Ohio resident convicted for drug related murders

OHIO — A jury has found Jamal Binford, 33, guilty on all counts related to two murders in Cincinnati during the summer of 2021.

Binford, who has ties to both Dallas and Cincinnati, was convicted on five charges following a trial that began on Jan. 15 before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

According to court documents and trial testimony, Binford posed as a boxing manager mentoring young men but instead directed them to sell fentanyl and marijuana.

He played a role in assisting co-conspirators after one murder and then ordered a second killing.

Co-defendants Antwan Coach, Jr., 22, and Markel Hardy, 23, both of Cincinnati, robbed and killed Kamar Williams on July 5, 2021, in North College Hill.

Prosecutors said Coach and Hardy stole marijuana and a firearm from Williams before fatally shooting him.

In August 2021, Binford conspired with Coach and Hardy to murder a second victim, Deonte Nuckols, in St. Bernard.

Prosecutors argued Binford paid the two men to carry out the killing after Nuckols repeatedly texted him about an unpaid drug debt.

Binford was arrested in February 2023 at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

The narcotics conspiracy in the case involved significant drug quantities, including 400 grams or more of fentanyl, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.

Binford faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, with a potential life sentence.

The charges include participating in a narcotics conspiracy, being an accessory after the fact, murder in connection with drug trafficking, and firearm-related offenses.

The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker, ATF Special Agent in Charge Daryl S. McCormick, and local police officials. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs assisted in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley N. Brucato and OCDETF Deputy Criminal Chief Frederic C. Shadley prosecuted the case.