BUFFALO, NY. – James Reed, 42, of Buffalo, was sentenced to 166 months in federal prison for his involvement in a drug conspiracy that led to the brutal murders of three people, including a young mother.
Reed was convicted of narcotics conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct justice, use of fire to commit a felony, and accessory after the fact.
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Beginning in 2014, Reed and his co-conspirators engaged in drug trafficking, storing and selling marijuana, heroin, and cocaine at a residence on Fillmore Avenue.
The operation took a violent turn in September 2019 when a drug deal escalated into a horrific double homicide. Reed accompanied a co-conspirator, Jariel Cobb, to purchase cocaine from Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon and Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred. During the transaction, another co-conspirator, Deandre Wilson, fatally shot Valentin-Colon and his wife, Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud, in their vehicle while their young son was present.
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Reed and Cobb then moved Roman-Audiffred’s body into the basement of the residence, where they dismembered her and burned her remains in a fire pit. The next day, Cobb and Wilson retrieved the minivan containing the bodies of Valentin-Colon and Merced-Plaud, set it on fire, and abandoned their young son on a stranger’s porch.
Reed’s co-conspirators, James Cobb and Deandre Wilson, were previously convicted and sentenced to 20 years and three life sentences, respectively.
This case was the result of a multi-agency investigation led by the FBI, Buffalo Police Department, and Erie County Sheriff’s Office.
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