Naman Shrestha
HBO’s ‘Murder in Glitterball City’ delves deep into the haunting and mysterious crimes that took place in the city of Louisville, Kentucky. In particular, the docuseries focuses on the killing of James “Jamie” Carroll on Fourth Street in December 2009. Adapted from the non-fiction book ‘A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City’ written by David Dominé, it covers the entire case in a detailed manner as the detectives zero in on Joseph “Joey” Banis and his boyfriend, Jeffrey “Jase” Mundt. The couple shared a toxic relationship, and they blamed each other when asked about the fateful night. The two-part documentary series also features exclusive interviews with Joey’s acquaintances and officials linked to the investigation.
Joseph “Joey” Banis Blamed His Partner, Jeffrey “Jase” Mundt, For the Murder
Born in the early 1970s, Joseph “Joey” Richard Banis was around 20 years old when he met Kevin Asher in a bank parking lot in November 1992. However, their relationship eventually deteriorated with time, and the couple parted ways. In the following years, Joey reportedly had quite a few run-ins with the law, for which he was convicted. On New Year’s Eve of 2006, Joey reportedly hosted the grand opening of his bar called Club Glow. In September 2009, he crossed paths with James “Jamie” Carroll, also known as Ronica Reed. About a month later, Joey met Jeffrey “Jase” Steven Mundt, a technology consultant for the University of Louisville, on a dating website called Adam4Adam.
On the night of December 14, 2009, Joey, Jase, and Jamie were together at Jase’s residence, where they planned to get high off drugs and indulge in sex. As per reports, Joey stabbed Jamie in the throat and shot him to death while he was sharing an intimate moment with Jase. He reportedly then threatened to kill Jase if he refused to help him get rid of the remains and evidence. Together, they doused the remains in lime and placed them inside a 50-gallon Rubbermaid storage bin, which they sealed with tape and foam before burying it under the basement. Several months later, on June 17, 2010, the police received a call from Jase, who told them that Joey had been attacking him at his 1435 South Fourth Street home.
Subsequently, Joey was arrested for domestic violence, but he admitted to the detectives during his interview that the residence contained a body in the basement. He claimed that Jase had committed the murder. When Jase was brought in for questioning, he blamed Joey for the homicide. However, Joey drew a map of the basement for the detectives, with the help of which they discovered Jamie’s remains. Thus, Joey was charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence, and unlawful imprisonment, while Jase was charged with robbery, murder, and tampering with physical evidence. It turned out that this wasn’t the first time that the couple, Joey and Jase, got themselves arrested. A few months earlier, in April 2010, they were arrested for counterfeiting money as they were found with $54,000 in counterfeit money in Chicago.
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Joseph “Joey” Banis is Currently Incarcerated at a Kentucky Prison Facility
Less than three years after his arrest, on February 15, 2013, Joseph “Joey” Richard Banis stood trial for the murder of James “Jamie” Carroll. By then, his accomplice, Jeffrey “Jase” Steven Mundt, had agreed to a plea deal, which helped him avoid the death penalty in exchange for his testimony against Joey. The prosecution utilized their star witness, Jase, who testified against Joey, claiming that Joey had killed Jamie and threatened him into disposing of the remains. The defense argued that Jase was the mastermind behind it all. However, in the end, the jury deliberated for about nine and a half hours before finding Joey guilty of murder. Ultimately, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A couple of months later, in May 2013, Joey returned the favor and testified against Jase during his trial. He stated, “If I had wanted to kill Jamie for any reason, be it robbery, jealousy, anger, psychotic break, I would have chosen a much better place and time.” Joey also went into the details of how Jase placed the remains in the container. “I held the body, he sledgehammered Jamie’s kneecaps, we folded him into a position where he would fit into the container. Quite honestly, I was thinking in my mind, is there any way out of this?” he added. Although Jase was found not guilty of murder, he was convicted of the lesser charges against him. As of today, 54-year-old Joey is serving his sentence at Lee Adjustment Center in Beattyville, Kentucky, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for June 2030.
