October, a San Leandro police patrol officer noticed a man wearing an outfit similar to the suspected killer: a windbreaker, cargo camo pants, and a red backpack. The officer radioed for backup and more cops came, surrounded the man, grabbed his arms, and handcuffed him, according to police testimony. Only then was Ballard identified, through an ID card in his pocket. He was also carrying a pistol, authorities said.\n\nIt turned out he lived within a mile of the gym. Pricco said police searched his home, finding “items that kind of gave us some insight into who this individual was.”\n\n“We found a book about the Zodiac serial killer and then I found some adult graphic novels that appeared to have shown some violence or have some graphic detail in them,” Pricco said.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/san-leandro-police-detail-accused-two-time-killers-emotionless-confession-after", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/29/san-leandro-police-detail-accused-two-time-killers-emotionless-confession-after-gym-shootings/", "published_at": "2026-06-29 18:55:43+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-29 19:21:07.786956+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-safety"], "entities": ["Joshua Elijah Ballard", "Cole Pricco", "Sebahattin Ciftci", "Emre Bozkurt", "San Leandro Police Department", "24-Hour Fitness", "Bayfair Center", "In-N-Out"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/san-leandro-police-detail-accused-two-time-killers-emotionless-confession-after", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/san-leandro-police-detail-accused-two-time-killers-emotionless-confession-after.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/san-leandro-police-detail-accused-two-time-killers-emotionless-confession-after.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/san-leandro-police-detail-accused-two-time-killers-emotionless-confession-after.jsonld"}}