STEUBENVILLE — A Dillonvale man jumped about 40 feet to his death inside the Jefferson County Courthouse Friday, minutes after learning he was to spend the next 13 years behind bars. 
 
 Jason Binkiewicz, 42, plunged to his death from the third floor of the courthouse after Common Pleas Judge Michelle Miller handed down the 13-year sentence for attempted murder and felonious assault. Binkiewicz was found guilty of those charges July 6 for shooting a man in the face on Nov. 27 in Newtown. 
 
 “Our procedure is to transport a prisoner back to the county jail after a sentencing hearing. When the deputy took Mr. Binkiewicz out of the courtroom and was walking to the elevator, the prisoner took off running toward the stairwell and then hurled himself over the banister,” Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said during an afternoon press conference. 
 
 “I don’t think anyone thought this would happen. There have been times during a sentencing hearing when a prisoner will get angry at the victim or a court officer, but never anything like this. This has been heartbreaking for everyone. I am very thankful the deputy was not injured and no one else in the courthouse was injured.” 
 
 Jefferson County commissioners closed the courthouse Friday afternoon, but Commissioner Tom Gentile said the building will be open for business Monday. 
 
 “We will offer counseling services to everyone in the courthouse, including anyone who witnessed this horrific event,” said Commissioner Thomas Graham. 
 
 The Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Steubenville police will handle the investigation, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla. 
 
 “I have watched the security video and it scares me how close Deputy Robert “Duke” Price came to going over the banister with the prisoner. Deputy Price was able to briefly grab the inmate’s jumpsuit but he then lost his grip on the clothing when Binkiewicz began to fall,” Abdalla said. 
 
 Abdalla said Binkiewicz had his hands cuffed in front of him but was not wearing ankle shackles in the courtroom. The sheriff noted Binkiewicz fell approximately 40 feet. 
 
 “He had complained in the past about his swollen ankles so we didn’t put the ankle bracelets on him,” Abdalla added. 
 
 “Everyone, including Judge Miller, is heartbroken by this incident. This isn’t something you expect to happen. We will look at everything we can to make sure nothing like this happens again. We certainly had no idea this would happen today,” Hanlin remarked. 
 
 Miller declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. 
 
 “Everyone is shook up. This has been a tough day for everyone,” added Hanlin. 
 
 She noted members of the Binkiewicz family were notified of the incident. No family members were in the courtroom during the hearing. 
 
 A Jefferson County Common Pleas Court jury deliberated only 30 minutes on July 6 before finding Binkiewicz guilty. His victim, Ronald Horton of Canton, was living at a house with his girlfriend at 104 Mount Pleasant Township Road 1102. 
 
 Horton said Binkiewicz came to the house on Nov. 27 and he could tell Binkiewicz was intoxicated. He said Binkiewicz, for no reason, pulled out a handgun and fired a shot. 
 
 Horton said the bullet entered his jaw below his lower lip. The bullet fractured his jaw and broke teeth. He said the bullet is lodged close to his spine and can’t be removed because of the risk of paralysis. ||||| Prosecutor Jane Hanlin is speaking about a tragic series of events as a man convicted of attempted murder takes his own life before leaving the courthouse. 
 
 
 
 “I think everybody is a little bit shaken up. I think that it's fair to say this is like nothing that we have ever had happen in one of our courthouses," she said. 
 
 
 
 Jason Binkiewicz, learning his sentence of 13 years behind bars , jumped to his death moments later inside the courthouse. 
 
 News9's Jennifer Black was there as this all unfolded and spoke to Jefferson County officials about the shocking events and what will happen in the days ahead. 
 
 Binkiewicz got away from the sheriff's deputy escorting him to the elevator and leapt to his death after jumping over the railing on the third floor of the Jefferson County Courthouse. 
 
 The fall was about 100 feet. 
 
 Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla says that while Binkiewicz's hands were shackled, his ankles were not due to previous issues with swelling. 
 
 “If he did have them on, there's enough movement that he could have still made it to the railing and jumped over,” Sheriff Abdalla said. 
 
 Moments after the jump, emergency crews were on scene. Later, the Bureau of Criminal Investigations arrived to collect evidence. 
 
 Because a sheriff's deputy was involved, the Steubenville police department is handling the investigation along with the Attorney General’s office. 
 
