6 years after man shot 10 times, 3 found guilty of Millville, NJ, murder

More than six years after a Millville resident was shot ten times following a youth football practice, three men have been convicted of 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 (charges are listed below).

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.

All three men are now potentially facing life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January 10th.

The defendants were convicted of the following crimes:

Eugene Cosby

• First-degree murder
• First-degree conspiracy to commit murder
• Third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution
• Third-degree tampering with witnesses and informants
• Third-degree conspiracy to obstruct, hinder, or tamper
• Fourth-degree obstructing administration of law

Will El-Bey

• First-degree murder
• First-degree conspiracy to commit murder
• Second-degree bribery
• Third-degree tampering with witnesses and informants
• Third-degree conspiracy to obstruct, hinder, or tamper
• Fourth-degree obstructing administration of law

Clifton Bailey

• First-degree murder
• First-degree conspiracy to commit murder
• Third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution
• Fourth-degree obstructing administration of law

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutors Charles J. Wettstein and Kim Barfield. Eugene Cosby was represented by Wayne Powell, Esq.; El-Bey by David Branco, Esq.; Bailey by Louis Barbone, Esq.