Houston Man Gets Life in Prison for Murder-for-Hire Plot
A 50-year-old man has been sentenced to life in federal prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot related to a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Ronald Brown, aka Nuk, Nook, or Nookie, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, intentional killing related to drug trafficking, two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a murder, kidnapping, and using a firearm in relation to the kidnapping, as well as conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.
The jury deliberated for six hours before returning the guilty verdicts on October 31, 2023, on all counts against Brown following a six-day trial. Brown was found guilty of orchestrating the murder of a man who he believed had stolen 56 kilograms of cocaine from him in 2014.
The jury heard testimony from several witnesses who testified about working directly for Brown. He was responsible for moving as much as 100 to 200 kilograms of cocaine each week from Houston to Atlanta, Georgia, on 18-wheeler trucks and car haulers.
On April 23, 2014, Brown and others kidnapped a man who they suspected of stealing the cocaine, zip-tied his arms and legs, and put him in the trunk of Brown’s girlfriend’s vehicle. A good Samaritan picked up the victim and attempted to drive him to safety after the victim managed to free himself from the trunk. However, Brown pursued and shot at them repeatedly, ultimately striking the good Samaritan in the upper body and the associate in the head. Both survived.
Brown was able to obtain the date of the man’s next parole visit through a middleman and hired a shooter to kill him. Following the parole visit on July 1, 2014, the victim returned to his vehicle in the parking lot, where the shooter fired multiple shots at close range at the victim as he sat in the driver’s seat. He died at the scene.
Afterwards, Brown met the shooter and middleman in the parking lot of a grocery store and paid them $20,000.
The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from the Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division, Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Parole Division, U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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