A Bronx man was convicted of a June 2000 murder this week and faces life in prison.
“In June of 2000, Caprice Jones was senselessly gunned down, the unintended victim of drug-dealer Ralph Berry and a co-defendant, who tragically missed their mark when trying to murder a rival dealer,” said U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss.” Instead, their bullet struck Jones, who died after suffering a years-long spinal injury. This case typifies the inherent danger of the drug trade, which oftentimes leaves innocent victims in its wake. I commend the career prosecutors and agents of this Office in their partnership with the outstanding detectives of the NYPD for their determination in bringing closure in the cold case.”
According to the investigation, in the summer of 2000, Ralph Berry, 54, was the head of a violent drug crew that operated in the McKinley Housing Development in the Bronx. On June 21, 2000, Berry allegedly ordered one of his subordinates to shoot a rival drug dealer with whom Berry had been feuding over drug territory.
That man followed Berry’s order and fired multiple shots into a Father’s Day barbecue being held on the McKinley Houses basketball courts. Caprice Jones, an innocent bystander who was not involved in the drug dispute, was struck in the spine by one of the bullets. The gunshot injury left him paralyzed from the waist down and ultimately caused his death in November 2010, at the age of 42.
