Murder warrant obtained Tuesday for Gwinnett 2008 cold case
A 2008 cold case was reopened as the Gwinnett County Police Department Cold Case Unit obtained a warrant for murder Tuesday. A warrant for Gerson Salmeron-Diaz was obtained in the 2008 death of Margaret Binkele, who was 58 at the time.
Binkele was discovered dead in her home, at 5245 Heather Pines Drive in Sugar Hill, Georgia, on July 25, 2008, but had been there for several days by the time her body was found. An autopsy report revealed that Binkele had been beaten, stabbed, and suffered severe head trauma. A sexual assault kit was also completed during the autopsy, resulting in the collection of an unknown DNA profile. The DNA profile was entered into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), but after an extensive investigation, the investigation was moved to a “cold case” status.
On March 20, 2014, detectives received a hit in CODIS — the DNA submitted in the homicide case had been matched within the CODIS database. That DNA belonged to Salmeron-Diaz, who was later determined to be Binkele’s neighbor at the time of her death, though he was not in the area during the period of the investigation.
Between July, 2008 and March, 2014, Salmeron-Diaz had been deported to El Salvador following an unrelated arrest. He returned to the United States only to be arrested again on Dec. 11, 2013 when he and five other suspects were caught transporting nearly 400 lbs. of marijuana by U.S. Park Rangers in Arizona. Following his conviction on this charge, Salmeron-Diaz’s DNA was entered into CODIS and the match to the homicide was found.
Salmeron-Diaz is a federal prisoner in New Mexico and will be transported to Gwinnett to face the murder charge.