 Going forward, Jefferson County officials say they will take a close look at security. 
 
 "Oh I think we're going to look at everything. It is a terrible day for this to have happened and we will look at everything we can to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. He had his mind made up he was going to do this, and he succeeded. Again, I'm thankful the deputy didn't go over with him,” Hanlin said. 
 
 While those who were in the courtroom are still in shock, there are also several other offices located in the courthouse and commissioners say they will arrange counseling for employees who may have been affected. 
 
 “It's a traumatic day for a lot of folks," said Commissioner Dave Maple. 
 
 “I'm not a professional in the field by any means, but I know sometime the effects aren't just the next day. They can be over a period of time, so we will be keeping that in consideration when we try to find the right level of counseling for the employees," Maple continued. 
 
 Related: Convicted man jumps to death ||||| A convicted man jumped from the third floor of the courthouse after his sentencing. (WTOV) 
 
 A tragic turn of events occurred after a man sentenced on an attempted murder charge took his own life at the Jefferson County Courthouse. 
 
 What started as a sentencing hearing for 42-year-old Jason Binkiewiz Friday morning ended in tragedy. Jefferson County Common Pleas Judge Michelle Miller handed down a 13-year prison sentence for the charges of attempted murder and felony assault. 
 
 The charge stems from a man being shot in the face outside a Dillonvale home in November 2015. 
 
 The proceedings were littered with details on a troubled past filled with a long criminal history. In some of her final remarks to the court the judge noted: 
 
 "His behavior has continued over a period of 16 years, has continued to escalate and spiral out of control, resulting in somebody getting shot in the face." 
 
 But from the courtroom, things only spiraled further. As a deputy escorted Binkiewicz out of courtroom, he made his escape. 
 
 "He made a run for the banister on the third floor of the courthouse and threw himself over the banister and has been pronounced dead,” Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said. 
 
 Screams filled the inside of the courthouse, and outside emergency responders rushed to the scene. 
 
 Binkiewicz jumped approximately 30 feet to his death, from the third floor to the first floor. 
 
 “As soon as Binkiewicz started running, Deputy Price he was on him quick enough when he reached out, he had his shirt. It wasn't good enough, and if he held on to the shirt, most likely Deputy Price would have gone over with him,” said Sheriff Abdalla. 
 
 Officials are still in shock and prosecutors who have been working the case say the outcome could not have been predicted. 
 
 "I don't think that anybody thought that this was going to happen today. Sometimes if we are aware something has happened in the past, or there have been those types of threats, then we are looking for that, we're going to be taking different action,” Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said. 
 
 "It really is just a heart-breaking day for everybody here because they’re typically lots of people in the courthouse, there are criminal proceedings going on, a lot of activity at the courthouse. As the sheriff said, we are thankful that the deputy wasn't injured and we're actually thankful that nobody else was hurt as he went over that railing, that he didn't hurt or kill anybody else on the way down,” Hanlin said. 
 
 Because a sheriff's deputy was involved, the Steubenville police department will be handling the investigation along with the Attorney General’s office. 
 
 You can also read or watch videos all about this case in our previous stories here. 
 
 
 
 
 

– Sudden death apparently sounded better to Jason Binkiewicz than 13 years in prison. The 42-year-old Dillonvale, Ohio, man had in July been found guilty of attempted murder and felony assault after shooting a man in the face on Nov. 27, 2015; he was handed a 13-year sentence Friday morning, reports WTOV. What followed were screams, but not his own: Prosecutor Jane Hanlin says a deputy escorted Binkiewicz out of the courtroom per procedure, but as they approached the elevator the convict took off running and threw himself over the banister of the Jefferson County Courthouse's third floor, reports the Intelligencer. Binkiewicz fell roughly 30 feet to his death. Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla says the deputy managed to catch Binkiewicz by the jumpsuit, but had he held on, "most likely [the deputy] would have gone over with him." Abdalla says Binkiewicz wasn't wearing ankle shackles as he had previously complained about swollen ankles; his hands were cuffed. But Abdalla tells WTOV that even if he had been shackled, "there's enough movement that he could have still made it to the railing and jumped over." Said Hanlin, "We certainly had no idea this would happen." (This man killed himself in court in June after hearing his sentence read.)