In September, Patterson was found guilty of killing Tyrese Ruffin, the son of Ashley Doohen and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
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Peterson learned that Ruffin was his son a couple of months before his death.
Ruffin died from four blows to his head that caused his brain to bleed, according to an autopsy.
Tyrese was the son of Patterson’s girlfriend and Peterson.
Peterson had been working with the child’s mother to set-up time to meet the boy when he found out the child was hospitalized. Peterson said he raced to South Dakota and saw Tyrese a day before he died.
When given a chance to speak during his sentencing, Patterson staunchly maintained his innocence and painted himself as the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
Patterson denied his role in Ruffin’s death at the sentencing hearing, the newspaper reported.
“I’ve never witnessed really anything quite like that and it’s his opportunity to tell the court about how he felt about the proceedings”, Lincoln County State’s Attorney Tom Wollman said. He said he has been painted as a monster and there’s no way the jury couldn’t have been biased.
‘I find it very hard to believe that people hadn’t heard about this, ‘ Patterson said.
Judge Zell called the trial a look at the two sides of Joseph Patterson.
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Tyrese’s mother also spoke in court today. He says he loved the toddler, and he considered him family. Patterson also has kidnapping and assault charges pending in Minnehaha County.
