Three Men Sentenced in Connection with Murder of Youth Soccer Coach in New Jersey – NBC Philadelphia (41)

Three men have been sentenced to prison in connection with the 2018 murder of New Jersey youth football coach.

Eugene Cosby, 48, of Malaga, Will El-Bey, 28, of Vineland, and Clifton Bailey, 33, of Camden, had been convicted in October of first-degree murder and other crimes for killing 37-year-old Millville resident Joseph Jones.

Prosecutors said the incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. on August 9, 2018, in the parking lot of Lakeside High School, just after a youth football practice ended. Jones had suffered a total of ten gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to the hospital.

Evidence showed that Cosby, El-Bey, Bailey and other unknown individuals coordinated their efforts and traveled from the Carver Village apartment area in downtown Vineland to Lakeside High School, prosecutors shared. After the incident, one of the vehicles involved fled north on State Highway 55, where a pursuing officer who was conducting another investigation was attacked.

After the murder, prosecutors said Cosby and Bailey disposed of the vehicles used in the crime. Cosby and El-Bey subsequently enlisted the help of others to provide false statements to investigators.

Prosecutors said Cosby and El-Bey were arrested on Oct. 10, 2018, and Bailey was arrested on Nov. 12, 2018. Three others were also arrested and previously pleaded guilty for their roles in trying to thwart the investigation.

Cosby received a sentence of life in prison, subject to a minimum sentence of 63 years and nine months. Cosby also received a five-year consecutive sentence, two and a half years, before he was eligible for parole for witness tampering, according to prosecutors.

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

For his role in the murder, prosecutors said Bailey was sentenced to a 60-year prison term and must serve a minimum of 51 years before being eligible for parole. Bailey was also sentenced to a consecutive five-year prison term with two and a half years of parole ineligibility for impeding the investigation.