"Joseph Patterson will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of 2-year-old Tyrese Ruffin. Patterson denied his role in Ruffin’s death as he addressed an emotionally charged courtroom for nearly an hour. “This
is probably where people expect a guilty person to turn around and ask
for forgiveness,” Patterson began. “I’m not guilty. All I did was try to
help.” A jury convicted Patterson in September, following a close
to three-week trial. He was found guilty of second-degree murder,
first-degree manslaughter and aggravated battery. On Thursday,
Judge Bradley Zell imposed a sentence of life in prison without parole,
the mandatory minimum sentence for second-degree murder in South Dakota..........Defense
attorney Tim Rensch likened Patterson’s case to the Salem witch trials
during the sentencing hearing, maintaining that his client was innocent. “I believe that one day this case will be held up as an example of injustice,” Rensch said. Before
sentencing, Patterson shared memories of Ruffin, a child he said he
loved as his own. He spoke of his love for Doohen, and their plans to
marry and have children of their own. “Losing Ty felt like losing a
piece of my heart,” Patterson said, later adding. “Put yourself in my
shoes. Imagine dealing with that pain … and then be left with the finger
pointed at you.” Patterson
also criticized the court for holding an unfair trial. He said
extensive media coverage caused the jury to have negative feelings about
him in court.
“I find it very hard to believe that people hadn’t
heard about this,” Patterson said. “Can one honestly say I was given the
fairness I deserve?”
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2015/11/19/joseph-patterson-sentenced-boys-murder-tyrese-ty-ruffin-adrian-peterson/76040388/