NEW ALBANY, Ohio -
Bond was set at $1 million Thursday for the man accused of killing a pregnant woman whose body was found in the front yard of an abandoned farmhouse in August.
New Albany Doctor Ali Salim has been charged with two counts of murder, rape, felonious assault, corrupting another with drugs, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of 23-year-old Deanna Ballman, of Pataskala, and her unborn child.
Bond was set for Salim at $1 million, and he will be under house arrest, wearing an ankle monitor.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to set bond at $5 million, fearing Salim would flee to Pakistan.
"We had asked for substantially more," said Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O'Brien. "We believe he is a flight risk. The judge felt differently."
"The reason he stayed as he's expressed to me many times is he's innocent. He's not guilty. He's got no reason to flee," said Salim's defense attorney Sam Shamansky.
Ballman's body was found in her vehicle in the front yard of an abandoned farm house, along the 12000 block of Bevelheimer Road, in Harlem Township, in Delaware County, at about 12:27 p.m. on August 1, 2012.
Ballman was nine-months pregnant at the time of her death. She was originally reported missing, and had last been seen in the New Albany area on July 31, 2012, according to the sheriff's office.
Sources told NBC4 that she went to Salim to sell sex because she needed money, but the prosecution and defense teams are not releasing much information as to why Ballman was in contact with Salim.
"She was going there in response to an ad for what her mother says were cleaning services. That's not quite what we found, but he posted various ads on Craigslist to ask women to come to his house," O'Brien said.
"She's certainly not Little Bo Peep, and I don't mean to demean this poor woman or her deceased child, but the fact of the matter is she's anything. I'll just leave it at that," said Shamansky.
Ballman's mother told NBC4 that her daughter was three weeks away from delivering her third child.
Salim is still a licensed Ohio doctor. He most recently practiced in Mount Vernon and Jackson, Ohio.
Authorities had executed two search warrants at Salim's home in August in connection with Ballman's death. In one of the searches, investigators confiscated a computer. Neighbors said they watched investigators seize six bags of items from the New Albany home.
A toxicology report released by the Delaware County Coroner's office noted Ballman died of acute heroin intoxication. Ballman's blood tested positive for morphine, monoacetylmorphine, acetylcodeine, and traces of codeine, commonly known as heroin.
An autopsy on Ballman's body showed no signs of trauma, but indicated that she had bruising on the inside of her left elbow, and a needle puncture and bruising on her left thigh.
Salim's trial is set to begin May 7.
Ali Salim
Ali Salim
