3 sentenced for fatally shooting Millville, NJ, man 10 times in 2018

More than six years after a Millville resident was shot ten times following a youth football practice, three men have been sentenced in connection to his murder.

After about four hours of deliberations on Halloween, 48-year-old Eugene Cosby of Malaga/Franklin Township, 28-year-old Will ElBey of Vineland, and 33-year-old Clifton Bailey of Camden were all found guilty of the murder of 37-year-old Joseph L. Jones of Millville.

The charges stemmed from the August 9th, 2018 murder of Jones, which occurred in Millville shortly after 8 PM in the parking lot of Lakeside Middle School after a youth football practice.

Jones was shot ten times and was pronounced dead after being taken to Inspira Medical Center in Vineland.

After the shooting, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae called Jones' killing, "particularly unsettling because it was committed in broad daylight at a football practice in front of numerous children."

The investigation conducted by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, the Millville Police Department, and New Jersey State Police showed that the defendants and other unknown perpetrators coordinated their efforts and traveled from the area of Carver Village Apartments in Vineland to Lakeside Middle School. After that, one of the involved vehicles fled northbound on Route 55 where a pursuing officer, who was conducting another investigation, came under gunfire.

After the commission of the murder, Cosby and Bailey disposed of the vehicles utilized in the crime. Cosby and El-Bey thereafter elicited help from others to provide false statements to investigators.

Cosby and El-Bey were arrested on October 10th, 2018, and Bailey was taken into custody about a month later. Three other defendants were also arrested and previously pled guilty for their roles in attempting to thwart the investigation.

This week, the following sentences were handed down:

• Eugene Cosby received a life sentence, subject to a minimum term of almost 64 years. He also received a consecutive term of five years for witness tampering.

• Will El-Bey was sentenced to a 40-year prison term on the murder charge and must serve a minimum of 34 years before being eligible for parole. El-Bey also received a consecutive term of eight years for bribing witnesses.

• Clifton Bailey was sentenced to 60 years and must serve at least 51 before being eligible for parole. He was also sentenced to a consecutive prison term of five years for hindering the investigation.