Tennessee man says he doesn't know why he fatally shot Columbus man to steal a car

Jordan Laird, The Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·4 min read
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Joshua Binkley, 23, center, appeared Tuesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court for his sentencing for aggravated murder in the May 31, 2020 shooting death of Kenneth Ramsey and for another case with his defense attorneys, Joe Kaiser, left, and Emily Anstaett.
Joshua Binkley, 23, center, appeared Tuesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court for his sentencing for aggravated murder in the May 31, 2020 shooting death of Kenneth Ramsey and for another case with his defense attorneys, Joe Kaiser, left, and Emily Anstaett.

Kenneth Ramsey, 58, had worked for the Honda Marysville Auto Plant for 37 years and was five months away from retiring, after which he planned to spend time with his grandkids, travel and fulfill his dream of starting a baking business.

But on May 31, 2020, Franklin County prosecutors say 19-year-old Joshua Binkley from Lebanon, Tennessee, shot Ramsey in the back of the head in order to steal Ramsey’s car. Ramsey was found dead on June 4, 2020 inside his home on Columbus’ Far West Side.

The murder by Binkley was part of a “brazen series of events for just a little bit of property” in an attempt to run away with his teenage girlfriend from Columbus, Assistant Prosecutor Dan Cable said Tuesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

Binkley pleaded guilty in May to aggravated murder and aggravated burglary, as well as in a separate case to a robbery committed while he was in jail. On Feb. 17, 2021, Binkley and other inmates in the Franklin County jail beat up another inmate to steal his food, Cable said.

Common Pleas Judge David Young sentenced Binkley, now 23, for both cases on Tuesday, giving him a total sentence of life in prison with the opportunity for parole after at least 40 years.

Due to Ohio’s Reagan Tokes Act, if Binkley misbehaves in prison, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction can keep Binkley up to an additional five years before he becomes eligible for parole.

Ramsey’s family and prosecutors had asked for a sentence of life in prison without the opportunity for parole.

Kenneth Ramsey, 58, was fatally shot May 31, 2020 inside his home on Columbus Far West Side. The father and grandfather loved baking sweets and spending time with his family.
Kenneth Ramsey, 58, was fatally shot May 31, 2020 inside his home on Columbus Far West Side. The father and grandfather loved baking sweets and spending time with his family.

On May 31, 2020, Binkley was driving a car he stole from a Nashville man, according to Cable.

Before the killing, Binkley went first to his teen girlfriend's apartment on Ashberry Village Drive on the Far West Side. When his girlfriend’s father, Richard Kimbler, wouldn’t let him in, Binkley fired his gun and broke into the apartment, according to Franklin County prosecutors.

Cable said it’s only by the “grace of God” that Binkley didn’t kill Kimbler.

The car from Tennessee stopped working, Cable said, and Binkley arranged to meet with Ramsey under false pretenses. Binkley then shot Ramsey and stole Ramsey’s car.

Afterward, Binkley simply texted “we got a car,” according to Cable.

“(That life) meant nothing more to him than that,” Cable said.

Joe Kaiser, Binkley’s attorney on the aggravated murder case, spoke during the sentencing hearing about Binkley’s struggles with mental illness, homelessness and abuse as a child.

Binkley was born in a prison to an incarcerated mother. After being adopted, he was abused as a child. He entered foster care at age 16, never graduated and was homeless for several years, Kaiser said.

Binkley has autism, bipolar disorder and depression, Kaiser said.

“I don’t know why,” Binkley said of his actions during the hearing. “I don’t understand why I did it, but I am sorry. I regret what I’ve done.”

Amanda Simpson, left, speaks in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at the sentencing of her 58-year-old father Kenneth Ramsey's killer, Joshua Binkley, second from right. Binkley pleaded guilty to aggravated murder for fatally shooting Ramsey on May 31, 2020 at his home and then stealing his car. Binkley was sentenced to life in prison with the opportunity for parole consideration after 40 years of good behavior.

Speaking during the sentencing hearing, Amanda Simpson, Ramsey’s daughter, said her father will never meet some of his grandkids — Ramsey’s youngest son welcomed a baby girl a few months ago — and will never get to attend any of their weddings or graduations.

“How could somebody do something this horrendous?” Simpson said in court. “Some days I cry, some days I’m angry, some days I find it hard to get out of bed.”

Accomplice in murder case sentenced

In another, unrelated case Tuesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, 24-year-old Adonis Walker was given an indefinite sentence of 11 years to 15 years in prison for attempted murder and felonious assault.

Common Pleas Judge Kim Brown issued the sentence, which was jointly recommended by prosecutors and Walker's defense attorney, Joseph Landusky II.

Walker pleaded guilty in August to attempted murder and multiple counts of felonious assault for shooting at 20-year-old Dezujwuan Pyfrom in 2020 with his codefendant Tylan Sims.

Sims was convicted of murdering Pyfrom in a convenience store parking lot after unsuccessfully arguing that he did so in self-defense. Brown sentenced Sims on Friday to life in prison with the opportunity for parole after 21 years.

More court news: Judge says Columbus man shows no remorse for 2017 wrong-way crash that devastated a family

jlaird@dispatch.com

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Tennessee man sentenced to life in prison for Columbus murder